Encounter the living tradition of the Christian East
at the crossroads of East and West.
AUGUST 8–11, 2026
In the heart of Europe
KOŠICE, SLOVAKIA
The Sts. Cyril and Methodius Enrichment Days bring together university students from Central Europe and the United States for four days of study, prayer, pilgrimage, and fellowship in Košice, one of Slovakia's principal centers of Byzantine Catholic life. Jointly organized by the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice and the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., the program draws faculty from partner institutions including Wyoming Catholic College, The Catholic University of America, and the International Theological Institute in Trumau.
Dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius—the Apostles to the Slavs, patrons of the Eparchy of Košice, and co-patrons of Europe—whose ninth-century mission laid the foundations upon which the Byzantine Catholic Church in Slovakia continues to build its identity.
The program pursues three complementary aims. First, it offers participants formed within the Byzantine Catholic tradition an opportunity to deepen their spiritual identity by encountering that tradition in its native ecclesial and cultural setting. Second, it introduces participants with little or no prior exposure to the Christian East to the richness of the Byzantine Catholic tradition. Third, it seeks to build lasting spiritual, academic, and cultural ties between the Eparchy of Košice and its partner institutions in the United States, fostering relationships that continue well beyond the program itself.
The Enrichment Days also respond to the renewed call of Pope Leo XIV to recover a deeper appreciation of the Eastern Catholic Churches. As the Holy Father observed, “Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.” The program seeks to answer that invitation by fostering a deeper understanding of the Byzantine Catholic tradition and its enduring contribution to the life of the universal Church.
Košice, Slovakia’s second-largest city and the historic metropolis of the country’s east, has long stood at the crossroads of cultures, peoples, and Christian traditions. Here, East and West meet not as abstract concepts, but as a living reality shaped by centuries of shared history.
The city is home to St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral, one of the easternmost Gothic cathedrals in Europe and a testament to the region’s Latin Christian heritage. Just a short walk away stands the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos, the seat of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice and a testament to the enduring presence of the Byzantine Catholic tradition in eastern Slovakia. Two cathedrals, two traditions, one Catholic communion.
This unique setting makes Košice an ideal place to encounter the Christian East within the fullness of the Catholic Church, which, in the words of St. John Paul II, breathes with “two lungs”—East and West. Rather than studying the Byzantine tradition from afar, participants encounter it in the place where it has been lived, celebrated, and handed on for generations.
09:30
Departure from Spiš (FSS participants)
Bus to Košice will be waiting
11:00
Arrival at the Seven Holy Fathers Collegium
@ Collegium Košice
Time to settle in and freshen up before the program begins
Hotel Ambassador is a 8-minute walk from the Collegium
12:00
Lunch
@ Hotel Ambassador
13:30
Opening Session
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Opening Remarks – Dr. Robert Royal
Faculty introductions
14:00
Seminar 1 — One Church, Two Lungs
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Speaker: Vladyka Cyril
15:15
Transfer to the Cathedral
The Cathedral is a 10-minute walk from Hotel Ambassador
15:30
Seminar 2 — Sacred Space as Theology
@ Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Speakers: Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut and Fr. Juraj Terek
16:00
Akathist Prayer (in English)
@ Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Led by Fr. Juraj Terek
17:15
Opening Garden Party
@ GPS Garden
In case of rain: Vestibule of the Chancery
18:30
Seminar 3 — Saints Cyril and Methodius Night
@ GPS Garden
Informal panel discussion with guest speakers following dinner
Speakers: Vladyka Cyril, Robert Royal, Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
— moderated by Dominic Cassella
20:00
Evening Walk Through Košice (optional)
07:30
Breakfast
@ Hotel Ambassador
Served from 07:30
08:30
Seminar 4 — Heaven on Earth: The Logic of Byzantine Worship
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Speaker: Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
09:45
10:30
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
@ Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Dress code: Smart Casual
12:00
Lunch
@ Hotel Ambassador
13:00
Free time
Recommended coffee stop: Kaviareň Slávia
14:00
Change, Refresh, and Pack for One Night
15:00
Bus Transfer to Klokočov
Departure from Strojárenská Street Košice
Historical introduction during the bus ride
16:15
Check-In
@ Pilgrim House Klokočov
16:30
Visit to the Shrine of the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Klokočov
Historical and spiritual introduction to the Shrine
Visit to Lake Zemplínska Šírava
17:00
Seminar 5 — Understanding the Calling to Theosis
@ Klokočov Parish Church
Speaker: Dominic Cassella
18:00
Transfer to Ranč Klokočina
Ranč Klokočina is a 15-minute walk from the Pilgrim House.
