E PARCHIAL NEWSПАРХІЯЛЬНІ ВІСТІ

EPARCHY OF SASKATOON Volume11Number10 Special Edition January2015

About This Special Edition

The overall purpose of our 2014 Eparchial SOBOR is the renewal of the Ukrainian Catho-lic Church in the Eparchy of Saskatoon. We have heard the call for renewal from Holy Father, Pope Francis and from our Patriarch, Sviatoslav, in his pastoral letter, “The Vibrant Parish – a Place to Encounter the Living Christ.”

Creation of the SOBOR document has been a process which considered the reflections of

the “Families Evangelizing Families” conference in May, 2014, pastoral plans developed by parishes and the eparchial survey of 2014.

The SOBOR document is competed, and now the process continues. It is time to take action on the goals that we set for ourselves, our families, our parishes and our Eparchy.

The call to action means taking initial stock of our resources. That is what this special edition intends to do. We are looking primarily at the ministries, organizations and ser-vices at the eparchial level, identifying their purposes and activities. These ministries, organizations and services make up the “time and talent” resources of the Eparchy at the administrative level. Parishes are encouraged to take stock of the time and talent that they have available as well.

The call to action means redefining and refining our goals and plans, ensuring that they are achievable, measureable and sustainable. A “SOBOR in Action” conference, organized by

Eparchial Pastoral Council, will be held March 7th and 8th, 2015. The main purpose of this conference will be to examine and prioritize specific plans and goals. Watch for more news about this event in the coming weeks.

The call to action means a greater role for the Eparchy in strengthening and unifying fami-lies and parishes. From the number and scope of recommendations that the SOBOR has brought forth, we can already recognize that additional resources will be required. To that end, plans have been put into place for the first Annual Eparchial Appeal, a fundraising program that will be launched in mid-March of 2015.

In the months and years ahead, every member of our Eparchial Church will be asked to find ways to take part in this concrete process of renewal, through prayers, and by contrib-uting time, talent and treasure – all in the spirit of gospel stewardship.

Every member of our Church is encouraged to read our SOBOR document, and to reflect on how our families and our parishes are an “Encounter with the Living Christ”. The full SOBOR document is available at the eparchial website, www.skeparchy.org.

Watch for another special edition of the Eparchial News in February, 2015. This Febru-ary edition will look at specifics of both new and existing plans and programs that can be undertaken over the coming year. This is the kind of information that will be the subject of much of the discussion at the “SOBOR in Action Conference, March 7th and 8th, 2015

Eparchial Communications ServicesAt the eparchial level there are several branches of communications services. Histori-cally, the first publication to have regular, eparchy-wide distribution was the Eparchial News. This newspaper was launched in 1990 by Bill Berezny who proposed the idea of a regular news publication to Bishop Filevich, the Eparch at that time, and to Tsentralia, the umbrella group for the major Eparchial organizations. The first edition of the Eparchial News was published Christmas of 1990. Subsequently Mr. Berezny produced three edi-tions each year, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, until 2002 when editing duties were taken over by Fr. Yurij Lazurko in Moose Jaw who continues the publication to this day. The Eparchial News covers a wide range of material; announcements and reporting on events, in-depth articles on a wide range of issues, as well as stories and features having historical significance to the Eparchy.

Following recommendations of the 2005 SOBOR, an Eparchial Communications Office was established by Bishop Bayda and the Eparchial Pastoral Council in 2010. This office has a number of general areas of responsibility: assistance to Eparchial offices in commu-nication of information through the use of technology, as well as advice and guidance on media / public relations matters; preparation and distribution of press releases and adver-tisements; and population of the Eparchial website, www.skeparchy.org. Jerry Wasylow was appointed to the Communications Office in 2010, and although he resigned in 2013, he continues manage its affairs in a volunteer capacity.

Website maintenance constitutes the majority of routine work of the Communications Of-fice. Since redesign of the website in 2011, over 1500 web pages have been posted. Each year the site receives approximately 21,000 visits from 11,000 unique visitors, the ma-jority of whom are from Saskatchewan. Approximately 65,000 pages of information are viewed annually by visitors.

The communications office also provides advice to clergy and parishes on technical mat-ters involving web sites and computer issues, and creates and/or edits of a variety of docu-mentation. The office is also involved in special projects. For example, it was responsible for the plan-ning, organization and management of the pastoral visit of our Patriarch, Sviatoslav, in the fall of 2012, involving 30 official events at 17 locations throughout the Eparchy, and over 1100 kilometres of land travel during the five full days of His Beatitude’s stay. More re-cently, the Communications Office has been active in the design and analysis of the recent eparchial survey as well as the 2014 SOBOR process.

