There is great diversity throughout the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in terms of ministry, community life, and spirituality. Each province, vicariate, and mission is encouraged to live our charism in their own specific way so that together our diversity shines forth in a single, rich tapestry. The manner in which our spirituality is inculturated in Tanzania will be different than in Austria. And the way we minister in Vietnam is necessarily different than how we approach mission in the United States of America. The XXth General Assembly recognized our diversity as a gift for the Church and the world.
This diversity is not only seen between various units, but within units as well. A good example of this is the ministry of Rev. Yuri Kuzara, C.PP.S. from the Cincinnati Province. Fr. Yuri is the only bi-ritual member of the Congregation and for many years he has ministered in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Currently he is assigned to St. Michael’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana. St. Michael’s is part of the Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy which covers the the entire United States of America from Indiana to Alaska and Hawaii. There are currently 46 parishes and 70 priests and deacons serving in the eparchy.
Fr. Yuri’s apostolic journey has not been an easy one. He notes there have been struggles on the part of the Congregation in accepting his ministry in the Eastern Rite Church, but despite these difficulties he sees a strong connection between our Precious Blood Spirituality and his ministry. Noting the struggles that the Ukrainian Greek Church has had throughout its history, Kuzara commented, “If Saint Gasper were alive [today] he would not turn his back on this church and its suffering and its people. For Christ shed His precious and life-giving blood for them also.”
Kuzara describes the parish of St. Michael’s as a small parish, but with a faithful congregation. Many of the parishioners come from a long distance to participate in the divine liturgy. The parish itself is not predominately Ukrainian, but is a mix of different nationalities. Fr. Yuri writes, “All are welcome here and it is shown in the welcoming attitude and acceptance of its small parish community.” Kuzara also notes that the liturgies and prayers of the Eastern Catholic Church is marked by a strong presence of Precious Blood imagery.
The parish struggles with many of the same issues that Latin Rite parishes struggle with: evangelization, lack of youth involvement, vocations, and finances. However, for many Ukrainian Catholic parishes, the struggles are more acute due to smaller numbers of parishioners and long held misunderstandings of the Eastern Rite Churches. Kuzara sees a real need for reconciliation between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, as well as with the Latin Rite Catholic Church. He says, “The present state of the Ukrainian Geek Catholic is similar to the state of the church that St. Gaspar had to deal with during the time of his life and the beginnings of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and its ministry.”
Like St. Gaspar, much of Kuzara’s ministry is dedicated to renewing the local church. Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has asked all parishes to begin a Vibrant Parish program. Fr. Yuri will be leading the parishioners of St. Michael’s in a program of new evangelization and spiritual reawakening. He rightly notes that this program and ministry is clearly following in the footsteps of St. Gaspar.
