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The lecture is free and open to the public and starts at 7:15 p.m. It will be hosted in the Burke Auditorium on the first floor of the McGowan School of Business on 131 N. River St. in Wilkes-Barre. Visitors can park in lots off the circle accessed from N. Franklin St. 

Archbishop Gudziak is the highest-ranking Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the United States and serves as president of the Ukrainian Catholic University, the first Catholic university established in the former Soviet Union. A Harvard-trained historian and theologian, he travels globally to deliver lectures on theology, human dignity, and educational reform. 

He is widely recognized for his international efforts to encourage prayer, informed awareness, and active assistance for Ukraine. He has made 12 trips to Ukraine since Russia's invasion began and has met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on related peace and aid efforts.

In August 2025, President Zelenskyy awarded Archbishop Gudziak the Order of Merit, First Class, for strengthening cooperation between countries, supporting the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and serving charitable efforts around the world.

“Throughout our history, we’ve been blessed to welcome Eastern-Rite Catholics from the Ukrainian and Ruthenian communities to study and work at King’s,” said Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D., president of the College. “It is an honor to welcome Archbishop Gudziak, a prophet of peace, to deliver the St. Francis Day Lecture.”

Raised in Syracuse, N.Y., by Ukrainian refugee parents, Archbishop Gudziak earned his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University before studying in Rome and earning his doctorate from Harvard University in Slavic and Byzantine cultural history. He moved to Ukraine in 1992, founding the Institute of Church History in Lviv. He was ordained a priest in 1998 and played a pivotal role in the transformation of Lviv Theological Academy into the Ukrainian Catholic University in 2002.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Gudziak head of the eparchy serving Ukrainian Catholics in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. He is the author of more than 50 papers on the history of the Church, theological training, and other topics, and in 2018 received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Syracuse University.

In 2019, he was appointed Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia by Pope Francis. Later in 2019, he received the Notre Dame Award (2019) for his leadership and advocacy for religious and academic freedom.