The Church must be able to communicate with people in the language they speak and where they spend a large amount of time. More and more people are spending more and more time using social media. Therefore in the summer of 2014 the Eparchy took its initial steps into social media and now has a Facebook page. Social media is being managed by Laurie Friesen. A media content strategy has been developed and it is expected that the Eparchial presence in social media will evolve and increase in the coming months.Some of the Eparchial Ministries maintain websites, interactive social media, and produce publications on their own. The Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Centre has its site at www.ucrec.ca and also maintains a Facebook page. The site of the Family and Life Of-fice (FLO) is www.skeparchy.org/familyandlife. FLO also creates and distributes periodic electronic bulletins on relevant issues to parishes. The Youth and Young Adult Ministry has participated in several Facebook pages and blogs in previous years and it is expected that this type of media presence for the Youth Ministry will continue with the appointment of a new director.

Education – a Success Story in the Eparchy of Saskatoon

The Eparchy of Saskatoon has been, and continues to be, a major force in the education of Ukrainian Catholics in Saskatchewan. Rt. Rev. Andrew Muzyka, who has served in many parishes and Ukrainian Catholic institutions across western Canada during his 58 years of priesthood, credits the development and work of edu-cational institutions as one of the most significant successes of the Eparchy.

He recalls particularly, following the time that our Eparchy was created, during the 1950’s and beyond, the progress of St. Joseph’s College and Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton, Sheptytksy Institute in Saskatoon, as well as Saint Vladimir’s College in Roblin, Manitoba, a minor seminary attended by many young men from Sas-katchewan. St. Joseph’s College was built in 1919-20, with Bishop Nykyta Budka laying the cornerstone, on property adjacent provided by St. Mary’s Church, and was adminis-tered by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate operated Sacred Heart Institute (1917–45), and later, Sacred Heart Academy (1945–73). St. Vladimir’s College was built by the Ukrainian Redemptorist Fathers, Province of Yor-kton, in 1941-42. Sheptytksy Institute, initiated by the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada as a residence for post-secondary students, was completed in 1953. Although there was no institution equivalent to Sheptytsky Institute for females, and there were strong social forces that advocated for women to remain in the home, young Ukrainian Catholic women were making gains in education and professional careers as well.

Fr. Muzyka notes that St. Joseph’s College was possibly the first Catholic high school in Saskatchewan to receive provincial funding. Until 1963-64, only public high schools qualified for government grants. St. Joseph’s paved the way for the funding of all Catholic high schools through its cooperation with the public school system in Yorkton.

In the post-war period of the 1950’s, the advantages of high school and university educa-tion became abundantly clear to Ukrainian Catholics in Saskatchewan. St. Joseph’s Col-lege achieved very high standards, sufficient for the teaching of two years of university on its campus. The colleges in Yorkton and Roblin supplied Sheptytsky Institute with hundreds of students seeking higher education. “It was a packed house with a large waiting list”, observes Fr. Muzyka. “The Obnova club, a forum for expanded education and social interaction, was organized through the Institute, and was well known and highly regarded on the university campus.” The institute was a home, a sanctuary of language, culture and religion for young men seeking to advance their educations in the city. Over time, Shep-tytsky Institute developed valuable social and professional networks, extending into the larger community, spanning generations and continuing to this day.

Although Sheptytsky Institute has continued to operate to this day, it is now a coed in-stitution. Changing times have resulted in the closure of St. Joseph’s, St. Vladimir and the Academy. Fr. Muzyka believes the style of education and focus on faith that these schools offered still make very good sense. “Youth need a sense of obligation and that will come with faith. An acceptance of religion means taking on responsibility and obligation. Learning about God and knowing God means accepting what He’s teaching and knowing our religion is real. “

While some institutions disappear, new ones arise. We are now blessed to have the Ukrai-nian Elementary Program at Miller High School in Regina, and Bishop Filevich Ukrai-nian Bilingual School in Saskatoon, both closely associated with the Ukrainian Catholic

SOBOR in Action - Taking Stock of Resourses

Eparchial News Special Edition January 2015 page 2

EPARCHIAL NEWSEditor: Father Yurij Lazurko

Printed by:

Saskatoon SKfor free distribution

Church. And while our first schools were built and funded by religious orders, parishes, donations and student tuition, the current schools are publicly funded and would likely not exist without the Eparchy as their advocate.

TOP Left: Sheptytskt Institute (Stoon)RIGHT: St Joseph’s College¥orktonBOTTOM LEFT: St. Vladimir College Roblin

The Family and Life Ministry- By Deborah Larmour

The Family and Life Office began in 2009 with funding from a start-up grant generously donated by the St. Volodymyr Villa Corp. The objective of the office was to fulfill the recommenda-tions of the 2005 Sobor Document to provide services and resources for the promotion of the family life in the Eparchy. An advisory committee was struck to implement this plan.

