Archbishop of Lviv (Ukrainian)
Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv, Ihor Vozniak. He was born on August 3, 1952, in the village of Lypytsi (Mykolaiv Raion, Lviv Oblast). He was ordained a priest on November 23, 1980, by Bishop Volodymyr Sterniuk. His episcopal ordination took place on February 17, 2002, at St. George’s Archcathedral in Lviv. His enthronement was held on November 10, 2005, at St. George’s Archcathedral in Lviv. Childhood and Education: The future bishop was born on August 3, 1952, in the village of Lypytsi (Mykolaiv Raion, Lviv Oblast) into a teacher's family. "Our father was a teacher. He was dismissed from his teaching position because of the icons. We had icons in our home, and one time—I was in the fourth or fifth grade—while Mom and Dad were at work, two men came and shone flashlights on the icons... It was already evening, and only the children were home—did they have the right to do that? Later, Dad was told to take down the icons or lose his job. He was dismissed from his job. Consequently, I was perceived as a rebel at school. For instance, when they were enrolling students in the Komsomol, I was told to go home so that others wouldn't see me refuse to join and wouldn't follow my example," recalls Bishop Ihor. From 1959 to 1969, young Ihor attended secondary school, and after graduating, he pursued a technical education in the city of Drohobych. He was subsequently assigned to work in the city of Nikopol (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast), where he worked briefly at a factory. From 1970 to 1972, he served in the Soviet Army in Kazakhstan. In 1973, he entered the monastery of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, where he began his novitiate in 1974 and made his first vows in 1975. That same year, he began studying philosophy and theology at an underground seminary in Lviv. At the suggestion of his superior, he moved to Vinnytsia in 1977 to continue his studies, completing them in 1980. He received priestly ordination from Bishop Volodymyr Sterniuk on November 23, 1980, and made his perpetual vows on July 2, 1981. During his early years, he served at a Roman Catholic church, which allowed him to assist the local priest—albeit unofficially—in administering various sacraments to the faithful, particularly hearing confessions. From 1989, Father Ihor carried out pastoral work at the cathedral in Ternopil. On April 29, 1990, together with other priests, he blessed the national flag of Ukraine in Ternopil’s Theatre Square—the first time such a blessing had taken place there. From 1990 to 1996, Father Ihor Vozniak served as the Provincial Superior (Protohegumen) of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in Ukraine. From 1996, he engaged in pastoral ministry in Vinnytsia. In 1997, by decree of the succeeding Provincial Superior, he was appointed Novice Master for the Congregation’s Lviv Province. At the same time, he continued his pastoral work, paying special attention to preaching and conducting spiritual retreats for monks, nuns, and laypeople. In 2001, he attended a training course for formators (religious educators) in Rome; upon its completion in August, he was appointed assistant formator for seminarians at the Redemptorist seminary in Poland. Episcopal Ministry: On February 17, 2002, the episcopal ordination of Father Ihor Vozniak took place at St. George’s Archcathedral. His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, served as the principal consecrator, while Bishop Michael Bzdel, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Winnipeg, and Bishop Mykhailo Sabryha, Eparch of Ternopil-Zboriv, served as co-consecrators. By the decision of the Synod of Bishops and with the blessing of the Holy Father, Bishop Ihor became an auxiliary bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy following his ordination. According to the decision of the UGCC Synod of Bishops held on October 5–12, 2004, Bishop Ihor was elected Archbishop of Lviv. On November 10, 2005, the rite of enthronement of the new Archbishop of Lviv took place at St. George’s Archcathedral. Following the resignation of His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar from the office of Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Ihor Vozniak of Lviv served as the Administrator of the Major Archeparchy of the UGCC from February 10 to March 27, 2011, in accordance with canon law. On November 29, 2011, the establishment of the Lviv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was solemnly proclaimed, and the Metropolitan of Lviv was enthroned; this role was assumed by Archbishop Ihor Vozniak of Lviv. From that time forward, the title of the ruling hierarch of Lviv became "Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv." Bishop Ihor himself commented on the creation of new metropolises within the UGCC as follows: "This is not a matter of a single day. Discussions regarding new metropolises for our Church took place at synods back during the time of His Beatitude Lubomyr, and the relevant documents were being prepared." They were adjusted to meet the requirements of canon law. I believe the process was brought to completion quite quickly. Only twenty years have passed since our Church was established. It continues to strengthen and expand. It has already moved beyond the borders of Galicia and is successfully developing in Volhynia, in central and eastern Ukraine, and in the south. The Holy See did not dictate terms to us but offered some advice. And the time came to proclaim the new metropolises of the UGCC. We could have done this after the New Year, but everything had already been agreed upon with Rome, so we decided not to delay the matter. Every year, a compendium regarding changes in the Church and its structure is published in Rome. The names of our new metropolises will be included in this volume, and the world will learn about us.