FIRST PASTORAL LETTER OF BISHOP BASIL TAKACH

Uniontown, Pa September 30, 1924.

WITH THE everlasting love for your immortal soul, I greet you with my First Episcopal words, my beloved Fathers and dear Faithful. 

Love gave me strength and solidity to leave our beloved native land: "PODKARPATSKA RUS ' " with a deciding spirit to cross the Ocean, to fulfill the order of Christ promptly, "Go into the world and preach the Gospel to all nations.” ..Mk. 71-16. 

The living spirit in Christ’s Church always was, is and will be: LOVE. This love moved the heart of St. Peter’s successor, the Holy Roman See. With kind love towards our Eastern Greek Catholic Rite, and towards the salvation of the treasured souls of our faithful who are living in the United States of North America, he consented and appointed me bishop. Because love and vision became real through obedience, I humbly bowed my head before His Holiness Pope Pius XI, and took upon my shoulders the gentle burden of a Bishop’s obligation. 

The obligation of a bishop is not an easy task, against t [words omitted, typewritten text not clear] three stubborn fierce enemies of the salvation of souls, i.e. against temptations, to save the souls of thousands and thousands of people. 

Even though my problems appear to over-power the strength of man, I am not dejected in spirit. I am placing all my hope in the grace of Almighty God and in the living faith of my clergy and faithful. 

I trust in God, that the fountain of grace, the Holy Spirit, will not leave me, in such a great and important work, without a special help. At the same time I hope and trust in the cooperation of my Christ-loving clergy and faithful. 

My dearly beloved Brothers and Sons in Christ: You waited for a long time, for 8 years expecting and petitioning for a bishop of your own blood and flesh, your nationality. Your request is fulfilled. Your Bishop is among you, sent by the Holy Father of Rome. A bishop, not a stranger in spirit and blood, a sincere son of "PODKARPATSKA-RUS ' ", who with one soul, one heart is with his people, who are overwhelmed with the spirit of his blood, to lift up the people in religion, morality, culture and nationality to the highest degree to the most educated people. 

Do you wish to make success in a short time? Follow me, work with me. As my message here in the land of free America, which comes to life in the union of good deeds, love and obedience will be a fruitful success on your part only through your good deeded love and obedience can be accomplished. 

Love and obedience are the vivifying esential elements of building the Kingdom of God in the Church of Christ upon earth. 

Without deeds of love, faith is dead, and without the deeds of obedience it is not fertile. 

God requests from us a sincere and blessed supernatural love. With such a love you are to love your Church authority, your appointed ones, as the Holy Scripture says: "They care for your souls". Love your religion, faith and do not permit the dishonest salesman to mislead you away from your forefathers’ heritage. Love our beautiful Eastern Rite, do not change it, or leave it light-mindedly through your weakness or some earthly reasons. Love your people, your beautiful language. Do not be ashamed of it, do not deny it before strangers, but love one another with real love, because we all are brothers, all the commandments of Christ unite us: "This command I give you, that you love one another". J. XV. 17. For he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law" Rom. XIII, 8. 

Dearly beloved Faithful, the virtue of love is not less important than the love of the virtue of obedience, because these two virtues are the golden characters of the New Testament. Mankind through his disobedience lost his blessedness and through the obedience of Christ was saved. For as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners; so also by the obedience of one, many shall be made just. Rom. V. 19. Christ saved us with His humility, being obedient unto death on the cross" (Phil. II. 8) He with His divine OBEDIENCE TAUGHT US TO OBEY: "not my will, but Thy will be done. " (L. 22, 42) .With His divine teaching and death, has proven His obedience. 

Our salvation depends upon us, if we follow Christ, because 0bedience is an Angelical act. Disobedience is a diabolical act. 

Where there is no obedience, there begins the misunderstanding dissention, heresy, sin. 

In obedience is great knowledge, firm strength, and deifying peace. 

The spirit of this world is the spirit of disobedience and pride. The spirit of Christ is kindness and childlike meekness. Without obedience there is no order, no salvation, no strength in building up and spreading ideas, only chaos, hatred, sin, evil and despair. 

I am convinced Rev. Fathers and dear Faithful, that no one of you wish to see such a dark picture in the future. For such a reason I dare to ask you in my first greetings that you show your love and obedience to me, because with the virtue you can secure your soul’s salvation. 

I am sending my episcopal blessing to the clergy and all of my faithful. 

In firm hope that on the foundation of the will of our Saviour and the spirit of the Holy Mother Church, with cooperating work it will be possible for us to build up our Greek Rite Catholic Eparchy, in the free land of the United States of America, for the glory of Almighty God and the salvation of all our dear faithful. 

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

Your humble Father in Christ. 

+ Basil Takach, Bishop.

Uniontown, Pa. September 30, 1924.

(Translation to English by Rev. John Slivka, The Historical Mirror: Sources of the Rusin and Hungarian Greek Rite Catholics in the United States of America 1884-1963, Brooklyn, N.Y. )