EXTRAORDINARY COUNCIL OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF CANADA
100Th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHURCH 1918-2018
August 9-12, 2018 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Day Four – Sunday, August 12, 2018. Commemoration of the Holy Apostles of the Seventy Silas and Silvanus, and with them Apostles Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus.
The fourth and final day of the Council began with a splendid Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saskatoon co-presided by all five Ukrainian Orthodox Hierarchs. Metropolitan Yurij, Archbishops Job and Daniel, and Bishops Ilarion and Andriy. Also concelebrating was Fr. Michael Solomko, President of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand. His presence, together with his Dobrodiyka and daughter, Natalia, who is a graduate of the Faculty of Theology of St. Andrew’s College was most welcome. Liturgical responses were sung by a combined choir, directed by Larry Klopoushak.
His Eminence preached on the Gospel Lesson (Matthew 18:23-35) regarding the importance of forgiveness. He pointed out that our major debts are to God and He forgives us all of them providing we, too, forgive those who sin against us. This is not a matter of settling debts but of love. God’s love has blessed us throughout this century of the Church, has made it possible for us to celebrate with joy and solemnity this most blessed anniversary, and guides and accompanies us into the new century of the Church’s life.
The Liturgy concluded with the blessing of the magnificent Icon of the Mother of God of Canada written by Vera Senchuk which will remain in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in commemoration of this blessed event of the celebration of the centenary of the Church which began in Saskatoon.
The lunch in the Parish Auditorium was followed by presentation of commemorative awards to the Hierarchs, among them our beloved Metropolitan Emeritus, John (Stinka) as well as to members of the Jubilee Committee headed by Gene Zwozdesky who announced the awards. This was followed by a presentation by the youth attending the Council
The Council concluded with an Akathist to the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Founder of the Church in Ukraine celebrated in the Cathedral by Fr. Cornell Zubritsky, leading member of the Jubilee Committee. It was celebrated before the special Icon written for the occasion by Vera Senchuk, which also has in it a portion of the Holy Relics of the Apostle, contributed via St. Andrew’s College by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Icon shall be brought throughout the year to a number of Churches in the Canadian cities with large Ukrainian Orthodox communities for veneration by the faithful.
We are most grateful to the one God in Trinity for His blessings throughout this century of prayer and service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and entreat His continual blessings upon us. We are also most grateful to the many faithful, Clergy and lay, who have laboured long and hard for the success of this lovely celebration, as well as contributing prayerfully and financially for its achievement. And we remember in prayer all who have gone on from this part of the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. Accompanied by their intercessions before the Lord, we look forward with faith, hope and love to fruitful service and growth in the next century which has begun so auspiciously for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.
Humbly submitted by
Fr. Ihor G. Kutash
