On the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the new Protosyncellus – Vicar General of the Eparchy of Bratislava, Fr. Miroslav Bujdoš CSsR, was installed in the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The installation ceremony took place within the framework of the archiepiscopal liturgy and was presided over by Vladyka Milan Lach SJ, Eparchial Bishop of Bratislava.
At the beginning of the liturgical celebration, Father Vladimír Skyba, who has held this office until now (for 18 years) and who currently serves as chancellor of the Eparchial Office, read the decree of Vladyka Milan on the appointment of the protosyncellus, dated April 10, 2026.
Read more: Father Miroslav Bujdoš CSsR appointed Vicar General of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Bratislava
The installation ceremony consisted of the recitation of a prayer and the presentation of the miter. The privilege of the vicar general also includes the right to wear the golden cross with ornaments and the belt. Father Miroslav already has these insignia, having previously served as vice-provincial superior of the Slovakian vice-province of the Eastern Rite Redemptorists, and will therefore continue to wear them in the future.
From left: Fr. Vladimír Skyba, Monsignor Milan Lach SJ, Fr. Miroslav Bujdoš CSsR.
The new protosyncellus addressed the faithful in his homily. He drew inspiration from the Gospel of Luke, reflecting on Jesus’s gesture of leading the disciples out of Jerusalem to Bethany before the Ascension. Echoing the expression “led them out”—the same expression used in the Old Testament for Moses, who freed the people from slavery—the preacher emphasized how Jesus freed the disciples from a vision of faith reduced to precepts and obligations, making God accessible to all nations and cultures. The fruit of this liberation was the transformation of fear into joy.
At the heart of the homily is a crucial invitation: to focus our gaze on Christ rather than on our own sins and failures. “Let us be Christians who focus on the greatness of our God, not on the greatness of our sins”—because it is precisely from this certainty, that of being loved by God at every moment of life, that hope and joy are born.
The protosyncellus concluded by expressing the hope that doubts will turn to hope, fear to courage, and despair to joy.
At the conclusion of the liturgical celebration, Bishop Milan Lach wished Father Miroslav much strength and joy in his new ministry, for these are the characteristics that must distinguish every disciple of Jesus. He invited the eparchial community to pray for Father Miroslav and his ministry.
Vladyka Milan also thanked the outgoing protosyncellus, Father Vladimír Skyba, who for eighteen years accompanied Vladyka Peter Rusnák in leading the eparchy. He compared his ministry to the role of second violins in an orchestra, without which the first violins would not stand out. As the Vladyka recalled, the entire period of the eparchy’s foundation and the construction of new facilities was not easy: “With God’s help, together with the priests, you have done everything possible. May all this be for the glory of God!”
The celebration concluded with the Liturgy of the Seven Rites and the anointing.
Text and photos: Stanislav Gábor / Scala News ed.
source: Greek Catholic Eparchy Bratislava, www.grkatba.sk