18:30
Traditional Dinner
@ Ranč Klokočina
Zemplín–American Music & Dance Night
Following dinner, participants are free to head to the Pilgrim House at their convenience
08:00
Breakfast
@ Pilgrim House Klokočov
Served from 08:00
08:45
09:30
Divine Liturgy in English
@ Basilica of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
10:30
Seminar 6 — Blood and Resurrection: The Church Under Communism
@ Basilica of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
Moderated discussion on the persecution of the Greek Catholic Church under communism and its contribution to the struggle for freedom, at the tomb of Blessed Metod Dominik Trčka
Speaker: Vladyka Cyril — moderated by Dominic Cassella
11:30
13:00
Lunch
@ Hotel Ambassador
14:00
Free time
15:30
Seminar 7 — Faith on both sides of the Ocean
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Speaker: Daniel Černý
16:30
@ Hotel Ambassador
17:00
Free Time
Time to freshen up for the Closing Dinner
18:40
Transfer to Krčma Letná
Krčma Letná is a 5-minute walk from the Collegium
18:45
Closing Dinner
@ Krčma Letná
Dress code: Smart Casual
22:00
Social and informal conversations (optional)
08:00
Breakfast and packing
@ Hotel Ambassador
09:00
Seminar 8 — What the Christian East Offers the World Today
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Speaker: Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
10:30
@ Hotel Ambassador
11:00
Synthesis Panel & Feedback round
@ Hotel Ambassador – Conference Hall
Speaker: Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
12:00
Lunch (optional)
@ Hotel Ambassador
13:00
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel from Košice. Please note that Košice has an international airport with direct flight connections to Vienna, Bratislava, and other destinations. Regular train and bus services are also available to all major European cities.
Seminar 1
One Church, Two Lungs
Speaker:
Archbishop Cyril Vasiľ
What is the difference between a Church and a rite? How can there be twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches, all in full communion with the Bishop of Rome? What does full communion entail, and what does it not imply? How do the Eastern Catholic Churches preserve their own liturgical, theological, spiritual, and disciplinary traditions while remaining fully Catholic? In this opening seminar of the Enrichment Days, Vladyka Cyril Vasiľ SJ explores the historical origins and canonical structure of the Eastern Catholic Churches, from the Pentarchy to the present day. Using the Byzantine tradition and the Slovak Greek Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris as examples, he provides the theological and historical foundations for the days ahead.
Seminar 2
Sacred Space as Theology
Speakers:
Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut &
Fr. Juraj Terek
A Byzantine church is a catechism in stone, glass, and gold — teaching through space before a word is spoken. Held inside the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God, this session reads the architecture and iconography of Byzantine liturgical space as theology made visible. Participants will leave able to “read” any Eastern church they enter afterward.
Seminar 3
Saints Cyril and Methodius Night
Speakers:
Archbishop Cyril Vasiľ,
Robert Royal ,
Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut — moderated by Dominic Cassella
Long before the Church spoke of inculturation, Saints Cyril and Methodius lived it. Their mission among the Slavic peoples demonstrated that the Gospel does not erase culture but elevates and transforms it from within. Recognizing the enduring significance of their witness, St. John Paul II—the first Slavic pope—proclaimed them co-patrons of Europe and reflected on their legacy in his encyclical Slavorum Apostoli. More than eleven centuries later, the Byzantine Catholic Church in Slovakia continues to draw its spiritual identity from their legacy through its 1) fidelity to the Holy Father, 2) the celebration of the liturgy in the language of the people, 3) and its living Byzantine tradition. The evening will conclude with the chanting of hymns in Church Slavonic.
