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by Fr Rino Pistellato
Something new for the Salesian Congregation.
On 24 January 2005 the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, signed the Decree which set up the Salesian Byzantine Rite Delegation of Ukraine. For Don Bosco’s charism this opened up the great challenge of inculturation in the Oriental Church, taking on all its theological, spiritual, liturgical and disciplinary heritage. The Salesians are called to merge with the soul and the life of a people of ancient tradition, recently released from an intense and systematic religious persecution endured with great fortitude where it was not just the martyrs who gave their lives.
The roots of the binomial 'Salesians-Byzantine Rite Ukraine' go back to the 1930s, when Pope Pius XI asked the then Rector Major, Fr Philip Rinaldi, to open colleges and institutes, especially schools of arts and trades for ordinary people in the Ukraine in, order to promote good education and good Catholic education amongst the less well-to-do. He invited the Salesians to begin immediately, without losing precious time, and suggested sending young people to Italy to give them a chance of formation in their own Rite and to ready themselves to set up a religious Province.
And so it was that between 1932 and 1939, four groups of young men left successively for Rome. Around fifteen solid vocations emerged from this effort. The flag-bearer was Fr Stefan Czmil, who died with a reputation for holiness to the point where we are working to open his Cause for Beatification and Canonisation. Along with him, and a living relic, is Andrij Sapelak who became Eparch for the Ukrainian faithful in diaspora in Argentina, and who took part in Vatican II. Now 91 he is the oldest bishop in the Ukraine and in the Salesian Congregation. In 2012, God willing, he will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Episcopal ordination.
These are but two names. We do not forget the others who have brought honour through their work abroad and who with great sacrifice prepared for their return home only to be hindered by historical circumstances. The gates were opened with the fall of the Soviet regime and some of them, led by Bishop Sapelak, returned. Advanced in years, but rejuvenated by the breath of hope and spring in the history of the Church, they have devoted themselves with great zeal to meet young people left to fend for themselves, since all preexisting institutions had collapsed under communism, and there has been little by way of support for families, schools, society.
The Church, emerging from the catacombs to which repression had confined it, was noted for meeting the great religious needs of the faithful given the lack of priests, religious buildings, and financial means. The work and sacrifice of the pioneer Salesians has seen results in the first vocations, after 75 years.
Currently the Delegation has 43 Salesians, a solid group of active and enthusiastic Cooperators involved in the list of works indicated here, all of which have sprung up in recent times; high school, technical school, family home for orphans, formation house for candidates to Salesian life, prenovices, a large parish with an oratory, a youth centre and many young leaders, and a multi-sport center. The Salesian mission is also been shared with the Salesian Sisters at Leopoli from the start. Thus we work together as a Salesian Family.