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Charismatic pilgrimage. A story from Savelivka village
26-08-2009
As we have already informed, on August 22 - 23, 2009 a first Ukrainian Greek-Catholic charismatic pilgrimage took place. A venue of the pilgrimage had been Savelivka village, which in year 1873 Pope Pius IX had designated a pilgrimage site and granted it a privilege of plenary indulgence for a feast day of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. The pilgrimage had been led by Fr. Dmytro Hryhorak OSBM, the Apostolic administrator of the Buchach eparchy. Representatives from Ivano-Frankivsk, Zolochiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Yasenivci, Chortkiv, Dolyna and other towns and villages of Halychyna communities took part in the pilgrimage.
Nearly half a year ago, Fr. Dmytro Hryhorak OSBM, the Apostolic administrator of the Buchach eparchy, with the blessing of the Head of UGCC, His Beatitude, Patriarch Cardinal Lyubomyr Huzar, started common meetings of Greek-Catholic charismats. Nowadays, Greek-Catholic charismats are divided into three formational branches, around which most of UGCC charismatic communities unite: School for Christian life and evangelization formation (with a center in Krasyliv, under leadership of Fr. Petro Kurkevych), "Community" formation (with a center in Zolochiv, under leadership of Fr. Orest-Dmytro Vilchynskyy) and "Saint Nicholas from Mira in Lykia" formation (with a center in Ivano-Frankivsk under leadership of Mr. Oles Marhitych). These formational branches form the basis of UGCC Greek-Catholic charismats Coordination. The Coordination doesn't have a status of the official structure so far. Small communities, which do not belong to any of the given formational branches, unite around the Coordination.
The program of the pilgrimage started with a Divine Liturgy served by Fr.Dmytro Hryhorak and other present priests. In the homily, the father Administrator called all participants of the pilgrimage to active prayer for spiritual awakening of Ukraine, to attentive listening of God's voice through words of brothers and sisters, to worship and praise of our God, who presented Ukraine with independence 18 years ago.
After the lunch, which had been hospitably organized by Fr.Oleh Chervak, the pastor at Savelivka village, the first block of the pilgrimage started.
It had been conducted by representatives from Chortkiv city communities with Fr. Hryhoriy Kanak at head (School for Christian life and evangelization formation). During the speech and prayer the pilgrimage participants meditated upon Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, worshipped Him as kind and loving Lord, sang from the depth of their hearts of His glory. In his speech, father Kanak focused attention of the participants on the need of worship, the worship of God. Very often people don't realize that during worship they should forget about themselves and remember only about God, that's why such worship has no meaning and no power. Having provided the examples from the Bible, Fr. Kanak called everyone to take part in worship of God's Love and Greatness with a pure heart.
After that, the fathers served Vespers, accompanied by singing of brothers from Ivano-Frankivsk spiritual seminary of St. Josaphat, the Martyr.
After the dinner, the second block of the pilgrimage started under conduction of community representatives under leadership of Fr. Orest-Dmytro Vilchynskyy ("Community" formation). In his speech, Fr. Vilchynskyy called all present to realize that today's status of Ukraine and most of its problems are not consequences of economical or political crisis, but, first of all, spiritual crisis. Many years ago, through baptism of Russ-Ukraine and devotion of a nation to the Mother of God, our kings made a covenant between God and Ukrainian people. But we have betrayed God, broke His covenant through idolatry, different forms of occultism, superstitions, internecine wars, anti-Semitism, communism, indulgence of our mind, abortions, alcoholism, disrespect to the Church and priests, love to money, greed, laziness and other so typical for Ukrainians sins. That's why everything that happened to us as a nation are consequences of the broken covenant with God, the curses which are described in the book of Deuteronomy in detail. After the speech, the pilgrimage participants, according to prophet Daniel's example (see Dan.9), repented in the prayer for our nation's sins, and asked for forgiveness for the nation and its leaders. They thanked God for His mercy and love, thanked for His Son, Who had redeemed us from every curse on the cross (Gal.3:13)!
At midnight, father Administrator started to pray rosary on the road to a spring, where one day a man saw a light on an oak tree, in the circuit of which an image of the Holy Virgin Mary had been seen, and since then big pilgrimages to the Miraculous image started to take place there, during which numerous healings and conversions have happened. There, near the spring, the pilgrimages served a prayer to the Mother of God.
From the spring, the pilgrimage participants went through a prayer of the way of the cross, led by present priests in turn: Fr. Dmytro Hryhorak, Fr. Hryhorij Kanak, Fr. Rostyslav Kakanych, Fr. Volodymyr Zaliskyy, Fr. Oleh Chervak, Fr. Orest-Dmytro Vilchynskyy, and Fr. Oleksiy Nykolyshyn. At the way of the cross, near every station meditation were devoted to historical way of Ukrainian people, to prayer for its conversion and understanding of what Jesus Christ had done for us on the cross.
Thus, the pilgrimage turned to the walls of the church, where representatives from Ivano-Frankivsk community conducted the third block. Oles Marhitych spoke about the power of prayer in the Holy Spirit, about obstacles in prayer, provided many testimonies about conversion and healing of people, which God performed by answering to a prayer of faith. After the speech, they went to a song of worship of our God and Redeemer Jesus Christ, thankful prayer for salvation and healing which lasted till the morning Sunday Liturgy. During a prayer, God poured His healing, conversion and charisms on the present people.
During the Liturgy, at Sunday homily Fr. Orest-Dmytro Vilchynskyy spoke about importance of the act of forgiveness to enemies and torturers of our nation, as a condition to receive forgiveness for a nation from God, both on personal and national levels. Fr. Vilchynskyy reminded to the present an example given to Ukrainian and Polish people by cardinals Huzar and Glamp by forgiving and asking for forgiveness in the name of two neighboring nations.
In his final speech, Fr.Dmytro Hryhorak thanked God for His forgiveness, thanked all participants for participation in the pilgrimage and expressed a hope that it will give good fruit for spiritual life of Ukraine and its people.