The Mission Statement of the Family and Life Office is: The Family Life Office of the Eparchy of Saskatoon exists to defend the sacredness of life from conception to natural death. It promotes the sanctity of marriage and the family as a domestic Church and a school of holiness. This is founded on a sacramental life grounded in the teachings and spirituality of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Kathy Lozinsky was hired as the first Director of the office in June of 2009. For the next three years Kathy was devoted to establishing the office in the Eparchy, developing con-tacts within the Eparchy as well as with pro-family and life organizations throughout the province. Creating a website and a resource library as well as assisting the Saskatoon Deanery with Marriage Preparation courses were also priorities. However, given that family is major priority with Kathy, upon being blessed with a new baby in 2011 Kathy turned the reins over to Deborah Larmour who began as Acting Director in September, 2012, and officially took over the office in December. Kathy continues to give her leader-ship to a Prayer Ministry group offering ongoing prayer support for the Eparchial clergy, individuals, families and ministries. Persons requesting prayer can contact the Kathy for more information.

Deborah, a mother of six and a former lawyer who practiced primarily in the area of Fam-ily Law, began studying Philosophy/ Theology in 2006 and currently is pursuing part-time studies focusing on Eastern Christian Theology and Theology of the Body. She also has over 30 years of experience in Parish and Church ministry including, children’s programs, youth ministry, music ministry, spiritual direction adult faith programs and marriage min-istry.

Since beginning work for the Eparchy, Deborah has worked to establish liaisons in the parishes, and speaks at numerous events at schools, retreats and conferences, parish visits and meetings on a variety of family issues; the sacredness of human life, marriage issues, building the Domestic Church, and the Theology of the Body. She has addressed High school students, Youth and Young Adults, Parents and Men’s/Women’s groups.

Deborah is also active in the community supporting several pro-life ministries, women’s ministries and, representing the Eparchy of Saskatoon, has taken on leadership roles in Catholic organizations proving services to families; Catholic Family Services, Time Out for Moms, SERENA Canada, Fountain of Hope Ministries, and the Pregnancy Options Center.

Continuing the work begun by Kathy Lozinsky, Deborah redesigned and updated the Fam-ily and Life website, which now includes Deborah’s blog on Faith and Family topics—en-titled ‘Reflections’ as well as sections on Marriage, Theology of the Body, and building the Domestic Church.

The Family and Life Office does extensive promotion of Pro Life events and initiatives, particularly the annual Eparchial Pro-Life Millennium Cross event, organizing workshops for Natural Family planning, Culture of Life, and organizing letter writing campaigns to governments and law-makers.

The Family and Life Ministry works in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Diocese in

sponsoring Family and Life Video contests and encour-agement of Family and Life initiatives in parishes.

In the past four years the Family and Life Office has helped over 50 couples from Saskatoon, and sur-rounding areas, to prepare for Sacrament of Marriage. This program is grounded in the central aspects of our

faith regarding Marriage—to help couples prepare to make this beautiful lifelong commit-ment to love.

The Family and Life Ministry has been instrumental in organizing the SOBOR 2014 event: Families Evangelizing Families, and preparing SOBOR documentation.

Most recently, the Ministry has begun Theology of the Body education and programs on Strong Catholic Families–Strong Catholic Youth. In addition, the Family and Life Office creates and distributes Family Life bulletin inserts for inclusion in parish bulletins.

The Office also has an extensive Resource Library on Family, Faith and Life topics that can be viewed online and hopefully will be more accessible to the entire Eparchy now that the Ministry is located at the Chancery Office and Eparchial Center, 214 Ave. M South, Saskatoon, with ample parking. (Call 306.717.2756 for appointment).

Ukrainian Catholic Youth and Young Adult Ministry- By Laurie Friesen

The Eparchial Youth Ministry in the Eparchy of Saskatoon began in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Almost every parish had a Ukrainian Catholic Youth (UCY) organization. There was structure, an eparchial organization and national organization as well. Both the local and Eparchial Ukrainian Catholic Youth of Canada (UCYC) were active into the 1980’s and early 1990’s. The Eparchial UCYC Executives during this time attended the Eparchial and National Conventions held with the UCWLC and the UCBC. The major youth event in the early days was the Winterfest banquet and fundraiser. The main focus of the UCYC dur-ing these years was supporting the local groups who would take turns hosting the annual UCYC Winterfest or UCYC Spiritual Weekend.

