Macedonian Greek Catholic Church

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Macedonian Greek Catholic Church
Assumption of Our Lady Church Strumica 3.jpg
Classification Eastern Catholic
Polity Episcopal
StructureEparchy [1]
Pope Francis
Bishop Kiro Stojanov [2]
Region North Macedonia
Liturgy Byzantine Rite
Headquarters Assumption of Mary Cathedral, Strumica, North Macedonia
Founder John Paul II
Origin2001
Separated from Byzantines of Križevci
Congregations7
Members15,037
Ministers 11 [3]
Other name(s)Macedonian Greek Catholic Eparchy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed in Strumica-Skopje [1]

The Macedonian Greek Catholic Church is a Byzantine Rite sui juris Eastern Catholic Church in full union with the Catholic Church which uses the Macedonian language in the liturgy.

Byzantine Rite liturgical rite of most Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches

The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or Constantinopolitan Rite, is the liturgical rite used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Greek/Byzantine Catholic churches, and in a modified form, Byzantine Rite Lutheranism. Its development began during the fourth century in Constantinople and it is now the second most-used ecclesiastical rite in Christendom after the Roman Rite.

Catholic Church Largest Christian church, led by the Bishop of Rome

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2017. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the pope. Its central administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, an enclave within the city of Rome in Italy.

Macedonian language Language spoken in North Macedonia

Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by around two million people, principally in North Macedonia and the Macedonian diaspora, with a smaller number of speakers throughout the transnational region of Macedonia. It is the official language of North Macedonia and a recognized minority language in parts of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and Serbia.

Contents

The Macedonian Church comprises a single eparchy, the Macedonian Catholic Eparchy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed in Strumica-Skopje. [1]

Macedonian Catholic Eparchy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed in Strumica-Skopje

The Macedonian Catholic Eparchy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed in Strumica-Skopje is an eparchy of the Macedonian Byzantine-Catholic Church situated in North Macedonia. The eparchy is an Immediately subject to the Holy See.

History

An Apostolic Exarch was appointed for Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Macedonia as early as 1883 and lasting until 1922/1924 as part of the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church. [4] After the end of World War I and the foundation of Yugoslavia, the Exarchate was absorbed into the Eparchy of Križevci.

Exarch

The term exarch comes from the Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος, exarchos, and designates holders of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.

Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church

The Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church is a Byzantine Rite sui juris particular Church in full union with the Roman Catholic Church.

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Interior of the Cathedral of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Strumica) Assumption of Our Lady Church Strumica.jpg
Interior of the Cathedral of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Strumica)

In January 2001, a separate Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Macedonia was formed for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in Macedonia. It was separated from the Eparchy of Križevci and constituted as immediately subject to the Holy See. [5] On the same day (11 January 2001) the Holy See appointed the Latin Bishop of Skopje as the first Apostolic Exarch of Macedonia. [6]

Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje diocese of the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in North Macedonia. From the 4th century to 1656, when it was renamed to Archdiocese of Skopje, it was known as the Archdiocese of Dardania. In 1969 along with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren, it formed the Diocese of Skopje-Prizren. In 2000 it became a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, and the bishop is Kiro Stojanov, appointed in 2005.

Statistics

As of 2010, the Church's membership was estimated at approximately 15,037 faithful, with one bishop, 7 parishes, 11 priests, and 18 religious sisters. [3]

YearMembersPriestsParishes
200010,000108
20016,32095
200211,00085
200311,36785 [7]
200411,367 [8] 95 [7]
200511,39895 [8]
200611,48385 [9]
200711,49185 [10]
200815,175106 [11]
200915,041117 [12]
201015,037117 [3]

List of Hierarchs

Apostolic Exarchs

Lazar Mladenov Bulgarian Orthodox priest and, later, a member of the Bulgarian Uniat Church in the Ottoman Empire and a convert to Eastern Catholicism

Lazar Mladenov was a Bulgarian Orthodox priest and, later, a member of the Bulgarian Uniat Church in the Ottoman Empire and a convert to Eastern Catholicism.

Monsignor Dr. Joakim Herbut was a Macedonian Roman Catholic and Byzantine-Catholic prelate. He was bishop of Skopje-Prizren from 1969 to 2005 and Apostolic Exarch of Macedonia from 2001 to 2005.

Kiro Stojanov Roman Catholic Bishop of Skopje

Monsignor Dr Kiro Stojanov is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Skopje and the Eparchial Bishop of the Macedonian Catholic Eparchy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed in Strumica-Skopje of the Macedonian Byzantine Catholic Church. He is the first Catholic bishop of Macedonian ethnicity in 104 years. He was ordained as a priest in 1986, and from 1999 to 2005 he was the Auxiliary and Titular Bishop of the Skopje Diocese which was then led by Monsignor Joakim Herbut. In 2003 he joined the Maltese Order.

Eparchs of Strumica

See Also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Macedonian Church". Catholic Dioceses in the World. GCatholic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Apostolic Exarchate of Macedonia". Catholic Dioceses in the World. GCatholic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2010 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Кратка история на Католическата апостолическа екзархия. (In English: A conscise history of the Catholic Apostolic Exarchate - retrieved from the official website of the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church on January 16, 2012.)
  5. ↑ Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 93 (2001), p. 339.
  6. ↑ Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 94 (2002), p. 152.
  7. 1 2 3 Cheney, David M. "Apostolic Exarchate of Macedonia". All Dioceses. catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  8. 1 2 Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2005 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2006 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  10. ↑ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2007 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  11. ↑ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2008 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  12. ↑ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2009 Statistics" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
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