Hieromonk Very Rev. Fr. Richard Soo, SJ, will be elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite

З великою радістю запрошуємо вас долучитися до урочистого Акафісту до Пресвятої Богородиці, який відбудеться у середу, 27 травня 2026 року о 6:30 PM у Катедральному Соборі Пресвятої Євхаристії у New Westminster.

Під час молитви, за декретом Блаженнішого Святослава, ієромонах, всечесний о. Річард Су, SJ, буде піднесений до гідності Архимандрита.

Це особлива і радісна подія для всієї нашої Єпархії та Церкви.

Holy Eucharist Cathedral

501 Fourth Avenue, New Westminster

Запрошуємо всіх до спільної молитви та святкування!

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With great joy, we invite you to join the Akathist to the Mother of God on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 6:30 PM at Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster.

During the service, by decree of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Hieromonk Very Rev. Fr. Richard Soo, SJ, will be elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite.

This is a joyful and significant occasion for our Eparchy and the wider Church community.

Holy Eucharist Cathedral

501 Fourth Avenue, New Westminster

All are warmly welcome to join us in prayer and celebration.

UKRAINIAN BYZANTINE EUCHARISTIC LITURGY – HIGHLIGHT OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CONVENTION

The annual Knights of Columbus ‘State Convention’ in Richmond, British Columbia is a major event for the Knights and their spouses of all the councils throughout the territory. This year demonstrated that with hard work and goodwill, the convention continues to be an amazing, brilliantly organized and inspiring event.

The Knights’ jurisdiction on Canada’s Pacific west coast is overseen and coordinated by the Knights of Columbus British Columbia and Yukon State Council. As the name suggests, local councils and assemblies are spread across the vast Canadian Province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. A smaller, yet very important, District Deputies convention is held annually near Christmas. However, the State Convention is the event that has many appointed delegates from Councils far north into the Yukon territory and throughout BC’s Islands, costal area and to the far reaches of the interior.

The three-day event is truly jampacked with meetings, presentations, elections, deliberations, voting and ceremony. Intertwined with all of this is an appropriate liturgical and prayer schedule that one would expect with a Catholic men’s order that encompasses well over two million members throughout the world. One of the powerful features was the Blessed Sacramsnt chapel that was established on the first day and remained until the concluding Mass on the last day. Knights and Ladies volunteered to take turns keeping vigil every hour, day of night, in the presence of the Lord throughout the convention.

There are three major Eucharistic Liturgies celebrated during the Convention. On the first day, the Archbishop of Vancouver, His Grace Richard Smith presided at the Mass held in a large hall within the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel and Convention Centre. On the second day, the Knights hold a Memorial Liturgy to remember all their brother Knights who died over the course of the last year. This service was led by present State Chaplain, Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster. He was joined by priests and singers from the Eparchy, particularly from the Cathedral parish. This included the Vicar General, Very Rev. Mykhailo Ozorovych, Chancellor Rev. Dr. Yury Sakvuk and Parish Priest of the Surrey and Maple Ridge mission communities – Rev. Fr. Mykhailo Postoliuk. They were joined by former State Chaplain, and popular journalist Monsignor Vincent Hawkeswell. Everyone received a liturgy book to fully participate. A booklet with the list of names of the deceased Knights was also printed for the occasion.

The Sunday Liturgy was led by the Bishop of Kamloops, Most Rev. Joseph Nguyen, who preached a sometimes humorous, but inspiring homily that encouraged the Knights to boldly continue their mandate. Knights of Columbus State Director for Evangelization and Faith Formation, Brother Jamey Guerrero, brilliantly coordinated all the Liturgies and the special Adoration Chapel.

It is customary that the wife of the State Deputy, this year in the person of Lady Imelda Nacar, organizes a parallel program for the souses of the Knights who are also attending the State Convention. State Chaplain Bishop Michael was also asked to address the women’s gathering on the subject of prayer.

