Eparchy of the Holy Family of London Eparchia Sanctae Familiae Londiniensis Name in other languages
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 Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile, Duke Street, London. | |
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| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Territory | Entirety ofGreat Britain andIreland |
| Ecclesiastical province | Not part of anyecclesiastical province |
| Metropolitan | Major Archeparch of Kyiv-Galicia |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 229,848 km2 (88,745 sq mi) |
Population
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| Parishes | 18 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Ukrainian Greek Catholic |
| Rite | Byzantine Rite |
| Established | 10 June 1957 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile |
| Patron saint | Holy Family |
| Secular priests | 17 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Major Archbishop | Sviatoslav Shevchuk |
| Eparch | Kenneth Nowakowski |
| Bishops emeritus | Hlib Lonchyna |
| Website | |
| [1] | |
TheEparchy of the Holy Family of London (Ukrainian:Єпархія Пресвятої Родини у Лондоні;Latin:Eparchia Sanctae Familiae Londiniensis) is aneparchy of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church which is anEastern Catholic Church that is infull communion with theHoly See. Its territorial remit includes the entirety of the islands ofGreat Britain andIreland. Theepiscopal seat is theCathedral of the Holy Family in Exile which is situated inLondon. The incumbent eparch,Kenneth Nowakowski, was appointed on 15 January 2020.[1]
Initially erected as anexarchate, it gained eparchial status (equivalent to adiocese in theLatin Church) on 18 January 2013. Due to the comparatively small number of faithful in the eparchy, fewer services, such as schools and care centres, are provided.
Since the late 19th century many Ukrainians have migrated to England, most notably toLondon and the Red Bank area ofManchester.[2] These migrants have been known as 'old immigrants', orstari emihranty.
After theSecond World War more migrants came to theBritish Isles[citation needed] from Eastern Europe, among them numerousUkrainian Catholics, as most of the Ukrainian immigrants were fromWestern Ukraine. Initially, many of the Eastern European Catholics worshipped in industrial hostels, as these were common locations where immigrants found cheaper accommodation. Some also worshipped in local Latin Church parish churches, but not in their Byzantine liturgy.
However, eventually, Ukrainian Greek Catholics were able to organize worship in their own Byzantine liturgy, often in the local Latin Church parish church. InCoventry, by 1948, the Church of Christ the King inCoundon started having Ukrainian Catholic services. These were soon transferred to St Elizabeth Church in Foleshill.[3] In 1957, the Apostolic Exarchate was established for Ukrainian Catholics in England and Wales.
The eparchy was erected on 10 June 1957 as anapostolic exarchate for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church inEngland andWales. On 12 May 1968 the exarchate's remit was extended to the whole ofGreat Britain, includingScotland (not Northern Ireland).
By 1959, over 700 Ukrainian Catholics had registered themselves in Coventry. In theMidlands, there was a Ukrainian Catholic priest celebrating Ukrainian-rite services for the Ukrainian faithful inCoventry, as well as inRugby,Gloucester,Bristol,Birmingham andCheltenham.
With the help of CardinalJohn Heenan, Bishop Hornyak was able to secure theKing's Weigh House, a formerCongregational chapel,[4] to serve as the Apostolic Exarchate'scathedral church - theUkrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile inLondon.
AfterUkrainian independence in 1991 emigrants have been attracted to prosperous western countries, principally those with qualifying skills, with a close inter-relation (such as intermarriage) and qualifying political asylum seekers entitled to refugee status, such as in the mid-2010s war, which have included Ukrainian Catholics.[5]
On 18 January 2013 the Exarchate was elevated in the rank of theEparchy (full bishopric) by PopeBenedict XVI.[6]
The Ukrainian Catholic church inWolverhampton was included as part of a video series byEnglish Heritage on faith buildings in England.[7]
On 9 June 2023, the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family in London, according to the decree of BishopKenneth,switches [uk] from 1 September 2023 to theGregorian calendar, in particular withEaster.[8][9]
The number of faithful in the Eparchy (diocese) numbers 10,000. There are 12 parishes regularly served, 14 diocesan priests, 3 religious priests, 3 male religious and 3 female religious.[10]
The Eparchy (formerly Apostolic Exarchate) for Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain is a registered charity with theCharity Commission in England and Wales, under charity number 240088. It was first registered as a charity on 9 July 1965. Its stated aim is 'the advancement of religion at discretion of the bishop and his successors in title or the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Great Britain'.[11]
There has, for a long time, been different views amongUkrainian Catholics on the idea of a Kyiv Patriarchate, replacing the Major Archdiocese.[12]
Hornyak was the first apostolic exarch, was known to have sided with those who did not believe that it would be appropriate for the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church – who was then CardinalJosyf Slipyj – to be commemorated as Patriarch until thePope would agree to elevate the Major Archdiocese to a Patriarchate.[13]
Since most of the faithful in the Apostolic Exarchate were patriotic and nationalist veterans of theUkrainian Army, which was created in resistance to the German occupational forces, most supported the idea of a Patriarchate. They were therefore disappointed by the BishopHornyak's decision. Many showed their opposition through withholding their donations to the Church. A few Ukrainian Catholic priests came fromRome and began to celebrateDivine Liturgy privately in the faithful's homes commemorating the Major Archbishop as Patriarch – an act which angered Bishop Hornyak.
