# CANADA’S WESTERN BISHOPS MEET IN VICTORIA

- Link: https://nweparchy.ca/2025/02/canadas-western-bishops-meet-in-victoria/
- Published: 2025-02-27T13:49:00-08:00
- Author: Website

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Canada has a national body of Catholic Bishops known as the CCCB - Canadian Conference
of Catholic Bishops. However, the country was also divided into four regions so 
that the Church could better deal with local pastoral issues and needs in a certain
area of our vast country.  The AWCB - the [**Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops**](https://www.cccb.ca/the-catholic-church-in-canada/regional-episcopal-assemblies/dioceses-and-eparchies-filtered-by-regional-episcopal-assembly/?search=&region=west&type=)
was established in 1974 to serve as a gathering for all Catholic bishops – eastern
and western – from across Canada’s western provinces and the Yukon and Northwest
Territories. By actual territory designation, it includes 22 eparchies and dioceses.
Although there are other Eastern Catholic Bishops who have parishes in Western Canada(
e.g. Chaldean, Melkite, Syro-Malabar, etc.), for the most part, it has been the 
Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy that participates regularly in the gatherings and activity
of the AWCB. Ukrainian Catholic Bishop David Motiuk of Edmonton, has even served
as the President of the Assembly.  The present Ukrainian Catholic Bishops serving
as active members of the AWCB are Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak (Winnipeg), Bishop
David Motiuk (Edmonton), Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski (New Westminster), Bishop Michael
Smolinski (Saskatoon) and Bishop Andriy Rabiy (Winnipeg).

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The AWCB’s 2025 annual gathering took place in the Saanich municipality of the Greater
Victoria area on Vancouver Island from 25-27 February. A unique aspect of this year’s
gathering was that, although the bishops spent the nights nearby, all the prayer
services and the sessions and most of the meals occurred at [**Our Lady of Fatima Parish**](https://www.ourladyoffatimavictoria.com/).
In fact, the parishioners were invited to attend the daily Eucharistic Liturgies,
which added a great spirit to the services. The Ukrainian Catholic bishops were 
asked to lead some of the services. Bishop Andriy Rabiy from Winnipeg lead the First
Hour on the second day, Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski lead the Divine Liturgy on the
third day. Of course, the other bishops concelebrated.

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The Ukrainian Catholic Byzantine Divine Liturgy was truly a highlight of the gathering.
Besides the four Ukrainian Bishops, two of our Island priests helped arrange everything
and even brought some of their faithful to join and help with the responses. Father**
Yuriy Vyshnevskyy** (St. Nicholas, Victoria) and Father **Stepan Vytvytskyi** (St.
Michael, Nanaimo) and their parishioners really brought the Liturgy alive for a 
church full of people - many who did not have that much experience with the Byzantine
Liturgy. The choir from Victoria really raised the souls of all present. During 
the homily, Bishop Michael touched upon the Jubilee Year, the work of the bishops
during the assembly and a request for prayer for the bishops, for **an end to the
war in Ukraine** and for **our own personal conversion and renewal**.

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![](https://abbotsford.nweparchy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/awcb-2025-bishop-
michael.jpg)

The AWCB three-day conference dealt with a variety of topics that included everything
from catechism, clergy formation, insurance, Evangelization, MAiD, and reconciliation
and collaboration with our indigenous peoples to Catholic education, vocations, 
religious movements, ecumenical outreach and social communications and media (as
well as several other topics).

Please pray for your Bishops. As Bishop Michael said in his homily, “if you could
be present for the sessions of the assembly of bishops, I know you would be inspired
by the way the bishops truly love the Lord, love the Church and are focused on the
spiritual and pastoral wellbeing of the God’s People and seek the best ways to serve
their people in spite of challenges and even very complicated situations!”