Bishop Petro Loza

Bishop Petro Loza, Bishop of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy of the UGCC, Redemptorist. Born on June 3, 1979, in the village of Kolodentsi (Kamianka-Buzka district, Lviv region). Ordained a priest on August 26, 2007, by His Excellency Ihor Vozniak, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv. Consecrated as a bishop on July 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal (Lviv region). Enthroned on December 1, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal (Lviv region). Childhood: Born on June 3, 1979, in the village of Kolodentsi (Kamianka-Buzka district, Lviv region), to the family of Vasyl and Nadiia. The family lived in the maternal family home (the Saviv household) together with the family of his mother’s sister—Aunt Yulia and Grandmother Hanna. When the future bishop turned four, the family moved into their own house nearby. By that time, the family already had two daughters—Mariia and Halyna. Since the bishop’s father was originally from the village of Pechykhvosty, young Petro often visited his grandfather Andrii and grandmother Maryna; he loved spending time there, and they, in turn, delighted in his company. He remembers Grandmother Maryna saying to Aunt Halyna (his father’s sister): "Do bring little Petro to us for a while." With mother and sisters. Education: Bishop Petro started first grade in the village of Kolodentsi at the so-called "old school," where he completed four grades. Later, the school was closed, and he attended school in Zhovtantsi from the 5th to the 7th grade. He completed the 8th and 9th grades at the newly built community center in Kolodentsi, where a school had been opened on the second floor. He was always actively involved in amateur performing arts and excelled in his studies. As his schooling neared its end, his parents asked him about his future plans. He replied that he had already made up his mind: he wanted to enroll in a lyceum to train as a catechist. Consequently, after finishing school, Petro Loza entered the Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky Ukrainian Greek Catholic Lyceum in Lviv to study for this role. He was elected class representative. The program itself lasted three years; these three years at the Sheptytsky Lyceum played a pivotal role in shaping his spiritual vocation. After graduating from the lyceum, his parents suggested he continue his studies at the seminary in Rudno to become a priest. However, the future bishop firmly declared that he had already chosen his path: entering the monastery of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). By that time, Petro was acquainted with a Redemptorist priest. Although—as Bishop Petro recalls—the priest never explicitly told him to "join the Redemptorists" or said "I could see you as a Redemptorist," there was something in his conversation, his demeanor, and his prayer that drew Petro toward the Congregation. Through his own person, the priest bore witness to what it meant to be a Redemptorist. While studying at the lyceum, the future bishop had the opportunity to visit the Redemptorist novitiate in Kokhavyna. There, he observed the monastic daily routine, got to know the brothers better, and made the final decision to join the Congregation. It was such a deeply personal and carefully considered step that even his closest family members were unaware of his intention. In the summer of 1997, after graduating from the lyceum, Bishop Petro packed his belongings and set off for Kokhavyna, where he began his novitiate—a period of formation that lasted over a year. During his time in the novitiate, he resolved to observe a strict fast, for which he received the superior's blessing. In 2003, Bishop Petro made his perpetual vows. Priestly Ministry: In 1998, the future Bishop Petro began philosophical and theological studies at the Blessed Mykolay Charnetskyi Theological Institute of the Lviv Province of the Redemptorists in Lviv. In 2001, he was sent to study at the University of Innsbruck (Austria); he lived with the local Redemptorist community. His studies lasted eight years (2001–2009) and were conducted in German—a language he learned before beginning his coursework. The future Bishop Petro was ordained a deacon on January 8, 2005, by Archbishop Ihor Vozniak of Lviv at the Church of the Hieromartyr Josaphat in Lviv, and was ordained a priest on August 26, 2007, by the same hierarch at St. George’s Archcathedral in Lviv. Following his ordination, he engaged in pastoral work in Vinnytsia, serving as an assistant pastor, and later as a parish administrator in the village of Hnizdychiv-Kokhavyno (Zhydachiv district, Lviv region). From 2011 to 2014, he served as a provincial councilor for the Lviv Province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. On September 2, 2007, he celebrated his first Divine Liturgy in his native village of Kolodentsi. After completing his studies in Innsbruck in 2009, he received his first ministry assignment to the Redemptorist monastery in Vinnytsia, where he served as an assistant priest at the Parish of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. In 