Students of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) were awarded graduate-level degrees on February 6 and 7.  Students received master’s degrees in Theology, Christian Pedagogy, History, and from the School of Journalism and Communications, Law School, and Institute of Leadership and Management.

This year, the graduation ceremony was held over two days in small groups, to maintain the norms of the quarantine. Parents were able to watch online.

The February 6 festivities began with a Liturgy in the University Church of the Holy Wisdom of God and then diplomas were awarded at the nearby Sheptytsky Center.

The keynote speaker was Hennadiy Druzenko, a Ukrainian lawyer and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war. “Be ready for unexpected turns in your fate. Be ready for God to involve Himself in your life and, perhaps, to direct it where you weren’t expecting. This is not a loss or tragedy but the readiness to go the way He has prepared for us.”

A special guest of the Journalism and Communications students was Volodymyr Fedorin, (center in above photo), chief editor of “Forbes Ukraine.” His advice: Don’t work with bad people, because this is never worth it, and do good altruistically. “There is no greater joy,” he added, “than to do something good without financial reward, because at that moment you feel that miracles truly happen.”

Andriy Lopak, graduate of the Master’s Program of the UCU Law School: “Remember this day, because now the weight of responsibility lies on our shoulders, to move the world in the right direction. I was fortunate to be at UCU, an energetic place. Our task now is to create energetic places where we are going.”

Lidia Moskal, a graduate in Theology: “I love to joke that this is my third successful attempt to become a theologian. Previously I wasn’t able to combine study and work. There were certain obstacles all the time. When I found out that UCU had a possibility for accepting classes from a previous degree, it was a big challenge to go and study at 33, but I hadn’t lost my desire to study Theology. One morning I woke up and thought that, if it’s worthwhile to study something in this life, it’s certainly Theology. For the years of study and experience gained here, I thank the dean and my directors and mentors, whose work in the Lord is not in vain.”

Original article prepared by Diana Motruk