Bishop Bryan: «I wanted to meet Christ in the youth in Brazil and understand better their spiritual journeys»

In 2026, one of the priority areas of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is the support and spiritual ministry of Ukrainian youth in the diaspora. For many years, the UGCC has been systematically working to establish living connections with young people in different countries around the world. Today, we can joyfully affirm that Brazil has joined this global movement.

The country has a sizable Ukrainian community, including faithful members of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, who preserve their faith, cultural identity, and close ties with the Mother Church.

After participating in the Permanent Synod, Bishop Bryan Bayda, Head of the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Youth Affairs, remained in Brazil to hold meetings and foster cooperation with the local youth. This became an important step in strengthening interaction with those responsible for youth ministry, in particular with Fr. Samuel Hupalo, who oversees youth in the Curitiba Archdiocese of St. John the Baptist, and Fr. Oleksandr, the youth pastor in the Prudentópolis Eparchy of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

What was the primary goal of this youth forum, and what role did you play there? 

―  I wanted to meet Christ in the youth in Brazil and understand better their spiritual journeys. It was just the first meeting for me with them and much has changed in 15 years since I was here for World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janiero. While working at meetings with the Permanent Synod, I was able to arrange an evening to meet these enthusiastic youth. We had a chance to introduce ourselves, pray and reflect on how God is calling us and then have some fun while singing songs. 

Which topics were of greatest concern to the young people gathered at the forum?

― The ability to connect with other Ukrainian youth is challenged by language. The generations that have passed have left  Ukrainian Brazilian youth speaking very little Ukrainian. 

How did this meeting with youth from different countries personally inspire you? 

― Despite the generations that have passed, all of them still know how to Christmas Carol in Ukrainian, so we sang a Christmas caroll in Ukrainian.  This is similar to my experience in other countries as immigrations that happened more than 100 years ago experience the same challenge. 

In your opinion, what is the role of the Church in supporting young people at an international level? 

― I strongly encourage our website to be a point of meeting for them, however, there should be a way for them to share and read what is going on in other parts of the world with Ukrainians in the following languages: Ukrainian, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German.