Khutorivka Seminary

Above, top to bottom: (top 2 photos) Ivan, a fifth year seminarian at Khutorivka Seminary, talks to me about life, the choral concert the seminary is putting on soon, and delays his meeting with a teacher to ask me how I am, pose for portraits, and to exchange cell phone numbers and email. He is also from the heart of the Carpati and is native Hutzel, the mountain people that inhabit the southwest of Ukraine and live in the mountains; This centerpiece of the seminary is where the chapel is, the entire seminary revolves around this centerpoint in a huge semi-circle; Seminarians walk to Khutorivka in the evening; A panoramic view of the sky at 5:30 pm outside of the Seminary.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Ukraine gained its independence in 1991. That year, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church came out from hiding after half a century in the underground. There were roughly 200 priests to serve some 10 million faithful, and overnight the church began a frantic search for more priests.

Enter Ukrainian Catholic University(where I work) in 2002. My grandmother is Ukrainian Greek Catholic(one of several orthodox, eastern faiths in communion with Rome; i.e. they follow the Pope but practice like orthodox) and has been donating to help Khutorivka seminary, the largest seminary in Ukraine and the backbone of the new priests in the country. 

The people at this place are great. In general, I can count on seminarians to be some of the warmest people, as is anyone who makes the most difficult decisions possible in life. 

Most impressive is the building itself, complete with skylights, solar panel heating, computers and a gorgeous chapel.