# VATICAN OFFICIAL VISITS EPARCHIAL CENTRE

- Link: https://nweparchy.ca/2026/05/vatican-official-visits-eparchial-centre/
- Published: 2026-05-19T19:25:49-07:00
- Author: Website

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Dominican Priest, **Father Jaroslaw Krawiec, O.P.** who was appointed by the Vatican
[**Dicastery for Eastern Churches**](https://www.vatican.va/content/romancuria/en/dicasteri/dicastero-chiese-orientali.html)
as the Visitator to the Ukrainian order of the Basilian Fathers. This means that
he is entrusted with the duty of visiting all the homes and institutions of the 
[**Order of Saint Basil the Great**](https://osbm.info/en/) of St. Josaphat throughout
the world.

There is no urgent concern with the Basilian Order. It is just a regular visitation
that is scheduled to take place every number of years. This visitation is conducted
by one appointed by the patriarch or by the local bishop if the order is on the 
patriarchal level or on the eparchial level respectively. If an order is what is
known as “**pontifical right**” i.e. under direct authority of the Pope, then it
is up to the Pope through his Vatican staff to appoint a visitator. The Basilian
Fathers are of an order on that level, so the Vatican, via its Eastern Churches 
department, appointed Fr. Krawec who is of a major Roman Catholic Order – the [**Dominicans** a.k.a. the **Order of Preachers**](https://www.op.org/)–
he is, however, presently serving in Ukraine and has extensive knowledge of the 
Basilian Order.

FYI - Canon 413 of the Code of Canon of the Eastern Churches, states that Religious
institutes [including Orders, Congregations, etc.] that are of “**pontifical right”**-
are subject directly and exclusively to the **Apostolic See** [i.e. the Vatican].
However, if they are of “**patriarcha**l” or “**eparchial**” right, they are directly
subject to the patriarch or eparchial bishop [].

The Eparchy of New Westminster has enjoyed a lot of activity of the Basilian Order
for well over a century. It was the saintly great Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky
of Lviv (a Basilian, by the way) who first tried to organize Ukrainians in Vancouver
in 1910 and sow the seeds for the establishment of a parish community. Although 
his efforts were misread at the time, shortly after, there was activity. From 1911,
Basilian missionaries served all over what is today the territory of the Eparchy
and they established one of the oldest and largest parishes in 1927 – St. Mary’s
in Vancouver. The first two bishops appointed after the Eparchy was formally established
in 1974 were of the Basilian Order. They were Bishop **Jerome** Chimiy, OSBM (1974-
1992) and Bishop **Severian** Yakymyshyn, OSBM (1995-2007). Today, [**St. Mary’s Parish**](https://bvm.nweparchy.ca/)
continues to thrive although with two Basilian Priests providing pastoral ministry-
Fr. **Joseph Pidskalny**, OSBM and Fr. **Dionysiy Zavedyuk**, OSBM.

It is customary for Visitators to pay a visit to the local Bishop when visiting 
monasteries in his area. Father Jaroslaw Krawiec visited with Bishop **Michael Kwiatkowski**
during his stay in Vancouver.