About Us
The Nativity of Christ Ukrainian Catholic Mission was founded in 2019 as the Andrey Sheptytsky Ukrainian Catholic Apostolate. In April 2021 the Apostolate took the next step in its development – promotion to the status of Mission of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago.
Our 35-or-so members come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, religious origins, languages, and work occupations, drawn together by a common attraction to the Divine Liturgy and the Mysteries of faith. We have people from Ukraine, Bosnia, Serbia, and Canada as well as the Pacific Northwest, California, the Midwest, and the East Coast. There are folks who work in universities, health care, manufacturing, government, teaching, and information technology. We even have among us a professional farrier (one who shoes horses). There are young children, students, parents, singles, and retirees. In short, we resemble locally the early church as a whole – a body of many members, having diverse gifts, where Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:11).
Location
Prior to COVID we enjoyed time together after each Liturgy with food and lively conversation. We look forward to getting back to this as soon as conditions allow.
About Our Liturgies
We are well-equipped with cantors and servers, because in the past some of our families were long-time parishioners at the Ukrainian Catholic parish two hours South in Springfield, Nativity of the Mother of God. There they learned the ways of the Eastern Church – singing, the church year, traditions. Several of our families continue to attend both the Nativity Mission and the Nativity parish in Springfield. It is fitting that the Nativity (of the Mother of God) parish has become the mother of the Nativity (of Christ) Mission.
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The Mission is served by three priests: Fr. Richard Janowicz, pastor of Nativity of the Mother of God and Protosyncellus of the eparchy, who drives two hours from Springfield, Oregon; Fr. Ken Olsen, former pastor of Ukrainian parishes in British Columbia, now retired, also resident in Springfield; and Fr. Abraham Miller, pastor of Our Lady of Zarvanicya in Seattle, Washington, three hours to the North. We greatly appreciate their effort and sacrifice to make the trip for us, and we look forward to each homily, as all three have a knack for reflection on the meaning of Christ’s life for us here and now.
Three members of the Mission participate in the eparchy’s Mission Institute program. The Mission Institute was founded two years ago by Bishop Benedict to develop future catechists, cantors, and deacons. It is a four-year program, with participants from all over the eparchy – Houston to Portland, California to Michigan – meeting via Zoom on Saturdays for lectures and discussions on scripture, liturgics, theology, church history, singing, and catechesis. In addition, each year they meet in person at Holy Transfiguration Monastery outside Ukiah, California, for recollection, prayer, and fellowship. The third year of the program is currently nearing completion. (If the Mission Institute sounds interesting, please reach out to the eparchy or any of the Mission Institute participants. Bishop Benedict is always looking for interested candidates, and the rolling admission cycle opens for the fall of each year.)
You are most welcome to inquire or come to Divine Liturgy at Nativity of Christ Mission any time.