Seminar 4
Heaven on Earth: The Logic of Byzantine Worship
Speaker:
Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth." So reported the envoys of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv after witnessing the Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia at the end of the tenth century. Their words have echoed through the centuries as one of the most enduring testimonies to the evangelizing power of Byzantine worship. This seminar introduces the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom and explains why Byzantine worship engages the whole person—sight, sound, smell, movement—inviting a form of active participation far richer than simply watching. Participants will then enter the Divine Liturgy itself, where they will encounter the whole mystery of Christ—his incarnation, ministry, passion, resurrection, and glory—and be invited into the worship of heaven made present on earth.
Seminar 5
Understanding the Calling to Theosis
Speaker:
Dominic Cassella
“God became man so that man might become God” — St. Athanasius’s words name the goal of the entire Christian life as understood in the East. Held at the Klokčov Parish Church following a visit to its miraculous icon, this seminar introduces theosis, the Prayer of the Heart, and the path toward union with God, closing with the Jesus Prayer prayed together.
Seminar 6
Blood and Resurrection: The Church Under Communism
Speaker:
Archbishop Cyril Vasiľ
In 1950, the Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia was forcibly liquidated overnight. Held in Michalovce’s Basilica beside the tomb of Blessed Martyr Metod Dominik Trčka, this seminar recounts life in the ecclesial catacombs, the witness of Blessed Bishop Gojdič and Blessed Bishop Hopko, and the Church’s restoration after 1989 — asking what that resurrection demands of the generation that inherits it.
Seminar 7
The Faith That Crossed the Ocean
Speaker:
Daniel Černý
Hundreds of thousands of Byzantine Catholics left the Carpathian Mountains for the coal mines of Pennsylvania, Ohio and other places between the 1880s and the First World War, carrying with them far more than their possessions. They brought the faith, liturgy, and traditions of the Old World, laying the foundations of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church in North America. This seminar traces that remarkable journey, explains how the Church is organized today, explores what the name Ruthenian really means, and shows why Byzantine Catholics in Europe and North America remain part of the same living tradition of the Church.
Seminar 8
What the Christian East Offers the World Today
Speaker:
Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
In an age of fragmentation and distraction, does the Byzantine tradition still have something to say? This closing seminar asks why young people are increasingly drawn to ancient forms of Christianity, and what the universal Church stands to learn from the East’s sense of beauty, mystery, and transcendence — setting up the final day’s synthesis.
Faculty Synthesis Panel
Full Faculty Roundtable
Speaker:
Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut
Drawing together the themes explored throughout the week, Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut revisits the key ideas from each lecture and leads a conversation with participants, highlighting the connections between the seminars, drawing out the program’s central themes, and concluding the Enrichment Days with an opportunity for Q&A with the full faculty.
The cathedral church of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice, located on Moyzesova Street, just beside Košice’s historic Old Town. Built between 1882 and 1898 in the Neo-Romanesque style, it became the seat of the newly established Košice Apostolic Exarchate in 1997.
The largest pilgrimage site of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice, situated on the shores of Lake Zemplínska Šírava. According to tradition, during the Kuruc Wars — a series of anti-Habsburg uprisings in the late seventeenth century — the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Klokočov began to weep in 1670 as the region suffered from war and devastation. Although the original icon never returned to Klokočov, its revered copy is enshrined in the local parish church, which welcomes tens of thousands of pilgrims each year, especially for the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
The Neo-Byzantine monastic church of the Byzantine Catholic Redemptorists, built between 1934 and 1935 and elevated to the dignity of a minor basilica in 2012. Home to the relics of Blessed Martyr Metod Dominik Trčka, C.Ss.R., the basilica stands as a powerful witness to the persecution and restoration of the Greek Catholic Church, having served as an Orthodox cathedral during the Church’s suppression under Communism (1950–1990).
Located on Komenského Street, just a short walk from Košice's historic Main Street (Hlavná ulica), the Seven Holy Fathers Collegium is the student residence and formation house of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice for university students and young professionals. Combining intellectual formation, spiritual life, and community living, it offers residents a chapel, library, and spaces for study, prayer, and fellowship. The Collegium also regularly hosts public lectures and discussions, serving as a vibrant meeting place for both its residents and the wider community.
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