Eparchy of Mukachevo
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Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukacheve Eparchia Munkacsiensis |
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| Location | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Statistics | |
| Population - Total |
(as of 2010) 380,000 |
| Parishes | 402 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church (Eastern Catholic) |
| Rite | Byzantine Rite |
| Established | September 19, 1771 |
| Cathedral | Holy Cross Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Blessed Theodore Romzha |
| Secular priests | 261 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Milan Šašik |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Nil Lushchak, OFM |
| Website | |
| www.mgce.uz.ua | |
The Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo is an eparchy (diocese) associated with the Ruthenian Catholic Church under an unidentified status and territory located in the west of Ukraine, roughly equivalent with Zakarpatska Oblast. The eparchy was created by the Pope Clement XIV in 1771.
The eparchy is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Its parishes observe the Byzantine Rite which is also celebrated by the majority of Orthodox Christians, and as provided for in the original terms of the Union of Uzhhorod.
The eparchy is a mother eparchy of at least three modern metropoles i.e. Greek Catholic Church of Slovakia, Greek Catholic Church of Romania, Greek Catholic Church of Hungary as well as Ruthenian Catholic Church in the United States.
Some historians believe that the origins of the eparchy are to be found in the missionary work of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century. The 14th century saw the founding of the famous Saint Nicholas Monastery on "Chernecha Hora" or "Hill of Monks" located in the city of Mukacheve. Many believe that from that point, the Eparchy of Mukacheve evolved into the entity as we know it today. The bishops resided at the Monastery and administered ecclesiastical affairs from there until 1766. After the union with Rome and until 1946, the Monastery of St Nicholas was also the principal religious house of the monks of the Order of Saint Basil the Great (OSBM), also called Basilian monks.
The bishops, clergy and faithful of this eparchy were originally Orthodox Christians under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1646, following the example of their compatriots across the Carpathian Mountains in Galicia (current day Western Ukraine), who in 1596 established the Union of Brest, the people of the Mukacheve eparchy united with the papal Holy See (recognizing the primacy of Catholic Rome, not Byzantine, Orthodox 'second Rome' Constantinopel) under what is known as the Union of Uzhhorod. In the political and spiritual climate of the day, union with Rome was considered by many to be a productive solution to promoting both the welfare of the people and the church. Following a model similar to that proposed at the Council of Florence, the people were allowed to maintain their Byzantine Rite spiritual, liturgical and canonical traditions, while recognizing the Roman Pontiff as the head of the universal church.
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Wikipedia