On October 4, 2007 the bishops concluded their deliberations in Doylestown, PA, and moved to the national capital for the last two days of their annual meetings, and to pay tribute to our spiritual leader at the ceremony of honoring him with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.
On early morning, October 5, the bishops had a tour around the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The hierarchs were welcomed by Rev. Msgr. Walter Rossi, Rector of the Shrine, who presented them with the history of the Basilica. In 1913, Bishop Thomas Shahan, Rector of The Catholic University of America, presented to Pope Pius X a plan to build a shrine to Mary adjacent to the campus. The pope gave not only his enthusiastic support, but a $400 personal contribution as well. Designs were soon completed and on September 23, 1920, James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, laid the cornerstone. The (lower) Crypt Church was completed in 1926 and has been in continuous use ever since. It is here that the Byzantine Catholic Chapel dedicated to the Patronage of the Mother of God welcomed the bishops who honored Theotokos with the singing of the hymn “Under Your Protection”. The Shrine's solemn dedication Mass took place November 20, 1959, and Pope John Paul II gave it the papal honor and the title “Basilica” on October 12, 1990.
Following the tour, the bishop departed to the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family for the Pontifical Divine Liturgy. At 11.00 a.m. the procession of hierarchs, clergy and the Knights of Columbus entered the church filled with the representatives of various political and religious organizations, press representatives, the parishioners of the Shrine and the seminarians of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington, DC.
His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar addressed those present with the words of spiritual teaching. In the Ukrainian part of his homily, the Major Archbishop reflected upon the example of Mother of God at the wedding in Cana, who became a role model of the most perfect prayer for us. Thus, he encouraged the faithful to review the hierarchy of our priorities in life, so that God becomes our first and most reliable refuge.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the bishops and guests were invited for the solemn banquet held at the premises of the parish hall. His Grace Most Reverend Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia, expressed his gratitude to His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar for the gift of his spiritual leadership to our Church, and to his brother bishops for their presence at this celebration. He encouraged those present to use this opportunity of meeting our bishops from different countries to exchange the experience and wisdom of the Ukrainian people both in Ukraine and scattered throughout the world. His Grace paid tribute to those persecuted who were forced to search freedom and democracy in the exile.
Most Reverend Sofron Mydryy, Bishop-emeritus of Ivano-Frankivsk concluded the ceremony with the prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of independence in Ukraine and freedom of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, His Grace Most Reverend Stefan Soroka, His Grace Most Reverend Ihor Voznyak, Archbishop of Lviv, and Most Reverend Michael Hrynchyshyn, Exarch for the Ukrainian Catholics in France, Benelux and Switzerland met the representatives of mass media for the press conference.
In the evening, the bishops paid their visit to St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary and had a sightseeing tour around the city of Washington, DC.
Iryna Ivankovych-Bloshchynska
Source: www.ugcc.org.ua