The Eparchial UCYC continued under various executives and the spiritual direction of Rev. Vince Federowich, C.Ss.R. (formerly) and Rev. Len Ratushniak, C.Ss.R. until the mid-1990’s. After a 5 year absence, a skeleton executive was formed in the autumn of 2002 at the Eparchial Convention in Saskatoon at which time Rev. Janko Kolosnjaji was appointed as the Eparchial Youth Chaplain. This executive was tasked with laying a foun-dation for the renewal of the UCYC in Saskatchewan. In the autumn of 2005, at the Epar-chial Convention in Yorkton, a full executive was elected with representation from across the province.

UCYC was originally comprised mostly of young adults. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, it became more common for young adults from rural areas to leave home after high school graduation to attend school or find work in the urban centres. The local UCYC mem-bership shifted to primarily high school students while Ukrainian Catholic Young Adults (UCYA) and post-secondary students’ groups emerged in Saskatoon and Regina in the late 80’s and early 90’s. These groups held many spiritual, social and service activities and existed until the early 90’s. After a decade of absence of a structured young adult group, a small group of students at the University of Saskatchewan in 2004 began to resurrect Obnova, a prominent group that previously existed through Sheptytsky institute for many years, based on their ministry experiences with the Ukrainian Catholic Youth and Campus Ministry Office. By September, 2006, a core team of 10 young adults planned a full year of activities for Ukrainian Catholic young adults in Saskatoon.

In the mid-1990’s, the Eparchy realized that the UCYC was losing its momentum when no one was willing to step forward to serve on the UCYC Eparchial Executive. As the demographics of the province were continuing to change, more and more families in rural areas were moving to urban centres. As well, in the 1990s, as the lives of youth and young adults began to become appreciably more scheduled and very busy with extra activities, youth ministries across Canada moved to a “comprehensive mode”, tailored to a variety of settings; the parish, the school, the home and the larger community. Programs involving “gathered and non-gathered activities” – in terms of components like liturgy, catechesis, and community building - were developed with a view to a more comprehensive ministry covering many areas of life in the Church. Eparchies began hiring directors of youth min-istry. The response of the Eparchy of Saskatoon to this new direction was to create a Youth Ministry Office and hire an Eparchial Youth Coordinator. This half-time position was held by Deb McPherson (1994 -1996), Johanna Kowal (1996-97), and Jana Thomas (1997-98). During this time a Youth Commission was established. This group was comprised of clergy, religious, and lay people from the Eparchy who identified the needs of young people in their areas and gave direction and support to the Eparchial Youth Coordinator.

The Youth Coordinator position was not filled after Jana’s resignation in 1998. The respon-sibility for UCYC and youth ministry was left with each parish and the Youth Commission was dissolved. Where there were clergy, religious or adult leaders who were committed to organizing and supporting young people, the youth ministry and UCYC survived and even thrived. Other places continued to struggle with dwindling numbers of youth in their churches and communities and a lack of adult leadership and support in this area.

In the fall of 1999, Sr. Gloria Mokry, SSMI (formerly), began some campus ministry initiatives at the University of Saskatchewan through Sheptytsky Institute. This position involved working as part of the University’s multi-faith chaplaincy team as well as inde-pendently with Ukrainian Catholic students. Sr. Bonita Komarnicki, SSMI, continued these initiatives in 2000. In August of 2001, Laurie Friesen was hired on a part time basis as the coordinator of the Ukrainian Catholic Campus Ministry Office. As the initiatives of the Campus Ministry Office expanded and the Eparchy requested more youth oriented programming, it became the Ukrainian Catholic Youth and Campus Ministry Office and the coordinator’s position eventually expanded to 32 hours per week in August, 2004. Laurie remained Director of our Youth and Young Adult Ministry until 2014. Subse-quently, Sophia Nahachewsky was appointed for the summer of 2014 and the Eparchy is now looking forward to hiring a new director early in 2015.

In August 2005, Rev. André Lalach was appointed to campus ministry as priest-chaplain and continues this role for our Eparchy through St. Thomas More College on the Univer-sity of Saskatchewan campus.

Eparchial News Special Edition January 2015 page 3

to be continued

Embracing the Process of Renewal- By Fr. Ivan Nahachewsky, Eparchy of Saskatoon Coordinator for Vision 2020

Let’s consider a very simple example of a problem solved by a logical process and a planned course of action. The problem is that my bicycle is broken.

- Step 1: I identify my needs – It turns out that I have no brakes.

- Step 2: I generalize my goals – I want to ride and be safe and have fun on my bike.

- Step 3: I itemize specific tasks needed for a solution – I need to buy brakes and install them or arrange for someone to install them.

- Step 4: I gather, and make sure I have resources to fix the bike - money and expertise for the parts and labour.

