The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to reveal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.
Among the Ukrainians, the most beloved of all festivities is Christmas which covers a cycle of important fest days, centering around family and agricultural modes of life, is very colourful, being the most important part of Christmas.
A number of Christian organizations addressed Ukrainians with a call to conduct a joint national prayer at 2 p.m., on January 22, at the main squares of the towns and villages of Ukraine.
Most Reverend Archbishops and Metropolitans, God-loving bishops, reverend clergy, reverend monks,
Beloved brothers and sisters, in Ukraine and in the diaspora.
Today the Church of Christ calls us not just to celebrate this holiday, but invites us to praise and meet God, who came to us in the human body, and fasten the presence of the heavenly child.
As the great bells of St. Peter’s basilica rang the hour and the December sun set behind Michelangelo’s dome, from beneath the Arch of the Bells, one by one they emerged; the pilgrims of Ukraine, Greek Catholic, Latin and Orthodox to light their Christmas tree in the heart of St Peter’s Square.
On December 8, Archbishop Petro Malchuk, Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, launched the first Catholic TV channel in Kyiv, the Television of the Eternal Word EWTN. From now on, the viewers of Volia company will be able to watch EWTN on TV in Kyiv.
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, denied accusations of proselytism made by a local representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate after his visit to Kirovohrad.
This Christmas, the nativity scene in St. Peter's Square will be dedicated Mary, the Mother of God, also in view of the beatification earlier this year of John Paul II, who was profoundly devoted to Our Lady.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav on November 20, 2011, received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) at the Fordham University in the USA. On the same day in the University Church the coat-of-arms of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major Archbishop Emeritus, was unveiled and blessed. The blessing was read by the UGCC primate and Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.