Successful First UK Tour for Rev Borys Gudziak of UCU (Lviv)
On May 8-14 Dr Borys Gudziak (PhD, Harvard) visited the UK for the first information and fundraising campaign of the Ukrainian Catholic University in the UK.
The visit, organized by the Belgian association EDUkraine, was made possible thanks to the support of several individuals and organizations, notably the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain led by Mr. Fedir Kurlak, the Embassy of Ukraine in the person of Mrs. Orysja Hunder, Rev. Josafat Lescesen from the Ukrainian Religious Society of Saint Sophia and the sponsoring of two main organizations that are the Ukrainian British City Club led by Mrs. Iryna Tymczyszyn and the British Ukrainian Society led by Lord Raymond Asquith and assisted by Mrs. Megan Burke.
Rev. Gudziak received a warm welcome in the Manchester community which hosted on Saturday May 9th in his honour a private benefit luncheon in the Ukrainian Cultural Centre and a moleben in Church thanks to the organizational help of Mrs. Genia Mandzij and Rev. Father Yaroslav Rij notably. All heads of local Ukrainian communities were there and made a personal donation to Dr Borys for UCU. Some academic ties are being discussed between UCU and the saturday school to help children receive a certificate at the end of their Ukrainian studying.
On Sunday Rev. Gudziak attended liturgy in the Holy Family in Exile Cathedral and gave a talk to 50 privileged parishioners in the Church hall. In the afternoon he attended Ukrainian Mother's Day and then met with the informal British Friends of UCU Committee established this year under the auspices of EDUkraine by President Deacon Didier Rance, executive director Marie-Aude Tardivo and former Chicago UCEF President Mr. John Kurey.
On Monday Rev. Gudziak was received in a private audience by Papal Nuncio His Eminence Mgr Faustino Sainz Munoz, along with Rev. Josafat Lescesen, Marie-Aude Tardivo and two UCU/Lviv Holy Spirit seminarians Mr. Taras Baytsar and Mr Taras Khomych. Mr. Munoz was well informed on the good work of UCU and gave his blessing for UCU’s work in the UK. Later that day he met in private with Lord Asquith and Lord Charles Guthrie, Vice-President of the Order of Malta. In the early evening he gave a presentation at the Ukrainian Institute located in St Sophia at Holland Park in front of about 80 people who enjoyed sharing a glass of wine and word with him afterword. (The lecture will be available online soon on UCU’s and EDUkraine’s websites).
On Tuesday Rev. Gudziak and the UCU delegation were received by the AUGB headquarters in London where Dr Borys had a personal meeting with Mr. Fedir Kurlak. He then attended a private luncheon at the prestigious Atheneaum intellectual club to host and meet with special speaker Mrs. Christina Hantel-Fraser (personal consultant to His Eminence Cardinal Husar and UCU and spouse of former ambassador of Canada to Ukraine), Marie-Aude Tardivo, Mr. Taras Baytsar and Mr Taras Khomych such eminent guests as MP Lord Alton, Economist journalist Mr Edward Lucas, Financial Times journalist Mr. Yuri Bender, Mrs Alla Luzhna, EBRD representatives, Mrs Orysja Gaunt, Mr Orest Habrovych, Mr. Stephen Skrenta and other leading figures from the business Ukraino-British world.
After a meeting with the board of directors of St Sophia and some clergy friends, Rev. Gudziak met with His Excellency Ambassador Dr Ihor Kharchenko before saying a few words to the 140 high-profile guests that EDUkraine, UBCC, BUS, BULA and AUGB had invited to meet at the reception held in the embassy in honour of Rev. Gudziak. All spheres of contemporary society were represented - ecclesial (Catholic and Orthodox), academic, political, business, social, etc - showing how UCU is about and strives for gathering people around one good cause in Ukraine.
On Wednesday morning Rev. Gudziak was warmly received with EDUkraine team by Rev. John Goodall, first secretary for ecumenical affairs to Mgr Rowan Williams at Lambeth Palace. Later he met with with EDUkraine team His Excellency Ambassador Dr Ihor Kharchenko and MP John Grogan from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine as part of the private Parliamentary luncheon greatly organized by Mrs. Iryna Tymczysyn from UBCC. After an interview with Catholic Herald journalist Damian Thompson he attended Mr Yatseniuk's lecture in Cambridge and briefly spoke with the later before meeting with Mr Rory Finnin, remarkable lecturer in Ukrainian Studies in Cambridge University.
Dr Borys Gudziak & MP John Grogan.
This intense visit raised a reasonable amount of money with initial donations from St Sophia, Ukraine Charity and some generous private donors as Mr. Turiw and Mrs Haliv, but most of all it lays good ground for future work in the UK for the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv and so UCU and EDUkraine wish to express their utmost gratitude to all persons involved whether by their help and/or attendance for making this possible and helping us seed sows for the future. A special thank you goes to St Sophia, UBCC and BUS but also AUGB and some individuals in particular such as Rev. Fr Josafat Lescesen and Mrs. Natalia Lescesen, Mr. Andy Hunder, Mrs. Megan Burke, Mrs. Iryna Tymczyscyn, Mr. Taras Mychaluk and Mr. Orest Andrijiw who dedicately and selflessly spent hours on this project for weeks with care and attention.
UCU and EDUkraine will now work on thanking individually all persons involved as they cannot all be thanked in one single article and will think about the format for Rev. Gudziak's visit next year.
Articles are due to be published in the British press in the Financial Times on UCU’s Lviv Business School early fall, the Catholic Herald, the Telegraph, the Universe and potentially others.
For any further information, please kindly contact EDUkraine at info@edukraine.org or send your letter to
British Friends of UCU Committee
c/o St Sophia
79 Holland Park
W11 3SW London.
Sunday May 10th, 2009
LITURGY
Public event
10.00- 3.00 pm
Holy Family in Exile Cathedral
22 Binney Street, London
Divine Liturgy and Coffee Hours at the London Cathedral
Monday May 11th, 2009
Private event
Meeting with His Excellency the Papal Nuncio Faustino Sainz Munoz
The Nunciature, LondonPRESENTATION
«Êîìóí³çì ³ êàï³òàë³çì. Ïîñòñîâºòñüêèé ñèíäðîì ³ ñâ³òîâà åêîíîì³÷íà êðèçà: ìîðàëüíî-ñâ³òîãëÿäí³ âèêëèêè ³ ìîæëèâ³ â³äïîâ³ä³ íà íèõ»
Public event
6.45 – 9.00 pm
St Sophia, 79 Holland Park, London
Organized by the Ukrainian Institute in Great Britain
Tuesday May 12th, 2009
ATHENAEUM
Private event
Benefit luncheon
Host: Club member Rev. Michael Bourdeaux, the Keston Institute
Guest Speaker: Mrs Christina V. Hantel-Fraser, spouse of former ambassador of Canada to Ukraine, Visiting professor at UCU and personal consultant to Cardinal Husar
1.00– 3.00 pm
107 Pall Mall, LondonEmbassy Reception
Private event
6.30 – 9.30 pm
60 Holland Park, London
With the support of the Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain
Sponsors : The Ukrainian-British City Club and the British Ukrainian Society
Wednesday May 13th, 2009
Private events
Meeting with Rev. John Goodall,
The Archbishop of Canterbury's Personal Chaplain and Ecumenical SecretaryVIP Lunch at the Houses of Parliament
In Honour of the Rector of the UCU Rev. Dr. Borys Gudziak
Hosted by the Chairman of All-Party Ukraine Parliamentary Group John Grogan MP
Organised by Ukrainian-British City Club
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