Wyoming Catholic College President Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut, together with a trio of WCC alumni took part in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Enrichment Days, an international summer academic program hosted by the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Košice in eastern Slovakia.
At the invitation of Archbishop Cyril Vasiľ, SJ, Eparchial Bishop of Košice, participants came to Košice to learn about and experience the spiritual, liturgical, and cultural heritage of the Byzantine Catholic tradition and the life of the Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia. The program was held in cooperation with the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C.
The four-day event, held August 8–11, was followed by the Free Society Seminar, founded by American philosopher and theologian of Slovak descent Michael Novak. The Enrichment Days brought together university students and young graduates from the United States and several European countries for lectures, liturgical celebrations, a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine at Klokočov, discussions, and cultural activities. Together, the two programs gave participants an opportunity to engage with questions of faith, culture, and society while experiencing Slovakia and its Christian heritage firsthand.
Fr. Dcn. Washut was among the principal speakers during the Enrichment Days, offering lectures as part of a program that explored the identity of the Eastern Catholic Churches, Byzantine liturgy and spirituality, the legacy of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the persecution of the Greek Catholic Church under communism, and the history of the Greek Catholic diaspora in North America.
The liturgical life of the program was an integral part of the participants’ encounter with the Byzantine tradition. Fr. Dcn. Washut served as deacon during the Divine Liturgies at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God in Košice and at the Minor Basilica of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Michalovce. Participants also made a pilgrimage to Klokočov, where they prayed before the icon of Our Lady of Klokočov, and in Michalovce venerated the relics of Blessed Metod Dominik Trčka, CSsR.
For the WCC alumni, the Enrichment Days offered an opportunity to encounter the Byzantine tradition not only through academic study, but also in its natural setting and as the living faith of the local Church. In Košice, the Catholic Church quite literally “breathes with both lungs”. The city is home to both the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Košice, with its Gothic Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, and the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice.
This setting allowed participants to experience firsthand the coexistence of the Eastern and Western traditions of the Catholic Church while forming friendships with Catholics from different countries and traditions. That encounter has a particular resonance for Wyoming Catholic College, where students have the opportunity to experience both the Roman and Byzantine liturgical traditions as part of the College’s Catholic life.
With its focus on the legacy of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the program gave participants an opportunity to encounter a Christian tradition that has shaped the faith and culture of Central and Eastern Europe for centuries. At the same time, the Enrichment Days fostered new friendships and partnerships, offering a promising foundation for future collaboration among the institutions and communities involved.