- Step 5: Based on what I have reasoned so far, I arrange for the actual fixing of the bike -The bike gets fixed.

- Step 6: I need to be assured that my bike is really fixed, so I take a test ride to de-termine whether the problem is solved.- If it turns out that the problem is solved, so then:

- Step 7: My goals are satisfied. I go riding as I had hoped. I have fun. - I have succeeded and I am happy.

Do you see how step 7 was a direct result of all the preceding steps? Now, apply these same steps to the RENEWAL that is currently happening in the Eparchy of Saskatoon. We have need for renewal in our families, in our Eparchy and in our global Church.

- Step 1: Our parish families have needs. SOBOR I in May, 2014 was very explicit in identifying these needs. Families face challenges like everyone else in our secular society and they would look to the church if they thought it would help. On some levels our church is effective in creating an atmosphere where we can

encounter the healing power of Jesus Christ, but on other levels we are barely recognizing the issues, let alone providing help or hope for those who struggle.

- Step 2: SOBOR II was held in October, 2014 and it created an Eparchial Docu-ment which gives us general goals. It gives us future direction. It synthesizes SOBOR 1 (needs of families) with insights gained through the Parish Pastoral Plans (needs of parishes) in light of the Eparchial Survey.

- Step 3: SOBOR in Action, March 7 and 8, 2015 is our next step. We will take stock of our abilities and limitations. We are going to set specific goals - achiev-able, measurable and sustainable goals. We will prioritize these goals and put a price tag to them. By doing this we can get to work and know if the work we are doing is taking us in the right direction.

- Step 4: The first annual Eparchial Appeal is going to happen immediately after that. We are going to be trained by a professional fundraising company. They will come to each deanery to instruct volunteers on how to make the campaign work. Then, with this collected money, we are going to address the issues of step 1.

- Step 5: We implement the plans that we have decided upon.- Step 6: We monitor the progress of our plans and measure whether they are suc-

cessful.- Step 7: We celebrate the fact that we have succeeded or we make adjustments,

and then move on to begin the next cycle of our progress.

If a member of the Church doesn’t see this big picture then he or she will never volunteer for, nor donate to, the fund raising campaign. She or he will not understand that the con-tinued life of the Ukrainian Catholic Church is measured by our hope for the future, and more importantly, by what we actually contribute to our Church in the form of time, talent and treasure.

We must connect step 7 with step 1. I pray that every volunteer hour will be a sacrifice for the betterment of our parish families. I pray that every dollar given be an offering to the needs of uncatechised families, divorced couples, sick children, lonely seniors, discerning young adults, searching youth, depressed clergy, addicted workers, ….

I am your Eparchial Coordinator for Vision 2020–The Vibrant Parish - which is a global strategy of RENEWAL in our Church. A few months ago I came to a realization. I have lived in the Spirit of Vision 2020 for my entire lifetime. As evidence of this I give you a reflection of the following incomplete list of renewal that I have experienced or witnessed:

- my ordination to the priesthood as a married man- the iconostas in the Cathedral - Patriarch Sviatoslav’s Pastoral Visit to our Eparchy in Saskatchewan- the work on facilities and program that was and is being done at our Eparchial

Church Camps- the Lay Formation Program- vocations to the priesthood- parish websites- adult converts- creation of Eparchial Ministries like the Family Life Office- our Eparchial Facebook page….

Will this RENEWAL be over in 2020? Not a chance. Not for me. Not for ever. The process and the progress will continue beyond me or any Bishop or any goal or any date.

Stewardship MinistryStewardship Ministry in the Eparchy of Saskatoon involves the combined efforts of a number of organizations and councils.

Archangel Gabriel Eparchial MinistriesArchangel Gabriel Eparchial Ministries Inc. (AGEMI) was created in 2010 as a result of the need for an organization to better manage the material assets of the Eparchy. AGEMI consists of a Board of Directors which is appointed by the Bishop of Saskatoon. There are many talented people in the Ukrainian Catholic Community with skills in managing busi-nesses and properties. The involvement of the laity in the business operations of the Epar-chy was seen to be both desirable and beneficial by the Bishop and administrative clergy.

The first task of AGEMI was to assume management of Sheptytsky Institute, a residence for post-secondary students in Saskatoon, adjacent to the University of Saskatchewan campus. The Board now also oversees a parcel of land owned by the Eparchy in the Wil-low Grove neighbourhood of Saskatoon. In addition, any paid employees of the Eparchy are now hired under the supervision of AGEMI.

Eparchial Pastoral CouncilThe Eparchial Pastoral Council (EPC) is composed of representatives from each of the four Deaneries of the Eparchy, Yorkton, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon. The major lay organizations of the Eparchy also have representation on the EPC. Members of the Council are appointed by the Bishop upon the recommendations of the four Deans or organizations. St. Joseph’s Home and St. Volodymyr Villa, as major institutions in the Eparchy, also have representation on the EPC.

