Pastoral letter of the orthodox Catholic Synod

                                             of the UGCC to the priests

Dear brothers in priestly service,

we live in the times when the love for Christ has grown cold and when the fundamental truths of the Gospel and of our Christian faith are eroded in general.

People are confused, and especially the youth have become a victim of the pressure of the world, unbelief and immoral life.

Therefore we beseech You in the name of Christ: encourage Your believers in the faith in Christ who is the only true God and in whom only is salvation. Exhort the youth in particular to go often to confession, to receive the Holy Communion, to pray the Holy Rosary and to fight for purity of heart. Organize in Your parishes common prayers for the Youth and encourage them in the ideal of premarital chastity. Let These prayer meetings take place every first Saturday in a month. here let Young people consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It would be ideal if three or four parishes could take part in these meetings together so that young people could encourage each other. It would also be necessary that there should be a few priests at their disposal, so that young people could go to confession. Every-month prayer meeting can take place each time in one of the particular parishes. We believe that this “Movement of Pure Hearts” will help to save many young people for eternal life.

We also want to encourage You to pray for Your believers after absolution in the confession. You can call upon the name of Jesus over the penitent and pray to God with faith for his healing and liberation from spiritual and physical bonds. Spiritual or health problems of the believers are frequently the consequence of the fact that these people have opened themselves to some form of magic, divination or spiritism. Therefore ask them about these things, and if it is so, put them a question with faith whether they renounce the power of darkness which is behind this or that occult practice and whether in the name of Jesus Christ they loose these spiritual bonds of darkness. Then call with faith upon the name of Jesus over this person and renew with him the baptismal vows. The widest spread occult practices today are: breaking of the spell (by help of matches etc.), burning of erysipelas, reading of dream books and belief in dreams, horoscopes, chiromancy, divination by cards, by wax casting etc., homoeopathy and use of homoeopathic remedies, healers – healing by energies, acupuncture, acupressure, hypnosis, yoga, zen, religious streams of buddhism and hinduism. Behind these practices is hidden spiritual power which is in opposition to the Holy Spirit (cf. Deut 18:9f).

Dear brother priests, what the present-day Church lacks is spiritual power for liberation, healing and salvation of the individual. This power of the Holy Spirit is acquired through living faith, pure heart and frequent prayer connected with patient carrying of one’s crosses and of various temptations. Therefore we call with love upon You, too, to constantly renew Your relationship with Christ. Let frequent prayer, confession and calling upon the name of Jesus as well as upon the name of the Holy Virgin become Your life. Let Your believers see that You Yourselves fight with fortitude for the purity of Your heart and simplicity of life. You will thus become a blessing for all Your neigbourhood.

With a petition that the spirit of prayer, repentance and God’s power descend upon You, the bishops of the orthodox Catholic UGCC Synod are bestowing upon You their episcopal blessing.

+ Teodozij

Vicar of Head of the UGCC

+ Markian OSBM

Secretary of Synod of the UGCC

Members of the standing Synod

+ Eliáš OSBM

+ Metod?j OSBM

+ Samuel

                                                                                                                          Pidhirtsi, 22nd September 2008