On Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., a ceremony was conducted to bless the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Church in Matskivtsi, near Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
The Most Reverend Edward KAWA, OFM Conv., Bishop of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, presided over the rite. He also served as the church’s first Pastor from 2010 to 2012.
Many priests, consecrated persons, and lay faithful attended the celebration. Among those present were the Custos of the Provincial Custody of the Holy Cross in Ukraine, Friar Stanisław NUCKOWSKI, as well as former Pastors, Friars Andrzej WANAT and Janusz NOWAK, priests of the deanery, and Friar Michał STASZAK from Lviv, Ukraine. Seminarians from the major seminary of the Diocese of Kamianets-Podilskyi also took part in the event together with their formators.
Among the Invited guests were representatives of local authorities and civil society, including Anatolij BYCZAWKO, the assistant to the Member of Parliament Serhij ŁABAZIUK, representatives from the Department of Social Affairs of the Khmelnytskyi City Council, the District Head, Oleksandr ŻUBDA, and benefactors of the parish.
One particularly meaningful aspect of this ceremony was the presence of Wanda, Ludmiła, and Bronisława―the three daughters of Franciszek BIAŁOBRZYSKI, the church’s first builder. Their presence was a moving testimony to the memory of those who, years ago, began building this church with faith and dedication.
The blessing of the church and the consecration of the altar marked an important event not only for the parish of Matskivtsi, but also for the entire Catholic Church in Ukraine’s Podolia region, serving as a sign of the living faith, unity, and hope of the community of believers.
The people of Matskivtsi built the church in the late 1990s on the initiative of local residents. Servant of God Jan OLSZAŃSKI, M.I.C., then Bishop Emeritus of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, blessed the land designated for the construction of the church. In 2010, the Most Reverend Maksymilian Leon DUBRAWSKI, OFM, Bishop Emeritus of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, established the independent parish and entrusted its pastoral care to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. Between 2016 and 2020, the church and friary were expanded with funds provided by the Holy See and a foundation from the United States. Additional construction and finishing work continued from 2020 to 2025. On December 27, 2025, the symbolic cornerstone donated by Friar Marian GOŁĄB, custodian of the minor basilica at Kalwaria Pacławska, Poland, was laid.
Friar Stanisław PĘKALA
