Bishop Bryan Bayda’s Call to Ukrainian Catholic Youth to Bear Witness in Korea at WYD 2027

 On September 14, the Second International Preparatory Meeting for World Youth Day (WYD), which will take place in South Korea in 2027, began in Seoul. Ukraine is represented at the meeting by Bishop Bryan Bayda, Chair of the UGCC Patriarchal Commission for Youth, and Father Roman Demush, Vice-Chair of the Commission. 

Bishop Bryan Bayda, CSsR, Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada, called upon Ukrainian Catholic youth to be witnesses — in Korea at World Youth Day 2027

Vocation of Ukrainian Catholic Youth to Witness - in Korea for WYD2027

In scripture, St. Paul was a voice of authority in his letters to the early Christian Communities.

Invigorated by this faith and Christian hope, we are already now, in the midst of trials and suffering, proclaiming the good news of salvation to the whole world in the words of the Apostle of the Nations: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:8-11).

With every youth event I attend in Ukraine or Europe, North America or South America, I am more convinced of the importance for Ukrainian Catholic Youth to Witness to the World like St Paul. One of these events that is about to take place is World Youth Day 2027 that will take place in Korea during August 3-8, 2027.  Not every person speaking can hold your attention, but when Ukrainian Youth witness to an encounter they had with Jesus Christ amid great suffering, they speak with authority. This is the platform for our Ukrainian Catholic Youth in the world today and I am attending a planning meeting with Fr. Mitrat Roman Demush in Korea.  

The recent popes are well aware of the power of witness and martyrdom. This is clearly one of many things that the Catholic Church in Korea has in common with the Ukrainian Catholic Church globally. I listened with great attention to opening remarks of Kevin Cardinal Farrell who is the Vatican’s Prefect of the dicastery for Laity, Family and Life when he addressed 259 of us participating from 108 worldwide communities here in Korea this week. 

The Cardinal said, “It is not just World Youth Day. It is an expression, a living expression, of the Word of God from the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the mission that we all have.” Cardinal Farrell is ultimately the person to present to the Holy Father three suggested locations for upcoming World Youth Days, when millions of Catholic youth from around the world gather with the Holy Father to be a light to the world. Several years earlier, having proposed only 2 locations to Pope Francis, Cardinal Farrell said the Holy Father confirmed the third proposal without having even heard what the cardinal was going to propose. In the words of the Cardinal Kevin, he reported that Holy Father said it this way, “No, I would very much like if World Youth Day would take place in Korea.” It is my opinion that the Cardinal shared how the Holy Spirit was prompting this decision. 

Cardinal Kevin went on to say in his opening remarks, “It is also important to understand why Pope Francis thought about this… it was in the eighteenth century that Christianity first came to Korea. It did not come through missionary priests.  It did not come through sisters who dedicated their lives to come and to create new mission territories for the Church. No, it came from a group of young scholars in Korea who set out to find a better way of living in their lives. And what happened? What happened is that they found the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And from that moment on, they began to preach, they began to teach what the Gospel said about how we should live our lives each and every day.” 

As the Cardinal spoke about the church in Korea, I could not get out of my mind the similarity this church has with our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.  “So, it is important that we recall this moment in the history of the Church in Korea. It is also a Church that has suffered greatly through hundreds of years of persecution. And today—thank God—it is one of the most fervent parts of the Church in the world today.” 

The Korean Catholic Church and our Ukrainian Catholic church are alive! The Cardinal continued to explain the importance of the World Youth Day event. “It is not a class, a lecture of theology, a lecture on Christianity. It is expressing the faith in the reality of what we live and experience each and every day of our lives.” “All of the recent popes have spoken about this: that the future depends on the young people of the world today…. And now, at this time, for the young people of the world to take over and to guide us … but guide us by the way you live your lives, and by the way you express your beliefs, with love and care for each and every one.” 

Therefore, many opportunities to learn about our rich heritage and faith present themselves in various ways at conferences in the world. However, this event helps us appreciate the importance of hearing from living witnesses today on a global level and the worldwide event for Catholic Youth is World Youth Day. Preparations for this once-in-a-lifetime experience strongly invite witnesses from Ukraine to participate which is less than a year away. With the technology of today, those who are not able to participate in person are definitely invited to participate in other ways such as video ‘reels’ as this event from Korea is promising to be significant and unforgettable for our faith as Christians. In the words of Cardinal Farrell, “Dare I say that this, because of the historical context in which we live, this will be one of the most important days, and one of the most important World Youth Days, that we have experienced. Thank you all, and God bless you all!”

+Bryan Bayda, CSsR - Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada

https://wydseoul.org/en