The convention also included several social and formal events like the Hawaiian-themes overing party and the formal State Dinner on the second evening. These were enjoyed by all and contributed to the collaboration of Knights and their families, as everyone was made to feel very welcome. As one of the guest dignitaries from an American state jurisdiction announced, “I and my wife have taken notes as to how to organize the amazing social gatherings!”

At the close, all the delegates expressed their gratitude to State Deputy Edgar Nacar and his executive for one of the most memorable and successful State Conventions in recent history.

ЛЕКЦІЯ ПАНІ ПРОФЕСОРКИ АЛЛИ ШВЕЦЬ ПРО ВЕЛИКИХ ЖІНОК УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ІСТОРІЇ

3 травня у м. Нью-Вестмінстер владика УГКЦ Михайло Квятковський відвідав культурно-освітній захід, організований спільнотою  Ukrainian Sich  у співпраці з партнерами з України.

Подія розпочалася зі спільної молитви, під час якої пролунало пасхальне привітання: «Христос Воскрес!», що надало зустрічі духовного змісту та відчуття єдності.

У програмі відбулася онлайн-лекція з України на тему:
«Відвага бути першими: українки в історії», яку представила пані професорка, докторка філологічних наук Алла Швець  . Також учасники мали нагоду ознайомитися з виставкою «Неймовірні», створеною у партнерстві з  Музеєм жіночої та гендерної історії   (м. Харків).

Окрему увагу привернула експозиція, присвячена видатним українкам різних епох - жінкам, які формували культурну, наукову та суспільну спадщину України. Їхні історії стали живим свідченням сили, витривалості та інтелектуального внеску української жінки у світову історію.

Під час обговорення після лекції владика Михайло наголосив на важливості врахування ролі  Лігу українських католицьких жінок Канади у подальших дослідженнях українського жіночого руху в Канаді. За його словами, їхня багаторічна діяльність, яка об'єднувала тисячі жінок, зробила вагомий внесок у духовний, культурний і національний розвиток українців у Канаді та продовжує приносити плоди.

Під час дискусії пані професорка Алла Швець також відповіла на запитання щодо співпраці Церкви з українським жіночим рухом. Вона згадала про підтримку жіночих ініціатив з боку митрополита Андрея Шептицького.

Його Преосвященство висловив вдячність за змістовну та добре підготовлену лекцію, підкресливши її пізнавальну цінність і користь для присутніх.

Щиро дякуємо організаторкам - Тетяні Знак, Вікторії Корнеюк - та всім учасникам за глибоку, змістовну і духовно насичену зустріч.

(Статтю та фото надав Володимир Михалишин)

LECTURE BY PROFESSOR ALLA SHVETS ON GREAT WOMEN IN UKRAINIAN HISTORY

On May 3, in the city of New Westminster, His Excellency Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski, Bishop of the Eparchy of New Westminster, attended a cultural and educational event organized by the  Ukrainian Sich   community in collaboration with partners from Ukraine.

The gathering began with a communal prayer, during which the Paschal greeting “Christ is Risen!” was proclaimed, imparting a sense of unity and spiritual depth to the occasion.

The program featured an online lecture from Ukraine entitled:
“The Courage to Be First: Ukrainian Women in History,” delivered by Professor Alla Shvets, Doctor of Philological Sciences. Participants also had the opportunity to view the exhibition “The Incredible,” presented in partnership with the  Museum of Women’s and Gender History.

During the discussion following the lecture, Bishop Mykhailo emphasized the importance of including the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada in further research on Ukrainian women’s movements in Canada. He noted that their long-standing work, which has engaged thousands of women over the years, has made a significant contribution to the spiritual, cultural, and national development of Ukrainians across Canada and continues to do so.

During the discussion, Professor Alla Shvets also addressed questions regarding the Church’s cooperation with the Ukrainian women’s movement. She highlighted the support given to women’s initiatives by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.

His Excellency expressed his appreciation for the well-prepared and insightful lecture, noting its educational value and the benefit it brought to all in attendance.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the organizers, Tetiana Znak and Victoria Korneiuk, as well as to all participants, for a meaningful and spiritually enriching gathering.

[Article and photos provided by Volodymyr Mykhalyshyn]