The existence of an Eparchial Pastoral Council is actually mandated by Canon Law. Council members act as liaisons between the parishes the clergy who form the Eparchial administration consisting of the Deans, the Bishop and a group of advisory clergy known as the Consultors. Council members communicate both from the parishes to the adminis-tration and from the administration to the parishes. Essentially, they take on roles as lay assistants to the Deans.

While AGEMI oversees areas of business operation, the EPC is concerned with pastoral aspects of stewardship; helping to ensure adequate communication between Eparchial administration and the laity; helping to communicate a proper understanding of the pur-poses behind eparchial plans or programs. In practice, the EPC organizes meetings and

In 1986, Marusia Kobrynsky and Rev. Ivan & Dobr. Debbie Nahachewsky began what eventually became one of the most successful and fruitful initiatives in youth ministry in the Eparchy – the Ukrainian Youth for Christ event. It began as a rally with over 200 par-ticipants held in Saskatoon. With the changing demographics and needs of young people, it developed into a more intimate retreat for 30 – 40 participants at St. Peter’s in Muenster. Youth for Christ came under various leadership teams. Greg Thomas, 1998-1999, and Daria Malin, 2000–2003, ensured that Youth for Christ would continue during the time when there was much transition in youth ministry in the Eparchy.

To mark the celebration of the Millennium of Ukrainian Christianity in 1988, the youth and young adults were very involved in helping with the Eparchial celebrations. They, with the support of Rev. Len Ratushniak, C.Ss.R., organized a pilgrimage to Rome to mark the occasion.

World Youth Day (WYD), an international gathering for Catholic young adults, was launched in Rome, in 1986, by Pope John Paul II. World Youth Day is a pilgrimage for young adults, 18 -35, with spiritual preparation before, travel to the pilgrimage site, usu-ally to another country. Although the actual WYD event takes place over the course of a few days, international WYD journeys are usually about a month long, with a view to fuller involvement and immersion in faith in another part of the world. It is a break from routine life, providing a deep spiritual experience and renewal for future leaders of the Church. Three young people from the Saskatoon Eparchy attended the first WYD. A larger group of 10 pilgrims went to Denver for WYD in 1993. For WYD 2002, the young adults of the world were invited to Toronto and our Eparchy responded with 133 pilgrims. This was the first WYD to incorporate catechesis and liturgy for the Eastern Catholic Churches. Rev. André Lalach was appointed as the portfolio for Eastern Churches for this event. It was an honour for a small group of young adults from Saskatoon to be asked to animate the catechesis sessions for English speaking Ukrainian Catholics (about 800 of them). In 2005, a group of 9 from our Eparchy journeyed with 34 other Ukrainian Catholic pilgrims from the Prairies to the WYD event in Germany. Subsequent WYD events have been hosted in Australia, Spain and Brazil. Groups of 60-70 Canadian participants are usual for international events with 10-12 travelling from Eparchy of Saskatoon, a significant number considering we are the second smallest Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in Canada.

“Unity”, another important event, is a Canadian gathering of Ukrainian Catholic young adults to understand, embrace and celebrate their faith and to develop into a leadership team and developing Christian leadership skills, grooming future leaders of the Church. Eparchies take turns hosting, usually the year after a World Youth Day. For a year or two before Unity, the youth and young adult team learns to be ministers themselves; how to organize and run ministry.Unity began in Winnipeg in 1996 to commemorate the Union of Brest. Metropolitan Michael Bzdel, C.Ss.R. asked the young adults of the Saskatoon Eparchy to host Unity in 2006. They agreed and hosted a very successful event attended by 106 people from across Canada. Other Unity events have been hosted in Canmore Alberta, Muenster Saskatch-ewan, Ancaster Ontario, Winnipeg and Camrose Alberta.

Over more recent years, numerous smaller programs were launched within the Eparchy including eparchial UCY retreats and other gatherings; “Spring thing”, Youth for Christ, and the winter retreat, tailored more for youth of high school age.

Over the past 60 years, the Eparchy has seen many changes, but one thing remains con-stant – young people do have a desire to encounter God. The Eparchy of Saskatoon has tried to respond by providing ministry to, with, for and by young people.That ministry has taken various forms. Some have been successful; some have not. Change is inescap-able and even necessary, but through it all, young people continue to be the future of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. They must be building upon a well-laid foundation of love and service and sacrifice while seeking to live their Ukrainian Catholic faith in a way that is vibrant, relevant and inspiring in today’s society.

