On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, representatives from all the houses of the General Vicariate of Russia and the Ukraine, as well as the Provincial of the Polish Province and some student brothers gathered at Lviv (Lvov, western Ukraine) to take part in the re-establishment of our Dominican house in the centre of the city.

The Dominican priory in Lviv had existed from the XIV century to 15 May 1946 when our brothers were expelled by the Soviet regime. For a few centuries it had been one of the most important priories of the Polish and of the Russian provinces, for some time also the house of studies. In the communist era the Museum of Religion and Atheism was located in these buildings.

In 2010 Archbishop of Lviv, Mieczysław Mokrzycki (formerly, secretary of John Paul II), invited the Order of Preachers to take pastoral care for the numerous students in Lviv. One Ukrainian and one Polish brothers started their service in September 2010 living in the Diocesan Seminary. From the very beginning the priority of their work was the pastoral Care of the students - now about 50 in number. But they have also been engaged in evangelization in the diocese through retreats, conferences, formation programmes for priests and consecrated persons, serving as confessors and spiritual directors, promoting the Rosary etc.

With the help of the Archbishop Mokrzycki and the Polish Province, the brothers, Jakub and Mykola, bought and completed a new two-storey apartment in the city centre, very close to the Church of the Presentation of the Lord which they rent from the Greek Catholic community for daily Masses. On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, this apartment on Kryvonosa Street, the Dominican house was re-established and dedicated by the Vicar General, Maciej Rusiecki. Fr Jakub was appointed the first superior of the house.

Afterwards the Solemn Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Presentation with the participation of some religious communities from the city and lay people connected with the Dominicans. The chief celebrant was the auxiliary bishop of Lviv, Leon Maly and the preacher was the Polish Provincial, fr Krzysztof Popławski. The feast continued with a party at the Rosen Hall, in the former Carmelite priory, which is normally the place of meetings for the students group

In the afternoon, the brothers visited the famous Lychakiv Cemetery to pray at the tomb where many of our brothers had been buried. Afterwards they visited our former priory and the Church of the Most Blessed Body of Christ which is at present the Museum of Religion. The whole feast was concluded with solemn Gregorian vespers in the church, which is now known as the Greek Catholic Church of the Most Blessed Eucharist

Fr Krzysztof Bujak OP