Sviatoslav Shevchuk

Sviatoslav Shevchuk, born on May fifth, nineteen seventy, is a prominent Ukrainian Catholic prelate who has held the esteemed position of Major Archbishop of Kyiv–Galicia and Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church since March twenty-fifth, two thousand eleven. His journey into the priesthood began in a challenging environment, as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was illegal during his early years under the Soviet regime.

Raised in a devout Catholic family, Shevchuk's parents and grandparents were actively involved in the Underground Church. A pivotal moment in his spiritual journey occurred around nineteen eighty-five during a family pilgrimage to the Orthodox shrine of Pochaev, where he prayed before an icon of the Theotokos, expressing his aspiration to become a priest.

While pursuing a medical degree in Boryslav, he secretly attended a seminary in Yaremche, nestled in the Carpathian Mountains. Following his mandatory military service as a field medic in Eastern Ukraine, the legalization of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church allowed him to complete his theological studies at a reopened seminary in Lviv.

In August nineteen ninety-one, under the guidance of his superiors, Shevchuk relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to further his philosophical education, where he briefly engaged with the Salesian community. Upon returning to Ukraine, he was ordained a deacon on May twenty-first, nineteen ninety-four, marking a significant milestone in his ecclesiastical career.