Eparchial News Special Edition January 2015 page 4

conferences. For example, the 2013 meetings which dealt with the need and plans for global liability insurance coverage for all parishes, and the 2104 conference on “Families Evangelizing Families” were organized by EPC. Eparchial Pastoral Council is not limited to certain areas of concern, but may consider a wide range of matters such as ongoing spiritual programming or educational topics, for example.

Bishop Budka Eparchial Stewardship Society Inc. The Bishop Budka Eparchial Stewardship Society Inc. (BBESSI) is the stewardship devel-opment arm of the Eparchy and is responsible for fundraising. Formerly the Metropolitan Sheptytsky Society of Saskatchewan, BBESSI resulted from a 2013 change in the mandate of the organization as well as its name. All adult members of the Eparchy are also mem-bers of BBESSI whose Board is elected by the membership. It is anticipated that the first Manager/Director of BBESSI will be hired in 2015.

While BBESSI’s mandate is to raise money, it does not have authority to spend money on projects of its own choosing. It must present its funds to the Financial Council of the Eparchy.

Eparchial Financial CouncilFinancial Council is the final guide and authority over financial affairs and assets of the Eparchy, and has the most powerful voice in the development of the Eparchy. Members of this Council are appointed by the Bishop from recommendations made by the Chief Financial Officer. Adrian Olenick, who accepts no compensation for his work, has been Chief Financial Officer of the Eparchy for many years. Under his guidance, the Eparchy of Saskatoon has remained in the black.

Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Centre- by Sr. Bonnie Komarnicki, ssmi

The Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Center was initiated by His Excellency, Bishop Andrew Roborecki in the mid-1970’s to provide home catechism programs for children as well as adult religious education in the rural areas of the Saskatoon Eparchy. This was in response to Vatican II’s proclamation “to make one’s faith become living, conscious and active through the light of instruction” (GCD, 1971). In September 1977, Pope Paul VI called upon bishops of the world to set up a Religious Education Centre in their diocese/eparchy.

The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate have been in charge of the Religious Education Centre since its’ inception in 1980. It began in the Sisters’ home on 417 Clarence Avenue South and was moved to Sheptytsky Institute in 1986 by then Bishop Basil Filevich. Pres-ently, Sr. Marijka Konderewicz, ssmi and Sr. Bonita Komarnicki, ssmi are assigned to work at the UCREC for the Eparchy of Saskatoon. They are co-directors of UCREC. Sr. Marijka is originally from Perth, Australia and came to Canada as part of her formation as a Sisters Servant of Mary Immaculate. She studied at Andrij Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa earning a Certificate in Eastern Christian Studies and Regis College in Toronto earning a Masters in Ministry and Spirituality. She is also a trained Spiritual Director and is on the Team at Queen’s House of Retreats in Saskatoon. Sr. Marijka provides Spiritual Direction from our Office. She has many clients and they come once a month to receive Direction. Sr. Bonnie is from Saskatoon and studied at the University of Saskatchewan re-ceiving a BA, BEd. She taught in Yorkton and worked at the UCREC in New Westminster, B.C. Our SSMI Community is called to serve the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada and it is a life time commitment.

Our Office has evolved in the past 35 years of its existence and run many programs. We began as a Centre that primarily offered Correspondence Catechism and assistance to Cat-echists in the rural areas setting up Catechism classes. Our office, under the guidance of Sr. Virginia E. Pryslak, ssmi, provided resources to Parishes throughout the province for Children’s and Adult’s programs. Both Catholics and Orthodox visited our Resource Cen-tre to delve into the riches of the Eastern Theology resources our Centre acquired. The UCREC became involved with the organization and promotion of Eparchial Study Days, which was an exciting educational opportunity in our Eparchy for many years. Sr. Pat Lacey worked with the Windows to the East program. Sr. Pat Lacey, ssmi also spear-headed the Needs Assessment in the Eparchy in 1997. Out of the this process, came a desire for greater Adult Education.