However, some people chose even more extreme methods of expressing their disagreement with Bishop Hornyak. For example, on 18 December 1977, when Bishop Hornyak went toGloucester to open the new Ukrainian Catholic church, he was met by around 500 demonstrators who ignored the police cordon line and attacked him, bruising his face and crushing his glasses. This forced him to retreat back into his car.[14][15]
Stephen Sulyk,Archbishop Metropolitan Emeritus for Ukrainian Catholics in Philadelphia, wrote in his autobiography,I Am With You Always, that Bishop Hornyak was eventually forced into retirement due to pressure from the Patriarchal Organization – which advocated a Kyiv Patriarchate – and theMajor Archbishop of Lviv,CardinalMyroslav Lubachivsky (Sulyk's predecessor) unfairly due to his backing of Vatican policies. However, many supporting the creation of a Kyiv Patriarchate viewed Bishop Hornyak's retirement as a good sign.[13]
When the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians in England and Wales was first established in 1957, it was administered by the thenArchbishop of Westminster, CardinalWilliam Godfrey. BishopAugustine Hornyak was ordained asauxiliary bishop in 1961. Upon the death of Cardinal Godfrey in 1963, Augustine Hornyak was elevated to Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainians in England and Wales. In 1968, with the enlargement of the Apostolic Exarchate to includeScotland as well, Bishop Hornyak became the first Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainians in Great Britain. He has been succeeded by two other bishops.
On 2 June 2009,Pope Benedict XVI named BishopHlib Lonchyna,M.S.U., who had been an auxiliary to CardinalLubomyr Husar in Kyiv-Halych, asApostolic Administrator of Great Britain andApostolic Visitor in Ireland, which for all intents and purposes made him the new ordinary. In 2011, he was appointedApostolic Exarch, and with the elevation of the Exarchate to the status of an Eparchy, Lonchyna became her first eparchial bishop.
| Apostolic Exarchs for Ukrainians in Great Britain | |||
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| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1957 | 1963 | William Godfrey(Apostolic administrator) | Archbishop of Westminster (1956–1963) |
| 1963 | 1987 | Augustine Hornyak,O.S.B.M. | Formerlyauxiliary bishop of the Exarchate (1961–1963) |
| 1987 | 1989 | Michael Hrynchyshyn,C.S.S.R.(Apostolic administrator) | Apostolic Exarch ofFrance, Benelux and Switzerland (1982–2012) |
| 1989 | 2002 | Michael Kuchmiak,C.S.S.R. | Formerly auxiliary bishop ofPhiladelphia (1988–1989) |
| 2002 | 2006 | Paul Patrick Chomnycky,O.S.B.M. | Subsequently Eparch ofStamford (2006–present) |
| 2011 | 2013 | Hlib Lonchyna,M.S.U. | Formerly auxiliary bishop ofKyiv-Halyč (2004–09) and ofLviv (2002–04). Became the first eparchial Bishop of the Eparchy of Holy Family of London. |
| Eparchial bishops of the Eparchy of Holy Family of London | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 2013 | 2019 | Hlib Lonchyna,M.S.U. | Served previously as Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainians in Great Britain |
| 2020 | present | Kenneth Nowakowski | Was Bishop of New Westminster (Ukrainian), Canada, 2007-2020 |
Named for theHoly Family, the cathedral was established in 1967 in an 1890Alfred Waterhouse building. The edifice was the third home of an independent church founded in the 17th century, theKing's Weigh House congregationalists, which dissolved after terminal decline in 1966. The cathedral is the seat of the Eparch (bishop) and is in Mayfair,London. It has a regular congregation of around 3000. Clerics are eparchial secular priests.
| Major archeparchy: Kyiv–Galicia |
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