Our Clergy
our Priest
Василь Харук
Отець Василь Харук народився 29 вересня 1963 року на Коломийщині в родині хліборобів. Його батьки привели на світ та виховали шестеро дітей – трьох дочок та трьох синів. Отець Василь був п’ятою дитиною. Після закінчення восьмирічки навчався в Калуському культурно-освітньому училищі, а по закінченні навчання обіймав посади директора будинку культури та художнього керівника. Проходив військову службу два роки в місті Тбілісі, що в Грузії. З 1990 року навчався в Івано-Франківському Богословсько-Катехитичному Інституті, а 30 листопада 1992 року був рукоположений на священника Івано-франківським єпархом Владикою Софроном Дмитерком.
З 1992 по 1994 рік служив духівником в Івано-Франківській семінарії, відтак з 1994 по 1996 рік був призначений вікарієм Івано-Франківської Єпархії. В 1996 році, на запрошення Митрополита Степана Сулика, о. Василь прибув на своє пастирське служіння до США. Служив у багатьох парохіях Філадельфійської Архієпархії, а саме: у Трентоні, штат Ню Джерсі, Вашинґтоні, округ Колумбія, Манассасі, Річмонді, штат Вірджинія, Нантікоук, штат Песильванія, Джерсі Сіті, Байонні, штат Ню Джерсі. В 2003 році Митрополитом Стефаном Сорокою о. Василя було призначено духівником семінарії Святого Йосафата в Вашинґтоні, ДК. Разом із ректором семінарії він розділив обов’язки співпароха парохії Собору Пресвятої Родини. Згодом свою душпастирську місію о. Василь виконував у парохіях в містах Балтимор, штат Меріленд, Ґрейт Медовз і Ремзі, штат Ню Джерсі. В 2001 році закінчив навчання в Філадельфійському університеті LaSalle, здобувши диплом МА. Назва його дипломної праці – «Великодні традиції України». В 2015 році, в рік Милосердя, був призначений Святійшим отцем Франциском місіонарем милосердя. З першого серпня 2022 року був покликаний Митрополитом Борисом Ґудзяком до пастирської опіки в парохію святого Архистратига Михаїла в Дженкінтавн, штат Пенсильванія.
August 1 2022-
OUR Current Assistant Priest
Rev. Ostap Mykytchyn
Coming Up
OUR FIRST PRIEST
LEv LIYBINSKIJ
November 9, 1975–December 16, 1979
Although Father Liybinskij’s assignment at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church may have officially ended on December 16, 1979, his presence was felt even after he left. 25 February of 1979 in their annual general congregation meeting report by Paraphialna Rada, it was recorded that one of the major sectors of life of the parish is the spiritually religious one, and the person who managed and evolved that sector was named Father Lew Liybinskij. According to the archives of 1975-1979, Father Liybinskij was one of the major players in the development of our church’s spiritual and other lives. He possessed abundance of spirit, good will, passion, devotion, and courage.
Though little is written about Father Lew Liybinskij’s personal life, it is known however that he was married, and that he loved and took great care of his family. Not only did he love and take care of his family, but he also took an active role in public and church lives, as “the head of the Department of the local Patriarchal Society and a teacher of catechism in the School of Ukrainian Studies” (Pryshliak, par. 3). Before he became a priest, he worked in the engineering department of a security company. Even after graduating with his theological studies from Lviv, Ukraine, Father Liybinskiy “was not able to get ordained due to many different circumstances, including his military and immigration circumstances” (par. 2). Yet, with the blessing of the Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, he was ordained after all, on February 23, 1975. For Father Liybinskij that was “the day his wish came true, the day he dreamed of his entire life” (par. 2).
In addition to being modest, hardworking, dedicated, and compassionate, he soon gained even more respect among other priests and especially among his faithful. It is a well-known fact that Father Liybinskij took great personal risks for serving his faithful, especially for serving our parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church. Right after the newly Paraphialna Rada was elected in 1975, they invited Father Lew Liybinskij to serve as their priest. It seems he was sent to St. Michael the Archangel parishioners by God or if not by God, then by St. Michael the Archangel at the right time, the time they needed a good Shepherd the most. Newly consecrated by the Cardinal and Archbishop Josyf Slypyj, Father Liybinskij immediately agreed to and accepted the job at St. Michael the Archangel. He was a good Shepherd, and he did try to lay down his life for his sheep as best as he could.
