print this page

Major Archbishop Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky

Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky , Major Archbishop and Cardinal (1984-2000) Born and raised in western Ukraine, he studied for three years in Lviv at the Greek-Catholic Theological Academy, predecessor of the present-day Lviv Theological Academy. Sent abroad to study, he could not return to his homeland for decades, because of the Soviet occupation. He served the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, was elected Ukrainian Archbishop of Philadelphia in 1979 and in 1984 became Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Following his return to Lviv on 30 March 1991, Lubachivsky led the renewal of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine. Throughout a five-year period, as pastor to 7 million faithful, he found himself in a challenging position. The spiritual revitalization of a devastated Church, alleviating tensions with the Orthodox, rebuilding various church institutions, answering the needs of his clergy, building bridges with government officials and adhering to the expectations of lay activists, all posed a formidable task for Lubachivsky on a daily basis.

In 1995 Lubachivsky suffered a bout of pneumonia, which took a toll on his health. The following year, due to his frail condition, the Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops chose Bishop Lubomyr Husar as Auxiliary-Bishop to the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. After Cardinal Lubachivky's death on December 14, 2000 thousands of faithful braved freezing temperatures to pay their last respects.