The clergy from around the eparchy shared some photos, reports and stories of how the parishes joyfully celebrated the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. By all reports, one thing is consistent and interesting, but especially hopeful – every parish and community saw an increase in the number of participants this year! Some of the people who augmented the numbers this year may very well be what some call “B.C.E.W.F. church-goers” (Baptism, Christmas/Easter, Wedding and Funeral), but there were also a good number of newcomers who intend to stay around and explore the “spiritual wealth” of Christ’s Church (CCEO 16ff). This is good news!
All parishes offered the glorious Easter Sunday liturgy filled with resounding, repeated singing of the proclamation that “Christ is risen from the dead! By His death he trampled death! And to those in the grave, He granted life!”
Depending on the territory that the priest has to cover, most parishes started with a sunrise Resurrection Matins service and a procession around the church. This moved into the Eucharistic Divine Liturgy with so many special “propers” combination that we wait all year for…. “Christ is Risen!”…. “All you, who have been baptized into Christ…!…“The Angel cried out…!”… and many soul-lifting Ukrainian Catholic Easter hymns!Then there was the Easter food blessing of baskets and then people getting together for that amazing Easter breakfast and some parishes even held and Easter festival (like Abbotsford) or hayivky dancing on the street.
As during Passion Week, Bishop Michael tried to visit as many parishes as possible in the Greater Vancouver area. Every parish was an experience of hope where larger and smaller communities gave glory to God in the best way they could…. and they did wonderfully! The Lord is surely well pleased with every parish and mission.
Resurrection Procession video at New Westminster [HERE]
Passion Week is always a solemn period following or rather at the dramatic conclusion of the Great Fast. The mystery, the theology, the drama and melodies of the many Holy Week services draw many to their local parish churches. The week from Palm (‘willow’) Sunday through the Scriptural events of the Passion of the Christ right up to the gathering at the tomb of Christ in the cool pre-dawn darkness for the nadhrobne is a period rich in interactive events, processions, prostrations and verses and music that moves one’s soul to unexperienced heights.
This year, as in the past, all of the parishes of vast territory of the Eparchy of New Westminster held as many services as they could and in accord with the ancient practices that have replenished the souls of the faithful from the most remote mountain village in Ukraine to the grand city cathedrals and throughout the world to so many countries wherever the Ukrainian Catholic Church is established. British Columbia was no exception. God bless the parish priests and the faithful that collaborated with them to bring to life the Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday experience.
Great and Holy Friday procession at Holy Cross Parish, Surrey, [HERE]
We received the news that Pope Francis died almost an hour and a half after sunrise of “Bright Monday” 21 April 2025. Although he was struggling in his recovery from pneumonia for which we was recently hospitalized, his death still came as somewhat of a surprise as the reports of his recovery were positive.
The immediate response to the announcement of his death were calls to prayer in our parishes. As Easter Monday is an important liturgical day, all clergy celebrated a Divine Liturgy at which they shared the news the late Pontiff’s death and led the faithful in some appropriate prayer. A prayer which was conducted in a joyful and hopeful spirit as the Church continues to celebrate the life-promising resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The present plans are that the funeral for Pope Francis will take place in the Vatican according to the funeral rites for a Roman Pontiff that were recently simplified by Pope Francis himself. This will occur on Saturday 16th of April 2025. Then his casket will be entombed at the great Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore according to Pope Francis’ request. He will be the eighth Pope to be buried in that one of four “major basilicas” famous for its relics of the crib of the infant Christ. “Maria Maggiore” has seen the pilgrim traffic increase exponentially this year as it hold one of the Holy Doors that thousands want to pass through during this Jubilee Year of Hope (Ювілейний Рік УГКЦ). Now with Pope Francis interred there, the number of pilgrims will be unimaginable as many will want to visit to pray at his tomb.
Pope Francis in his dozen years has left his mark on the Church. This includes the shift in spirituality, moral outlook and attitudes toward the poor. Church leadership has also been influenced one way or another by Pope Francis. Twenty-two of the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church – approximately 38% of the Synod – were either approved or appointed by Pope Francis. The Bishop of our Eparchy of New Westminster, Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski, was also appointed by Pope Francis on 24 August 2023. By some estimations, some 80% of the Cardinals that will choose Pope Francis’ successor to the Chair of Peter, were “created” by Pope Francis in the 10 Consistories that he convened over his 12-year Pontificate. Among the Cardinals is the Ukrainian Bishop of Australia – His Eminence Mykola Bychok(Миколай Бичок). He will participate in the upcoming Conclave that will choose the Church’s next Pope.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement that highlights some of the ways that Pope Francis has touched the life of the Canada. They also sent out prayer cards and other prayers for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. This is a version of the prayer from the card…..
Prayer upon the Death of Pope Francis
O God, faithful rewarder of souls, grant that your departed servant Pope Francis, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of your Church, may happily enjoy for ever in your presence in heaven the mysteries of your grace and compassion, which he faithfully ministered on earth.
