Bishop Oleg Butkevich will hold a Christmas service at the Church of St. Andrew Bobola in Polotsk
He began the meeting with journalists with elevated verses glorifying the birth of Christ, and added: may the Star of Bethlehem lead to divine wisdom and may love settle in every home and every heart.
In 2017, the bishop visited many districts of the Vitebsk region, visited churches, and met with parishioners. In the near future, he plans to visit Glubokoye and Braslav, his native regions.
– It is important for me to talk to people, to observe the service of priests, to find out what a particular parish needs, and there are 94 of them in the region, – noted Oleg Butkevich.
The head of the Catholic diocese spoke about the construction of a new church in the Bilevo microdistrict of the regional center, and the second one in Postavy. Work is progressing on the revival of the Church of St. Anthony in Vitebsk. As Oleg Butkevich emphasized, this is not just another sacred building of the Catholic confession, but an architectural landmark that will adorn the historical center of the city.
A live broadcast of the Christmas service, which will be led by the bishop, will be broadcast this year from the Church of St. Andrew Bobola in Polotsk.
– In this way, we want to emphasize the significance of the city, which celebrated the 500th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into Belarusian, done by our countryman, a native of Polotsk, Francysk Skaryna, – noted the bishop.
He called the main event of 2018 the visit of Belarusian bishops to the Vatican and the meeting with Pope Francis. This will be a kind of report on the activities of the Catholic Church in Belarus, the previous one was in 2009.
The Pontiff, as Oleg Butkevich noted, knows about our country, and during the meeting, which will take place at the beginning of January, the issue of the Pope's visit to Belarus will be considered.
Preparations for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ are now actively underway. In particular, an exhibition of children's creativity, traditionally held under the patronage of the church, has opened at the Vitebsk Art Museum; competitions for batleyka (traditional folk puppet theater) and колядная песня (Christmas carols) will be held.
Special attention is given to lonely people, disabled individuals, and, of course, children. Volunteers visit nursing homes, social shelters, and large families. Every home, every heart, as emphasized by the head of the Catholic diocese, is filled with harmony, joy, and love at this time.