A letter from His Eminence
Myroslav Ivan
Cardinal Liubachivsky
On the
Occasion of the Christening of the New Building
Of the Lviv
Theological Academy
Lviv, 10
October 1996
Most Reverend Bishops,
Reverend Fathers and
Venerable Sisters,
Respected Civic Authorities,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
When
our predecessor, Servant of God Metropolitan Andriy Sheptysky founded the
Theological Academy in Lviv on February 22, 1929, he wrote:
“Our
Heavenly Savior Jesus Christ, who completes the work of salvation of the human
race, said: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ With these words our Savior
commanded all of us who are called to work in Christ’s vineyard to seek through
Him the light of Divine truth, in order to lead our nation toward eternal
life.”
For
this reason the Church, as the Good Mother, has always cherished knowledge and
education. This is not merely to advance our human understanding but first and
foremost to experience the wisdom of God, His truth and His commandments.
Through this divine knowledge we can apprehend the foundations of our own
existence and we can develop ourselves as whole and complete individuals, who
strive to be saved and to save others.
Acknowledging
his duty to God, the Church, the nation and its history, Servant of God Andriy
appointed Fr. Josyf Slipyj to be the rector of the new theological institution.
Rector Slipyj, with professors and staff, operated the Academy for 15 years. It
was a very difficult time, but with dignity he successfully raised the level of
theological education in Ukraine. I myself had the opportunity and the honor to
be a student at the Academy. My generation, which was educated from 1929 to
1944, has always been faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church; we survived
a time of suffering and persecution and have bequeathed a valuable inheritance
to future generations.
After the imprisonment of the Greco-Catholic
hierarchy and the liquidation of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, the
Theological Academy was forced to close its
doors.
When Patriarch Josyf [Slipyj] arrived in Rome in 1963, one of his first actions
was to establish the Ukrainian Catholic University, named after St. Clement the
Pope. This University succeeded the Academy in its research and educational
work.
After the period of our underground existence passed
away and the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church regained its freedom, we decided
that it was our sacred duty to reestablish the Lviv Theological Academy. It is
presently about to begin its third year of operation.
The
mission of the Lviv Theological Academy is to educate Ukrainian youth in
theology, philosophy and the humanities, so they will understand the divine
truth revealed by God and so they will be able to lead the new Christian
society of Ukraine into the third millennium. Unfortunately, the second
Christian millennium was filled with tragic divisions within the Church, of
which we still feel the repercussions. Thus, the Lviv Theological Academy
should seek ways of recovering unity in the foundations laid by Scripture,
Liturgy and the Patristic sources of the Church in the first millennium.
We rejoice that the Lviv Theological Academy has
obtained a new building, but it will still take a lot of time and effort to
bring all things to their appropriate order. The city of Lviv, the nation of
Ukraine and all the Diaspora should be proud to have such an institution of
higher theological learning, which wields a respected influence on the academic
world. We hope that our city and the Ukrainian state will be able to provide
moral and material support, for the student-body is comprised of our nation’s
youth, who will build a better future for Ukraine based on the principles of
the Gospels.
Dear professors and students of the
Lviv Theological Academy, the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church turns its eyes to
you with confidence, that you will be the true salt of the earth and the light
of divine truth for our nation. Persevere in your noble endeavor: understand
the truth and be witnesses to Christ, his truth and teachings, throughout
Ukraine and the world.
May the blessing of Almighty God be upon you, with
His grace and Lover of mankind, now and forever. Amen.
Composed
in Lviv
At
St. George’s Cathedral
October
10, 1996
Myroslav Ivan Cardinal
Liubachivsky
Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church