Forming young men for a lifelong commitment in service to the church as a priest is challenging in the best of times. It becomes an even heavier responsibility in times of crisis, when instructors and seminarians alike reflect more deeply on what is required to form a priest to be close to those who suffer.
Vitality Oliynyk, a seminarian at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic seminary in Kyiv, had not really considered serving as a priest in theaters of war prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has been on his mind in recent months.
He is keenly aware of the priest’s “indispensable” role in providing support to those who “stare every day into the eyes of death.”
Seminarian Markian Luchkiv in Lviv understands the priest must be prepared to serve in any situation.
“As a priest, I am called to be with people irrespective of whether it is a peaceful time or a time of armed conflict,” he says.
Read more about how seminarians in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine are being formed to be “Closer to the People” in the September 2022 issue of ONE.
Meet these seminarians and their seminary rectors, who share their objectives and hopes for the priesthood in Ukraine, in the video below.