The Parish of Holy Eucharist Cathedral is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2027, so it kicked off the festivities and fundraising this year with a gala evening hosted by Cathedral Rector Very Rev. Fr. Mykhailo Ozorovych and many parish volunteers.
The evening began in the church with Vespers with Lytia that celebrated the Parish Praznyk of the Feast of the Holy Eucharist as well as the Feast of All Saints of Ukraine. The first feast was carried to the Sunday from Thursday June 4th and the second feast of all saints of the Ukrainian Nation was establish by the Synod of Bishops in 1991 to take place on the Sunday after All Saints.
Vespers was led by Fr. Mykhailo Ozorovych while singers and a considerably larger than usual congregation sang the response. Bishop Michael presided at the Lytia when the loaves of bread, wine, oil and wheat are blessed and later distributed with an anointing.
The dinner in the hall in the lower level beneath the Cathedral was truly a gala event. The kitchen team of the cathedral under the leadership of head chef Tetyana Korobanova prepared and served a truly exquisite meal of amazing hors d’oeuvres a hot meal and a plethora of desserts for every taste. Seminarian Juan Salas served as the maître d' of the evening directing a team of young men in serving the tables and providing refreshments throughout the event. The entire event was meticulously coordinated by the Cathedral’s Director of Development, Iryna Dzobko.
Fr. Mykhailo Ozorovych served as the host and master of ceremonies for the evening. He explained that the goal of the evening was to serve as a fundraiser, but especially as an awareness-raiser about the great jubilee year of the Cathedral parish in 2027. He shared about the history of the parish from the first gatherings of faithful, the priests that served them and how the parish grew, especially with the influx of newcomers after the Second World War. During the evening, he thanked and acknowledged those who contributed to parish life in special ways…. the priests, the religious Sisters and the dedicated parishioners who committed themselves and their livelihoods so that the parish would grow. He thanked George & Millie Kozak, the oldest couple of the parish there that evening, as representative of all parishioners who remained faithful to their Church and to their parish their entire lives. Throughout the dinner special guests, including Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski, the local Member of Parliament Jacob Sawatsky and the Mayor of New Westminster Patrick Johnstone were all invited to speak. The cooks who prepared the meal were duly thanked as was lead singer Halyna Bybyk who was also celebrating her birthday at the time. A professional bandura-player, Svitlana Prysiazhna, performed a few soul-transcending numbers during the evening, some for which she sang.
It was a delightful evening enjoyed by all. We need only keep in mind that this was only the beginning! We now have a year (but only a year!) to prepare for a worthy celebration of the parish’s 75th anniversary… a commemoration that will do true justice to the pioneers, the parishioners, Sisters, and clergy who struggled and rejoiced and pulled-together and shared joys and sorrows over the years, but kept the parish going and growing. And, above all, to give glory to God whose love, grace and salvation are the sole reason and purpose of this parish and why every effort associated with the parish is immeasurably more than worth it!
