Most Reverend Metropolitan-Archbishop Borys Gudziak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Metropolitan Archbishop of theUkrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Church | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Archdiocese | Archeparchy of Philadelphia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | February 18, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Installed | June 4, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Stefan Soroka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Orders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | 26 November 1998 by Sofron Stefan Mudry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | 26 August 2012 by Sviatoslav Shevchuk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Borys Andrij Gudziak (1960-11-24)24 November 1960 (age 65) Syracuse, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education |
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| Motto | Ευχαριστώ (Greek for 'Thank You'; stands for both the Eucharistic sacrifice and gratitude for the grace and generosity of God)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Styles of Borys Gudziak | |
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| Spoken style | His Grace |
| Religious style | Metropolitan |
Borys Andrij Gudziak[a] (born 24 November 1960) is an Americanprelate of the Catholic Church serving, since 2019, as the Metropolitan-Archbishop of theUkrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. He founded the Institute of Church History and served as the rector and president of theUkrainian Catholic University. Gudziak has authored and edited several books on church history, theology, modern church life, and higher education reforms.
Gudziak was born inSyracuse, New York, United States.[2] His parents, bothUkrainian Greek Catholics, were World War II refugees. They came to New York from western Ukraine via Austria and Germany in 1949 and 1950.[3] After completing his pre-university studies at Christian Brothers Academy, he graduated fromSyracuse University, obtaining a dual degree in philosophy and biology in 1980.[3] He entered the College of Saint Sophia inRome where, as a student of theLviv Archeparchy under CardinalJosyf Slipyj, he attended thePontifical Urban University. In 1983 he graduated in theology and began doctoral studies in an interdepartmental program of Slavic and Byzantine Cultural History atHarvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in 1992.[4] His thesis,Crisis and Reform: The Kyivan Metropolitanate, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Genesis of the Union of Brest, was published by theHarvard Ukrainian Research Institute in 1998.[5]
From October 1994 until July 1995 he attended thePontifical Oriental Institute, examining in particular the synthesis of neopatristic Orthodox theologianGeorges Florovsky and receiving licentiate in Eastern Christian Studies.
In 1992, he moved permanently toLviv, Ukraine, where he founded the Institute of Church History (ISC), becoming its director until October 2002. In 1993 he was appointed chairman of the Commission for the Renewal of the Lviv Theological Academy by Archbishop Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky. From 1995 until 2000 he served as vice rector of the Lviv Theological Academy, then as rector from 2000 to 2002. In that year, Gudziak became rector of theUkrainian Catholic University (founded on the basis of the academy), and since 2013 has served as its president.
He wasordained on 26 November 1998 in theCathedral of St. George in Lviv byBishopSofron (Mudry) andincardinated in the Major Archeparchy of Lviv of the Ukrainians. He is the author of over 50 studies on the history of the Church, theological training and on different topics of cultural relevance.
On 21 July 2012 it was announced thatPope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation ofMichel Hrynchyshyn from the pastoral Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians of the Byzantine rite in France,[6] and appointed Gudziak apostolic exarch for the Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine rite in France, at the same time appointing himTitular Bishop ofCarcabia. He was ordained a bishop on 26 August 2012 and installed in aDivine Liturgy on 2 December 2012.
On January 19, 2013, Benedict XVI elevated the Apostolic Exarchate of France, Benelux and Switzerland for the Ukrainians to the status of a full apostolic eparchy (the equivalent of a diocese), and named it afterSaint Vladimir. Gudziak, though already an ordained bishop, is now an ordinary bishop (or head, of a fully established Eastern diocese), instead of an exarch. He ceased to be a titular bishop since he is now an ordinary bishop.[7]
At the time Gudziak was the 49th member of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Besides France, the eparchy also serves Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.[8]
In May 2018, Gudziak received an honorarydoctorate of humane letters degree during the 164th commencement ofSyracuse University.[9][10][11]
On February 18, 2019,Pope Francis appointed Gudziak Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia and Metropolitan for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in USA and thus concurring with the recommendation of the appointment offered by the Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops, which met in September 2018 in Lviv, Ukraine. He was installed on June 4, 2019.[12][13][14] On June 4, 2019, Metropolitan Archbishop Gudziak was enthroned as the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, PA.[3]
Pope Francis named him a member of theCongregation for the Oriental Churches on August 6, 2019.[15] In 2021 Pope Francis appointed Gudziak a member of theDicastery for Communication.[16]
In May 2022, he was the commencement speaker at theUniversity of Notre Dame's 177th commencement ceremony.[17][18] In 2021, Archbishop Gudziak was the commencement speaker duringSaint Charles Borromeo Seminary's 2021 Concursus
Author and editor of books and articles on church-historical, spiritual, and theological topics in different languages, as well as texts on modern church life, development and reform of higher education, spirituality of architecture, and other issues of public, social, cultural and political life.[19] His most important publication is "The Kyivan Metropolitanate, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Genesis of the Union of Brest"
Co-founder and co-editor of the church history journal "The Ark" (1993). Member of the Editorial Board of the journal «Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies» Ottawa, Canada (1994). Member of the Scientific Council of the journal «Oecumanica Civitas Rivista del Centro di documentazione del Movimento Ecumenico Italiano" in Livorno, Italia (2001). Scientific editor of the translation of John Paul II's book "Memory and Identity" (2005).
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| Preceded by | Archeparch of Philadelphia 4 June 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Eparch of Saint Vladimir the Great of Paris 21 July 2012–4 June 2019 | Succeeded by |