Not being in a possession of any church yet, the new priest held his services on the premises of the Orthodox Sv. Pokrovy church. To thank the Orthodox faithful, in his first sermon, Father Liybinskij uttered, “Today we began to write a story of our own being.” His words inspired parishioners so much that they immediately began organizing. For additional information, please see Speech by Fathers L and B.
For his service and advocacy, Father Liybinskij took some great personal risks. He was even placed on a list forbidding him from exercising any priestly function in the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. He was accused of committing “the delict of schism” (1) and forbidden from performing his religious services (2). See Information Listok, pages one and two below.
Father Liybinskij was admired and respected by most if not all, or nearly all people at St. Michael the Archangel Church. He was active and involved, and he should be remembered as a Shepherd who did lay his life for his sheep.
After his service ended at our church, Father Liybinskij, was reassigned to Staten Island, in New York and consequently to New Britain, near Hartford, CT. He died on May 1, 1988, shortly after a surgery and possibly due to a surgery complications. Two years after his death, there was a tribute to Father Liybinskij in the Patriarchat magazine by the author Oles Pryshliak. To read the author’s entire tribute, please refer to.
Our Past Priests
Mytrat Zeon Zlochovskij
December 17, 1979–December 16, 1993
Father Zlochovskiy was our second and second longest serving priest in our church. He stayed with us for 13 years, 11 months, and 29 days, a total of 5113 days. Like our first priest Father Liybinskij, Father Zlochovskij was involved in all aspects of the parish life. According to the 1980 annual report by Dr. Protsiuk, Father Zlochovskij was in harmony and complete cooperation with Paraphialna Rada.
Oleh Zovnirovych
January 7, 1994–June 22, 1998
We thank God for sending us Father Oleh Zovnirobych. He served God and his parishioners to the best of his abilities. His four years of service without doubt contributed to the prosperity and expansion of Mykhailivka.
Orest Mychailiyk
June 23, 1998–June 20, 2002
May God grant strength, foresight, success, and health to Orest Mychailiyk, our fourth priest, and we are thankful for his four years of service.
Ivan Hovhera
June 20, 2002–August 15, 2002
Father Ivan Hovhera was our substitute priest, and we are thankful to him for his short term appointment and for praying with us during our time of needs.
Petro Semenych
August 15, 2002–November 30, 2004
We send best wishes to father Petro Semenych for his faith, support, encouragements, and service to God and to all of us at Mykhailivka during his nearly two years of appointment.
Andriy Dutkevych
December 1-2004–August 2, 2006
May God bless our seventh Father, Petro Dutkevych for this nearly two years of service to our parishioners and for his prayers and contribution to Mykhailivka and its spiritual growth.
Volodymyr Kostiuk
August 3, 2006–November 30, 2020
Father Kostiuk, our longest serving priest–14 years, 3 months, 27 days, a total of 5233 days–served our parish from August 2006 to November 2020. He was kind, generous, active, and involved in all aspects of our lives. We thank Father Kostiuk for his service and for his contribution in expanding of our church, building our new hall, and helping to organize different types of church and out of church events. He helped to start our organization Mothers in Prayer. We pray for and send Father Kostiuk and his family only good wishes and God’s blessing in all his future endeavors.
Bishop Andriy Rabiy
November 20, 2022–August 1, 2022
Andriy Rabiy (born October 1, 1975) is an American bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and serves as auxiliary bishop for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. On December 19, 2001, Rabiy was ordained to the priesthood. Pope Francis appointed Rabiy Auxiliary Bishop for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia on August 8, 2017.[1][2] On September 3, 2017, Rabiy was consecrated as a bishop. On September 24, 2017, Rabiy was installed as auxiliary bishop. On April 16, 2018, Rabiy was named Apostolic Administrator of Philadelphia when Archeparch Stefan Soroka‘s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis.
Thank You, Vladyko, for your service to God and to us. We will always be thankful to God for sending You our way. Although we do not want to let you go, we understand that God needs you elsewhere, and that somebody else will always need you much more than we do. You came to us at our great time of need—during our glooms, disappointments, conflicts, and doubts. Your encouragement, involvement, prayer, faith, and prudent actions helped us restore our faith, build our confidence, and attain new dreams and hopes. You taught us to look deeper into our souls and to be honest with ourselves and others. You, above all, wanted us to have faith, and we know that you wanted our words to be in harmony with our actions. You served us with honor and dedication, and you always showed us love, even if we did not earn it. We want to be better, but no matter how much we say that we will strive and that we will believe, in the Eye of our Beholder, we are frail, weak in our faith and trust in Him. Yet, will pray, and we will hope and strive knowing that He “who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence”( Corinthians 4:13–14).
