Vibrant Faith in Kazakhstan

I read with great interest your article “Kazakhstan Sees 1st Bishop lnstalled” (World News, Oct. 31-Nov. 6). You mentioned that the Russian Orthodox Church was complaining “over the revival of previously outlawed Eastern-rite Catholic communities.” These “communities” are recognized as particular churches within the Catholic Church and those of Byzantine extraction are commonly called Greek Catholic.

The largest Greek-Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, is also, thanks to Pope John Paul II, very active in Kazakhstan, where many Ukrainians were exiled by the Soviet government in the 1950s and 1960s.

On June 25 the first Divine Liturgy for Ukrainian Catholics was celebrated in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astan, by Father Basil Hover and Bishop Basil Medvit, OSBM.…

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kazakhstan is fulfilling the spirit of the recent letter of the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church to the faithful.

This letter urges Ukrainian Catholics who are forced to leave or have left Ukraine for economic or moral reasons to “preserve our faith, dear children, and high Christian moral standards. Seek spiritual support from Catholic churches in the distant countries, for there you will find Christ and the Mother of God, who will help you.”

Thomas E. Herman Kirkwood, Missouri

Imperfect Transcription

I enjoyed Ellen Wilson Fielding's Article Digest “Living Up to Jesus' Impossible Standards” (Oct. 10-16), but wish to correct the assertion that “Only St. Matthew uses the word ‘perfect’ in the New Testament.” I know not whether this notion originates with Fielding or J. Steven Covington, author of the article Fielding was citing, “Be Perfect: Is Jesus Demanding the Impossible?” (from the September '99 issue of This Rock magazine). [In any case, the term is frequently used by other apostles as well.]

Timothy J. Miller Las Vegas, New Mexico

Editor's reply: Nice catch. This Rock reported, and our Article Digest should have repeated, that only St. Matthew uses the word “perfect” in the Gospels. We regret the error.

Correction: The Nov. 7-13 issue of the Register included an outdated staff listing. The correct one appears this week.