Saturday, February 17, 1990

Ordination of bishop Hirka in Slovakia

After the fall of Iron curtain, Bishop Michael was blessed to see the freedom for his beloved Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia. Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy, Fr. Jan Hirka was named as seventh residential bishop for the seat of Presov and Bishop Michael traveled to Slovakia to take active part in the ordination and enthronement ceremony. Main celebrant of the liturgy and principal ordaining Bishop was Jozef, Cardinal Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization of People. This was the third time, that Bishop Rusnak was helping with ordaining a bishop after Bishops Dudick and Mihalik. The other ordaining bishop was Bishop Slavomir Miklovs, from Krizevci. Moving ceremony, with thousands of people, hundreds of priests and tens of bishops took place in the sports hall of Presov on February 17th 1990. Bishop Rusnak was back in his homeland after almost 40 years of absence.

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