# HOLY CROSS PARISH PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

- Link: https://nweparchy.ca/2025/07/holy-cross-parish-plans-for-the-future/
- Published: 2025-07-23T21:35:49-07:00
- Author: Website

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**[Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish](https://surrey.nweparchy.ca/)** in Surrey,
British Columbia (within the greater Vancouver area) met with Bishop Michael this
week to discuss their plans for a vibrant future beyond this Jubilee Year.

Holy Cross Parish has been one of the longer standing and active parishes of the**
[Eparchy of New Westminster](https://abbotsford.nweparchy.ca/)**. Ukrainian Catholics
began settling in the area of the City of Surrey after the Second World War. Records
suggest that the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Surrey back in 1955 by a
Father Markian Bilyk at a local Roman Catholic Church. (Our Roman Catholic brothers
and sisters have graciously hosted us so often in times of need from pre-eparchial
times.). Fr. Markian was born near Rohatyn, Ukraine, but came to be ordained in 
Canada and serve the Ukrainian faithful across Canada. It is likely that he travelled
from Edmonton on mission tours into British Columbia, during which he would have
met with the Ukrainian settlers in the Surrey area and offered them the greatest
gift – a Eucharistic Liturgy.  Upon completing his life of ministry, he eventually
died in Vernon, BC in 1969.

It was in the summer of 1967 that an enterprising woman, Vivian Ostrowercha called
a meeting of several families and spoke to them about a meeting that she had with
the Bishop of Edmonton, Most Rev. Neil Savaryn about starting a parish in the area.
They agreed to the Bishop’s guidance and in the autumn of that same year, a Ukrainian
Catholic parish was established in Surrey. Within a few weeks, a schedule of regular
Divine Liturgies had been arranged and the first “AGM’ was held and a Parish Council
was elected with a Mr. Nick Ostrowercha as the president.

A former Anglican church was purchased in 1970 while the energetic Fr. **Bohdan 
Hanushevsky** was serving from New Westminster. As they say, the rest is history.
The parish began to thrive with organizations, catechism, youth groups, parish bazars
and lotteries and dinners and fundraisers. The church and office building mortgage
was paid off by 1988 as the Ukrainian nation celebrate a thousand years of the Christian
Faith lifting up their people to this day.

Several priests have served the parish over the years – including Frs. Kratko, Kuzma,
Sabara, Chornenkyi, Werbowy and Sakvuk. The present parish priest is Father **Mykhailo
Postoliuk** who was appointed in January of this year.

Holy Cross Parish recently held elections for their Parish Pastoral Council. The
executive of that parish council held a meeting with Eparchial Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski
to have a frank discussion about our Parish in Surrey and the direction to take 
for a bright and thriving future.

Several meetings have been held with the Surrey community over the last two years
on various levels – either Parish Pastoral Council or the entire parish community.
The challenges that the parish now faces is partly due to losing the old church 
building and residence a couple of years back, the parish again finds itself in 
a similar situation as in their pioneer years. They have a strong and willing community,
but are again holding their services at a local Roman Catholic church and their 
parish priest is living offsite. Their hope, of course is to once again have their
own place of worship, but also a place where they can meet and where catechism classes
and other programs can be revived on a more regular basis. With the blessing of 
the former Bishop, the parish did invest in a large building where they hoped their
parish priest could live and where they would have a small place for worship and
for parish activity. This was realized for a time and in part, but not to the extent
that the parish truly needed. Thus, the meeting.

The meeting this week was one of frank talk and of sharing of hopes and anxieties
and crosschecking that with reality. After all of that, the plan was, of course,
more than ever, to move forward. The immediate goals can be summed up into two:

**1.** The Parish Priest, Fr. Mykhailo, together with Parish Council executive will
formulate their goals and plan for at least the coming year, AND **2.** they will
move expeditiously to transform the property that they now own into a source of 
support for the active parish life that they want for this coming year. **This is
exciting!** This will provide a clear pastoral plan for the immediate future as 
well as the basic support needed to realize that plan.

**COME JOIN THIS RENEWING PARISH!**

All those who live in the Surrey area are invited to join this transforming parish
community and become involved in their exciting future! You will be most welcome!

Come attend their regular Sunday services on Sunday at 2:00 PM presently held at
Precious Blood Parish Church at 17475 59 Ave in Surrey. Meet Fr. Mykhailo and the
other parishioners and learn how there is a place for you in this community!

To contact Fr. **Mykhailo Postoliuk** call him at **+1 (204) 892-2180** or email
him at **pastor@crossparish.ca**

Mailing address (parish centre): **17665 66A Ave Unit 208, Surrey, BC V3S 2A7**

The old parish website: **https://crossparish.ca/**

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