Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop for Ukrainian Catholics in the United States will visit West Catholic Preparatory High School and lead a prayer service for peace in the Ukraine.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
10:15 a.m. (Prayer Service)
West Catholic Preparatory High School
4501 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19139
Prior to the prayer service, Archbishop Gudziak will meet with West Catholic students and tour the school.
In response to the ongoing military conflict, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have participated in several prayerful initiatives to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the United States.
Biographical Information on Most Reverend Borys Gudziak
Most Reverend Borys Gudziak is the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia for Ukrainian Catholics in the United States. Archbishop is a native of Syracuse, New York. He was ordained in November 1998 in Lviv, Ukraine, consecrated a Bishop in August 2012, and installed as Archbishop-Metropolitan in June 2019. The Archbishop founded and directed the Institute of Church History. In 2013, Archbishop Gudziak was appointed President of Ukrainian Catholic University.
Archbishop Gudziak has received numerous awards, including the Cavalier of the Order of Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France. In 2016, he was awarded the Jan Nowak-Jezioranski Award in Wroclaw, Poland, recognizing his work in shaping civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2019, Archbishop was presented with the Notre Dame Award from the University of Notre Dame. Archbishop Gudziak also served as commencement speaker for the University of Notre Dame’s graduation on May 16, 2022.
Background Information on West Catholic Preparatory High School
West Catholic Preparatory High School has proudly served West and Southwest Philadelphia for over 100 years since opening in the fall of 1916. In 1926, the De La Salle Christian Brothers arrived at what would become West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys, then located on 49th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets. In 1989, the Brothers of the Christian Schools (F.S.C.); the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.); and the Sisters of Saint Joseph (S.S.J.), along with over 1,000 students, merged the Boys and Girls Schools, to become West Philadelphia Catholic High School at the present location of 4501 Chestnut Street.
Over the past 10 years, West Catholic has nearly doubled its enrollment. In addition, the school has raised more than $35 million and has made significant investments to enhance the school’s campus and to expand the academic programs and extracurricular offerings.
The school’s primary mission is to prepare each student to face the challenges of everyday life, embrace leadership positions in society, and value service in an ever-changing global society. For additional information about West Catholic Preparatory High School, please visit www.westcatholic.org/
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Editor’s Note: For more information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit aopcatholicschools.org/. For Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez’s statement regarding the invasion of Ukraine, please click here.
Contact:Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)