Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak remained steadfast in the cause of Ukraine’s struggle against Russia and the need to preserve the country’s culture through institutions such as the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.

In exclusive remarks to The Good Newsroom at a Manhattan reception in his honor Wednesday evening, Archbishop Gudziak asked Catholics of the Archdiocese of New York to do basic things: “Pray, advocate, be informed, and help as you can. Prayer has brought this miracle. Ukraine was supposed to fall in three days, maybe three weeks, and it still stands after three years, facing the biggest army and really defending Western democracy and religious freedom. Catholics must understand whenever there has been a Russian occupation of Ukrainian lands for 250 years, the Catholic Church gets suppressed, and the Eastern Catholic Church gets wiped out. Prayer is very important. It’s important to know what’s going on; it’s important to understand,” he said.

“A lot of people need help. People in Ukraine are making the greatest sacrifice. You don’t hear anybody from Ukraine saying, ‘We want to give up.’ There’s a reason for that. It’s because they understand that sometimes you have to say, ‘Liberty, truth, God-given dignity, or death.’”

Opened in 2002, the Ukrainian Catholic University is the first Catholic university to be built on territory that was part of the former Soviet Union.

The event, hosted by Cardinal Timothy Dolan at his residence, sought to raise $1 million in matching funds for The Metropolitan Gudziak Endowed Faculty Fund, as part of an initiative to endow 15 university faculty members in perpetuity. Donors Chrystia and Adrian Slywotzky contributed an initial $2.5 million to the fund and pledged an additional $1 million that will match similar contributions made any time before the end of 2025.

In welcome remarks, Cardinal Dolan spoke of the need for universities as preservers of culture –  in this case, to preserve Ukrainian culture. “Even though today we would just hear the word Ukraine and threaten to tear up because of the trauma, because of what seems to be the last word, no. There’s a force in Ukraine that symbolizes what’s best. There’s a force at work in preserving, enhancing, and expanding the culture of Ukraine, which is so rich, which is so profound, and that force, of course, is the Ukrainian Catholic University. It is strong, it is vibrant, and when the day comes for rebuilding, it will be there. So, all of us are asking, what can we do for Ukraine? Oh, there’s a lot we can do, but we can never, ever forget the preservation of the culture that we hold so dear.”

Archbishop Gudziak thanked Cardinal Dolan, whom he referred to as being “like an older brother.” He went on to say that Ukrainian students must prepare themselves to face questions most other students around the world do not need to consider.

“Today in Ukraine, it’s not shocking. Students attend more funerals than they could have ever imagined. The point is, the way we look at life’s instances is how we manage them, and when we can face death with trust, not fear, without fear but with anticipation, of course, with great hope and eternity, we live in a different way. Because so much of our negative reflex is conditioned by that fear of mortifications and losses and of the ultimate inevitable phases of this life.”

He thanked those in attendance for their support. “I see in this community enduring daily terrors, people who smile, who pray, who serve, who study, who write outstanding books, and with confidence, look evil in the eye and say what’s true. I thank you for being here and for supporting these people who I admire on this side of the Atlantic.”

To learn more about The Metropolitan Gudziak Endowed Faculty Fund and how to contribute, please visit this link.