2010, he was appointed Superior of the St. Gerard Novitiate House of the Lviv Province of Redemptorists in the settlement of Hnizdychiv-Kokhavyna—where he had once completed his own novitiate—as well as Administrator of the Parish of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in Kokhavyna. A youth community known as "Kokhavyna Stars" operated at the parish; the Bishop actively supported it, organizing and personally participating in annual camping trips to the Carpathian Mountains. From April 2014 to 2018, he served as Administrator of the Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Chernihiv. In addition to parish administration, he engaged in youth ministry and pastoral care for prisoners and military personnel. From 2015 to 2016, he served as Director of a rehabilitation center for women released from correctional facilities. Bishop Petro himself describes this experience of ministry as follows: "During my ministry in the Chernihiv region, what captivated me most was seeing how the local people were learning to live a life within the Church—how they were discovering our Church and 'getting a taste' of the Christian life, making it their own. It was an incredible experience! I rejoice for those who came to know our Church, grew strong in their faith, and are now zealous parishioners in our Chernihiv community. Some people simply drop by to look at the church and, in doing so, meet the priests or sisters. Others learn about us through a city event. Usually, people come because our parishioners have invited them; our parishioners are the witnesses who spread the word about our Church’s presence there. Naturally, some were greatly surprised when, upon visiting our church, a priest or a religious sister would approach them to ask how they were doing and if they were interested in anything." "That is precisely what draws them in. In my opinion, there are many of our parishes there that gladly welcome people, await them, and go out to serve the people in those communities..." At the same time, Fr. Petro Loza ministered to inmates from two local penal colonies: "Unfortunately, men and women leaving prison sometimes have nowhere to go. It happens that no one in their family is waiting for them, or they have no family at all. They worry about finding a job, securing housing, and 'integrating' into social life. While in prison they might have managed to 'bring order' to their temptations or problems, once free, they can easily fall back into them... So, while in prison, people need to be shown that they matter to someone, that they are needed, and that someone is waiting for them. For us living in freedom, the question remains: how do we perceive this person, and how can we help them? Of course, spiritual accompaniment helps them sort through their problems and find answers to certain questions. However, not everyone puts this into practice effectively, and many never avail themselves of spiritual support at all. There are many prisoners who are released and return to a normal life—finding a job, starting or living with a family, and so on... Yet just as many return to the very weaknesses they succumbed to and failed to overcome..." Episcopal Ministry: On April 12, 2018, Pope Francis consented to the canonical election of Hieromonk Petro as Auxiliary Bishop of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy—an election made by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC—and granted him the title of Bishop of Panium. His episcopal ordination took place on July 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal, Lviv region. The principal consecrator was the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, with co-consecrators Bishop Ihor Vozniak, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv, and Bishop Mykhail Koltun, Eparch of Sokal-Zhovkva. Bishop Petro Loza is fluent in Russian, Polish, and German. On October 17, 2024, the Apostolic See announced that the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, with the consent of the Synod, had accepted the resignations of three hierarchs who had reached the age of 75. Among the bishops who submitted their resignations was Bishop Mykhail Koltun, the outgoing ruling hierarch of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy. Consequently, the Holy Father blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC to appoint Bishop Petro Loza—previously the auxiliary bishop of that eparchy—to succeed him. On December 1, 2024, the enthronement of the new ruling hierarch of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Petro Loza, took place at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal, Lviv region. "Bishop Petro, the Lord God has placed His Spirit within you. Bless the people, teach them God's word, and sanctify them with the word of truth. Breathe and call them to true freedom, for this is what it means to shepherd God's people. And we, your brother bishops, will assist you, for the Church is the Body of Christ." "No one in the Church is alone. We always walk together," urged the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, during the Divine Liturgy.