HISTORY OF ARCHDIOCESE OF LVIV
King Casimir the Great, who connected Halicka Ruthenia to Poland, his successor - Ludwik Węgierski, and prince Władysław Opolczyk, the royal governor of Ruthenia, sought in the Holy See proper Catholic church organization to establish in Ruthenia.
13.02.1375 - Pope Gregory XI announced the bull "Debitum pasiomb sofficii" under which the church in Halicz was established the archbishop and metropolitan church and churches in Przemyśl, Włodzimierz and Chełm were to be subject to him as to suffragan. The papal bull gave rise to the proper organization of the church in Ruthenia. The Holy See had reserved for itself the exclusive right to appoint the most suitable shepherds for the new dioceses.
Prince Władysław Opolczyk, after successfully establishing the archbishopric in Halicz together with three suffragal bishoprics, asked the pope to move the capital of the metropolis from an abandoned and not very secure - in jeopardy of attacks from Lithuanians and Tatars - Halicz to Lviv, which was the most important and most populous city in the country.
April 26.1946 - Soviet power forced Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak, Lviv Metropolitan, to leave Lviv forever.
January 16.1991 - John Paul II revived the activity of the Archdiocese of Lviv. It comprised Wołyńskie, Stanisławowskie, Lwowskie, Rówieńskie, Tarnopolskie and Czerniowieckie voivodships, which historically corresponded to the pre-war dioceses - Lviv (with the exception of the territory of Lubaczów, which remained in Poland), Łuck and partly Przemyśl (Poland) and Jassy (Romania). In 1996, the Volyn and Rówieńskie voivodships were joined to the renewed diocese of Łuck.
Bishop Marian Jaworsk was appointed archbishop of Lviv. He was the head of the Archdiocese of Lviv in Lubaczów - a small part of the former Archdiocese of Lviv which, after World War II, remained on Polish territory and preserved Lviv church traditions. Following autumn 1989, Bishop Jaworski had visited Ukraine several times. He was recognized as their Archbishop, the legitimate successor of the Lviv Metropolitans. John Paul II justified this nomination in his letter of January 10.1991: "Because, up to the present time, the Metropolitan church of the Latin rite has remained abandoned, we decide to no longer maintain it in this condition, but to appoint an Archbishop for its holy service. Because you, Venerable Brother, know this Archdiocese well, since you have been its Apostolic Administrator up to this time, we have deemed it most appropriate to entrust You, and not somebody else, with its direction. Therefore, using the fullness of Our Apostolic authority and seriousness, we anoint, announce and declare You the Archbishop of the said Church of Lviv of the Latin rite with the rights and obligations belonging to your service with this ordinance."
Fr. Rafał Kiernicki, OFM Conv, a long-term priest of the Lviv Cathedral and Marcjan Trofimiak, a parish priest in Krzemieniec (Tarnopol voivodship) became the auxiliary bishops.
March 3, 1991 - during the ingress to the Metropolitan Basilica, Archbishop Marian Jaworski ordained two priests (Józef Michajłowski and Andrzej Buczyński) and one deacon (Andrzej Zajączkowski). Those were the first ordinations in the Lviv Cathedral after World War II.
February 28, 1992 - the 1st Conference of the Roman Catholic Episcopate of Ukraine was held in Lviv, at which Archbishop Marian Jaworski was elected the Chairman, and Fr. Marian Buczka, the chancellor of the Metropolitan Curia, was elected as secretary.
12.12.1996 - the Metropolitan Seminary of the Archdiocese of Lviv was reactivated. It had been transferred from Lviv to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in 1945, and liquidated in 1950.
The area of the Archdiocese is 68,000 km²
Number of faithful - 154,000
Number of priests - 95 diocesan, 45 religious
Number of deaneries - 12
Number of parishes - 271
Patrons of the Archdiocese - the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace and Blessed Archbishop Jakub Strzemię - Believer
In 1909 at the request of St. Archbishop Józef Bilczewski, St. Pius X proclaimed Our Lady the Queen of the Polish Crown and blessed Jakub Strzemię, patrons of the Archdiocese of Lviv. Currently, the title "Mother of God Queen of the Polish Crown" has been replaced with "Blessed Virgin Mary Gracious."
DIOCESES INCLUDED IN THE METROPOLIS: Archdiocese of Lviv, Diocese of Kiev-Żytomierz, Diocese of Kamieniec Podolski, Diocese of Łuck, Diocese of Mukaczewo, Diocese of Charków-Zaporoże, Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol
BISHOPS: Metropolitan Archbishop - Mieczysław MOKRZYCKI (from October 21, 2008)
Auxiliary Bishop - Leon MAŁY (from May 4.2002)
Retired Archbishop - Cardinal Presbyter Marian JAWORSKI (cardinal from January 28, 2001)
VOIVODESHIPS BELONGING TO ARCHDIOCESE OF LVIV: Lviv, Iwano-Frankowskie, Tarnopilskie, Czerniowieckie
DEANERIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE: Czerniowсе, Czortków, Halicz, Gródek, Iwano-Frankowsk, Lwów, Mościska, Sambór, Stryj, Tarnopol, Złoczów, Żółkiew
Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Metropolitan Basilica - Sanctuary of the Gracious Mother of God and Divine Mercy.
More information about the activities of the Archdiocese of Lviv in the link: http://www.rkc.lviv.ua/index.php?lang=3