For You, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of Your servant Pope Francis, who has fallen asleep; and we give glory to You, together with Your eternal Father, and Your most holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
In blessed sleep grant eternal rest, O Lord, to Your ever-to-be-remembered servant Pope Francis, and make his memory everlasting. Christ is Risen!
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FEAST OFTHE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD
To the Reverend Fathers, Religious Sisters,
Venerable Monastics, Seminarians, & Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
Dearly Beloved in Christ!
Let us recall a time in our lives when we longed to belong… A person visited Ukraine many years ago for the first time. When he returned to Canada, people asked, “what was it like?” With some difficulty, he struggled for words to describe what it meant to him and how it felt. He ended by saying that the trip completed him in a way he didn’t know he was incomplete— to visit the people and places of his heritage and cultural roots. He discovered that he belonged. Is there a moment in your life when you became aware that you ‘longed to belong’?
Each time we celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation, the sacrament of the Eucharist, indeed, each time we celebrate Easter, we come just a bit closer to understanding this mystery of ‘longing to belong’. God fashioned us to belong in loving relationships, especially within the immeasurable, uninterrupted, and eternal Life of the Trinity. In a sense, death is the hopelessness of not belonging to God and never knowing His eternal friendship. However, the Resurrection is God’s free offering to us, a resurrection from this type of death, from the feeling of not belonging to God!
Yet, our fragile faith requires effort on our part. Distractions and temptations often lead us to doubt this profound truth. Where is the Body of Christ in the midst of the uncertainty in life that comes from greed, empty promises, political strife, natural disasters, imprisonment, loss of limbs, loss of peace of mind, war, and death? We are sometimes overwhelmed by loneliness and feeling incomplete.
Today, however, Jesus offers us the Body of Christ, the faithful, people in our families, parishes, and religious communities. The Holy Spirit chooses to dwell in each person. Despite many weaknesses, we are chosen by God to help one another reflect on this truth and experience it in tangible ways. Jesus Christ is Truth. The Body of Christ is Truth. And we are part of that Truth. That is where we belong. When do we feel this most deeply? We belong the most when we welcome others and remind them that they, too, belong to the Body of Christ, the Church. In truth, God created us with this deep desire to belong, a ‘longing to belong’. In Him, ‘we are completed in a way that perhaps we didn’t know we were incomplete’.
Our experience of the Risen Lord is a journey of discovering how we belong – with each confession and every time we receive the Eucharist, with every psalm and hymn that we sing. Every time I forgive someone from my heart, I relive and witness to the resurrection of Jesus. He said the greatest commandments in the Gospel are… “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (MK 12:29-31 NRSV)
As members of the Body of Christ, may each of us humbly ask for the grace to continue to acknowledge the desire of every human heart, the desire to belong and to participate in the eternal Life of the Trinity. In this Body, the Theotokos is ‘our hope, our protection, our refuge, our comfort, and our joy’. During this Year of Jubilee of Hope, may we celebrate this awareness of everyone’s ‘longing to belong’. As members of the Body of Christ, may God bring hope to others through each of us, our families, and our communities.
Sincerely Yours in the Risen Lord,
+ Lawrence Huculak, OSBM
Metropolitan Archbishop of Winnipeg
+ David Motiuk
Eparchial Bishop of Edmonton
+ Bryan Bayda, C.S.s.R.
Eparchial Bishop of Toronto
+ Michael Kwiatkowski
Eparchial Bishop of New Westminster
+ Michael Smolinski, C.S.s.R.
Bishop of Saskatoon
+ Andriy Rabiy
Auxiliary Bishop of Winnipeg
+ Michael Wiwchar, C.S.s.R.
Bishop Emeritus of Saskatoon
Given on April 12, 2025
On Lazarus Saturday and commemoration of holy confessor Basil
________________________________________________
ПАСТОРАЛЬНЕ ПОСЛАННЯ
УКРАЇНСЬКИХ КАТОЛИЦЬКИХ ЄПИСКОПІВ КАНАДИ
НА СВІТЛИЙ ПРАЗНИК ВОСКРЕСІННЯ ГОСПОДНЬОГО
Всечеснішим отцям, преподобному монашеству,
семінаристам, братам та сестрам у Христі!
Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес!
Улюблені у Христі!
Згадаймо момент у житті, коли ми прагнули бути частиною чогось… Багато років тому один чоловік уперше у своєму житті відвідав Україну. Коли він повернувся до Канади, люди запитували: «Як це було?» Він з труднощами підбирав слова, щоб описати, що це для нього означало і які відчуття викликало. Наостанок він сказав, що ця подорож заповнила порожнечу, про яку він навіть не знав: вона дала можливість відвідати людей і місця своєї спадщини та культурного коріння. Він зрозумів, що знайшов своє місце, до якого належить. Чи був у вашому житті момент, коли ви усвідомили, що «прагнете належати» до когось чи до чогось?