The Eparchial Lay Formation Program in conjunction with the Lay Formation Program with the Diocese of Saskatoon was born in 1999. The goal of the Lay Formation program has always been to form adult lay men and women in the Catholic Faith founded on the Traditions of the Eastern Catholic Church. It is a two year program and the participants make a commitment to attend 10 weekends a year, once a month. In the 16 years that we have been running this program we have had participants from Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Yorkton, Vesna, Kamsack, and even from Manitoba. At this time we have 13 participants in the Lay Formation program in their second year: 5 from Regina, 6 from Saskatoon, 1 from Yorkton and 1 from Vesna. Lay Formation is about studying Theology, Christology, Scripture, Liturgy and Prayer, while forming community. It is unique in that it is a shared stream program. We have classes with Diocesan and Aboriginal and Eparchial streams.The Eparchial Stream has guest speakers from all across Canada including: Bishop Bryan Bayda, C.Ss.R, Bishop David Motiuk, Fr. Stephen Wojchichowsky, Fr. John Sianchuk, C.Ss,R and Jaroslav Skira. We are also blessed to have Lay Volunteers to assist us in the programming. Our Cantor on the weekends is Henry Spilchuk who comes in to lead Matins and Complines every week-end. He also teaches the tones and teaches an Introduction to Matins. He is an invaluable resource to our program. Henry is also an Alumni of the Program. We are also grateful for Brian Thomson who has taken over the Icon Writing portion of the program. He has graciously taken on this project after completing the Lay Formation Program and this has been a great help. Other Alumni like Adrian Olenick, Bob Friesen and Gloria Milos help us on the weekends and we are grateful for their assistance.

We have 71 Alumni from the Program and they are actively involved in the Eparchy as Catechists, Communion Ministers, Parish Council Representatives, Knights of Columbus, UCWLC, Cantors and members of Boards of Directors for Eparchial Organizations. Our office has offered two ongoing Faith development meetings for this group of Adults and we continue to work with a team to provide Education Enrichment for the Alumni. Our hope is that they will be able to provide Educational Leadership in the Eparchy as they receive more training. Our office continues to work towards providing more resources for that training.

Generations of Faith has been a project that has been successful in parts of the Eparchy. We have worked with some parishes to rework the program to suit the parish’s need. People enjoy the multi-generational learning and the interactive nature of the sessions. If you have been lucky enough to attend one in your parish you know the benefit it is for whole parish Catechesis.

Sr. Marijka and Sr. Bonnie assisted in coordinating meetings with Catechists to meet with Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk when he came to the Eparchy in 2012. He had special meetings with Youth and Catechists in Regina, Yorkton and Saskatoon. He spoke of the importance of prayer and knowledge of our Church. He inspired us to keep spreading the Word of God and to be prayerful in our thoughts and deeds. It was a great tour and we were privileged to be a part of it.

A recent initiative has been an outreach to Catechists via an e-Newsletter called the Cat-echist Connection. We send it out once a month to about 45 Catechists throughout the Eparchy. In it we highlight a Feast day or a Saint of the month and try to help Catechists incorporate the Day or Saint in their teaching. We may also provide some teaching tidbits and some other useful information for the month such as possible resources available for the upcoming Church Year events. It has been well received and we are happy to be in our second year of production.We also provide Catechist Workshop/Retreats throughout the Eparchy usually by deaner-ies. These one day sessions provide us an opportunity to meet with Catechists one on one and to prepare and provide training and spiritual support for catechism coordinators and catechists. The UCREC also provides Resource books and Catechism books for the Catechists in the Eparchy. Our Catechists order books from our office in June and we send them out in September. The Catechism books used in our Eparchy include: Children of the Light, God is With Us and Give Thanks to the Lord.

We try to provide other resources including books, DVDs and puzzles to both children and adults. The Office also has Bible Studies and Eastern Christian resources that are avail-able for borrowing. We have an extensive section on Icons and Iconography which is very interesting.

Sr. Marijka and Sr. Bonnie are co-directors of the National Catechetical Commission which is an organization of UCREC Directors from across Canada that meets annually to discuss Catechetical issues in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. At present we are preparing for the release of the Catechism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in English. In preparation, we are interviewing key people involved with the Catechism or the translation of the Catechism and planning to put the interviews up on YouTube.

The UCREC has been invited to give retreats to various groups. Sr. Marijka and Sr. Bonnie have given a Vocations retreat, a UCWLC retreat and a Confraternity retreat. We’ve also had the pleasure of giving a Lenten Parish Mission. Sr. Marijka is the Spiritual Advisor for the Ss. Peter and Paul UCWLC in Saskatoon.

UCREC has a website that is updated by one of our Lay Formation Alumni for which we are very grateful. We continue to work at keeping it current by adding information and news items.

Our Mission goes beyond the Office and we do Pastoral Visits to Hospitals and Homes to visit the sick and infirm. We always try to bring the Word of God and a word of Hope with each visit. The UCREC is called to offer Religious Education to the Eparchy of Saska-toon. We do that through the programs highlighted in this article, but we do more than that each day. It is the little things, like a telephone call, an email, a visit that helps to spread the Word of God. We reach out day by day and hopefully you have been touched in some small way by the UCREC. You can reach us at: (306) 652-1718 or rel.ed@sasktel.net or www.ucrec.ca

Generations of Faith program at Foam Lake 2014 participants in Lay Formation

Sr. Bonnie ssmi teaching

Catechists at St. George Cathedral