Annual Report. PATRIARCHAL CURIA UGCC 2019

4 Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope… (1 Pt. 3:15) Keeping in mind the words of St. Peter the Apostle, who calls upon us to be ready to give an account for a reason of our hope, I am happy to present to your attention the Annual Report of the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for the year 2019. With this report we would like to share with our faithful as well as our benefactors and partners worldwide the good works which would be difficult to have accomplished without your great help. Going through this annual review, you will see in detail our accomplishments as well as our challenges which encourage us to serve our Lord Jesus Christ with even greater zeal and the utmost excellence. One of the hallmarks of the year 2019 was a memorable meeting of the Permanent Synod of Bishops of the UGCC with the Holy Father Pope Francis and the Superiors of the competent Dicasteries of the Roman Curia in the Vatican. During that meeting Pope Francis reminded us that "the main role of the Church, faced with the complex situations caused by the conflicts, is that of offering witness of Christian hope." These words of the Successor of St. Peter resonate in a special way in our homeland, Ukraine, afflicted by the military conflict still underway and characterized by a series of political and ecclesial events which had global consequences. Amidst political turmoil and instability in Ukraine and worldwide, our Church continues to provide Christian witness to the Gospel values and contributes to the development of a civil society in Ukraine. This year also marked the completion of a pastoral program entitled "The Vibrant Parish: a Place to Encounter the Living Christ" adopted by the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in 2011. The key role in the implementation of that program on the global level was played by the Working Group and various departments and commissions of the Patriarchal Curia. As you may know, the Vibrant Parish pastoral renewal program consisted of six key areas of Evangelization: 1) Word of God — Catechesis, 2) Liturgy and Prayer, 3) Serving one’s Neighbor (Diakonia), 4) Leadership-Stewardship, 5) Communion-Unity (Koinonia), 6) Missionary Spirit. A Foreword of His Beatitude Sviatoslav A Foreword of Hi s Beat i tude Sv iatos lav