TNMU Faculty, Students, and Staff Visited Stradch and Lviv

On October 11, 2025, the faculty, students, and staff of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, accompanied by the university chaplain Father Ihor Drapak, took part in a spiritual and educational trip to the village of Stradch—a well-known pilgrimage site and shrine of the Lviv region, often referred to as the Ukrainian Jerusalem. The purpose of the trip was not only to become acquainted with the historical and religious heritage of the region but also to enrich participants spiritually, unite the university community through prayer, and strengthen their sense of fellowship.

Every year, pilgrims from across Ukraine and the world come to Stradch to visit its holy sites and walk the Way of the Cross, which is considered equivalent to that of Jerusalem. It is believed that those who make the pilgrimage to Stradch and walk this Way of the Cross receive a full indulgence, equal to that granted for walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.

On the way to Stradch, the participants felt a special atmosphere of peace and gratitude for the opportunity to visit such a sacred place. During their time on Stradch Hill, they took part in the Stations of the Cross, visited ancient caves where early Christians once prayed and where a man-made monastery has been preserved, and attended the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—one of the oldest shrines in Halychyna. After a shared prayer, everyone had the chance for private worship and reflection in the quiet of this sacred place.

Following their visit to Stradch Hill, the group traveled to Lviv to continue the day in an atmosphere of spirituality and discovery. There, they visited the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Center—a modern cultural, educational, and resource-information space of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). The Center combines lecture halls, conference rooms, a library, exhibition areas, administrative offices, and a public cultural space. It serves as a key location for UCU’s educational mission, harmoniously integrating spirituality, modern culture, education, and science.

The participants also visited the St. George’s Archcathedral—the main Greek Catholic cathedral of Lviv and the Lviv Archeparchy, located on St. George’s Hill. For centuries, it has been the residence of the metropolitans of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). The cathedral is renowned for its holy relics, including those of many saints, the relics of Pope John Paul II, and a copy of the Shroud of Turin. The visitors had the opportunity to venerate the oldest weeping icon in Ukraine—the icon of the Terebovlia Mother of God, and to visit the cathedral crypt, where prominent UGCC figures are buried, such as Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, Cardinals Sylvester Sembratovych and Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, and Bishop Volodymyr Sterniuk. The crypt also holds the sarcophagus of Prince Yaroslav Osmomysl.

The day concluded with an evening walk through Lviv, despite the autumn rain. The journey left participants with unforgettable impressions, warm memories, and inspiration for new beginnings.

Organized by the university community, the trip became a bright chapter in the spiritual life of TNMU, offering its participants time for fellowship, prayer, and inner renewal. Such pilgrimages help restore emotional balance, deepen faith, and strengthen the unity of the university family.

TNMU plans to continue this meaningful tradition of spiritual and educational journeys, as they unite, inspire, and leave a lasting light in the hearts of all who take part. ✨