Ukranian Archbishop Invites All For Pilgrimage
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's Ukrainian archbishop is inviting the public to join him Sunday, August 27th, in a pilgrimage to a special shrine in a tiny community some two-and-a-half hours north of Philadelphia.
Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka says he will lead pilgrims on Sunday for prayer and a divine liturgy to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in the Columbia County, Pennsylvania community of Centralia.
The town is the site of a famous underground mine fire, which chased out all but a handful of residents.
Soroka says the century-old church, declared a pilgrimage site last year by the major archbishop in the Ukraine, is still standing on a mountaintop overlooking the abandoned town.
"It's sort of symbolic. There's fires that have destroyed the town underneath, but here the church continues as a rock of faith," Soroka said.
Soroka says people come from miles around to worship at the church.
"Their hope is that people will come as pilgrims to avail themselves of that spiritual energy, the presence of our Lord in the power of prayer, and the power of people coming together," he said.