Кожного разу, коли ми беремо участь у Таїнствах Сповіді та Євхаристії, кожного разу, коли ми святкуємо Великдень, ми стаємо ближче до розуміння таїнства «прагнення належності». Бог створив нас для того, аби ми належали до відносин у любові, особливо в неосяжному, неперервному та вічному житті Пресвятої Трійці. Можемо сказати, що смерть є безнадією, що полягає у відсутності належності до Бога та вічної дружби з Ним. Воскресіння – це дар Божої милости, звільнення від цього типу смерті, від відчуття, що ти не належиш до Бога!
Проте наша крихка віра потребує зусиль з нашого боку. Відволікання і спокуси нерідко призводять до того, що ми починаємо сумніватися в цій важливій правді. Де ж Тіло Христове серед непевности життя, зумовленого жадібністю, порожніми обіцянками, політичними чварами, стихійними лихами, ув’язненнями, втратами кінцівок, відсутністю душевного спокою, війною та смертю? Часом ми страждаємо від самотності та відчуття, що нам чогось бракує!
Сьогодні ж Ісус дарує нам себе через своє Тіло, вірних, членів наших родин, парафіяльних і монаших спільнот. Святий Дух обирає перебувати в кожній людині. Попри наші слабкості, ці обрані Богом люди перебувають біля нас, щоб допомогти нам замислитися над цією істиною та пережити її. Ісус Христос є Істиною. Тіло Христове – це Істина. І ми є частиною цієї істини. Ось де наше місце. Коли ми це відчуваємо найсильніше? Найбільше ми відчуваємо свою приналежність до Бога тоді, коли приймаємо інших і допомагаємо їм згадати, що вони також належать до Тіла Христового, тобто до Церкви. Насправді Бог створив нас з цим глибоким прагненням і «бажанням належати». У Ньому ми сповняємося так, що, можливо, навіть і не помічали, що нам бракувало.
Наш досвід Воскреслого Господа – це подорож відкриття нашої належності, Сповідь за Сповіддю, Євхаристія за Євхаристією, псалом за псалмом, гимн за гимном. Кожного разу, коли я прощаю комусь у моєму серці, я переживаю і свідчу воскресіння Ісуса. Він сказав, що суть Євангелія полягає в тому, щоб «любити Господа, Бога твого, усім серцем твоїм, усією душею твоєю, усією думкою твоєю й усією силою твоєю, і ближнього твого, як себе самого». (Мк 12:29-31)
Будучи Тілом Христовим, нехай кожен з нас смиренно просить благодаті продовжувати ісповідувати природу прагнення кожного людського серця належати, а отже – брати участь у вічному житті Трійці. У цьому Тілі Пресвята Богородиця є «нашою надією, покровом, захистом, потіхою та радістю». У цей Ювілейний рік надії святкуймо це усвідомлення загального «прагнення належати». Нехай Бог, через нас, наші родини та спільноти, як через членів Тіла Христового, дарує іншим надію.
🟡🔵 Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM and beyond 📍 St. Ann’s Catholic Church & Mill Lake Park, Abbotsford
Join us in Abbotsford for a joyful and vibrant celebration of the Ukrainian Easter Festival (Великодній FEST)! This year’s celebration will bring together our community in prayer, tradition, music, and fun.
🕐 1:00 PM – Divine Liturgy & Blessing of Easter Baskets Location: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 33333 Mayfair Ave Come and take part in the Resurrection Divine Liturgy, followed by the traditional Blessing of Easter Baskets (пасок, крашанок, ковбаски, та інше).
🕝 2:30 PM – Continued Celebration at Mill Lake Park After the liturgy, we will move to Mill Lake to continue the celebration with exciting Easter activities for the whole family:
🥚 Pysanka Battle – a fun egg-tapping competition
🎶 Spring Dances – traditional Ukrainian music and games
🕵️ Easter Egg Hunt “Find the Pysanka” – a kids’ scavenger quest (registration required!)
🧺 Potluck Brunch – bring your paska, eggs, sausage, and other Easter favourites to share with the community
📌 Please bring picnic blankets or folding chairs for your family to sit comfortably on the grass.
‼️ Registration required for the egg hunt – scan the QR code in the poster to register by April 10
Let’s come together to rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ and celebrate our beautiful Ukrainian Easter traditions in faith and fellowship!
On the weekend of April 12–13, St. George’s Catholic Church (2414 Vanier Dr, Prince George, BC V2N 1T7) will have the special blessing of welcoming Most Reverend Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski for a Lenten Parish Mission — a time of spiritual renewal.
Saturday, April 12
The mission begins Saturday evening with Confession at 5:30 PM in both English and Ukrainian, followed by Great Vespers with Lytia and Anointing with Blessed Oil at 6:00 PM. During the service, Bishop Michael will give the 1st Lenten Mission Lesson and bless a new Eucharistic chalice set. Confessions will continue again at 7:00 PM.
Sunday, April 13
On Sunday morning, Confession begins at 9:30 AM, followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM, during which the 2nd Lenten Mission Lesson will be offered. After that blessing of pussy willow branches (верба).
This is a grace-filled opportunity to reflect, pray, and prepare our hearts for the Resurrection.
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