I am deeply grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother of God for guiding me through this period of ill health. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the parish communities, church organizations, bishops, clergy, and the faithful for the Divine Liturgies and multitude of prayers offered for my good health.
Having completed my time of hospitalization, I am now embarking on a period of recuperation to regain my strength. I also wish to express my profound gratitude to all the hospital staff, particularly Dr. Terry and Dr. Andrea Babick, for their exceptional medical care.
At this time, I am still unable to conduct liturgical services or receive well-wishers. I am very appreciative of Bishop Andriy and the chancery staff for managing the affairs of Archeparchy, and I trust they will continue to do so.
I also extend my thanks to the clergy, church leaders, and faithful of other Churches and denominations who have reached out with their prayers and support.
In closing, I pray that you all experience and enjoy the peace of the Christ Child, born in Bethlehem for our salvation.
To the Very Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters and Brothers, Seminarians and Laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
Christ is Born! Let us Glorify Him!
โThe whole universe is today filled with joy, for Christ is born of a Virgin.โ
(Matins of Christmas)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our celebration of the birth of Christ proclaims joy especially amid difficult times in our world at this present moment: The Christmas carols we sing in Ukrainian and English speak of joy that results from the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, โ โNova Radistโ Stalaโ and โJoy to the World.โ Joy transforms our experiences and joy gives us life. Our Christmas Gospel reading tells us that the astrologers were overjoyed at seeing the star over Bethlehem; let us open our eyes so that God can lead us on the right path. In our Christmas Matins and then during the Divine Liturgy, we announce after receiving the Holy Eucharist, โThe whole universe is today filled with joy, for Christ is born of a Virgin.โ The joy brought about by Christโs birth changes everything, because God is with us.
This repeated singing and hearing of joy because of Christโs Birth nurtures our hearts and minds to believe and understand that God is in control of all things and that our fears and our worries will not change anything. In the face of war, crises, and instability, the joy we experience at Christmas is an antidote to fear and a reminder that God will provide, that God transforms death into life, that God is the source of all hope.
Joy and hope are intimately connected. Joy means having renewed hope. We need joy and hope in our lives and in our world. Joy is not an exuberant happiness that fades quickly and leaves us feeling empty. Joy is a lasting conviction that God is our Lord and that God has compassion on all people. Joy is the belief that God is our hope.
The Jubilee Year is a time of joy and hope that begins during this Christmas Season of 2024 and lasts until December 28, 2025 in Eparchies and on January 6, 2026 at St. Peterโs Basilica in Rome. Pope Francis has given the theme of โPilgrims of Hopeโ to the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025. Let us take the joy of Christmas throughout the entire Jubilee year as we mark and celebrate the jubilee as individuals, families, parishes, and the entire people of God.
Being a pilgrim means packing light for the journey. We must remember to pack joy as pilgrims of hope this year. It does not weigh much, but it is necessary. Whether we are making a pilgrimage to Rome to walk through one of the four holy doors or whether we participate in a local pilgrimage in our Eparchy during the Jubilee, we take joy and hope with us. When we experience Godโs great forgiveness during the Sacrament of Penance during this Jubilee and always, we receive joy and hope. When we give hope to others through our works of kindness and mercy this year, we share joy with the world.
We, the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops of Canada, pray for each one of you and your family throughout our country. We hold our suffering brothers and sisters in Ukraine in prayer knowing that the celebration of Christโs Birth will bring great joy and hope in the midst of great darkness of war. May our Holy Mother protect and guide all of you.
Christ is Born! Let us Glorify Him!
Yours in Christ, source of joy and hope born in Bethlehem,
+ 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
+ Stephen Chmilar
Bishop Emeritus of Toron
Given on December 6, 2024
On the Feast of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
We are delighted to invite you to our Annual Eparchial Gala, an evening of unity, generosity, and hope.
This is not just another eventโitโs a special occasion dedicated to making a lasting difference in the lives of Ukrainian children and students in Canada and Ukraine as they build a future filled with hope and opportunity.
๐ Sun, Dec 29 ๐ 5- 9 PM
๐ Holy Eucharist Cathedral
501 4th Ave, New Westminster
Start the night with a wine reception, followed by a concert of hope, and conclude with a gourmet dinner filled with purpose and generosity.
Tickets
๐ต $150 per person (includes a $100 tax receipt).
On Saturday, December 7, 2024, atย St. Peterโs Basilica inย the Vatican, His Grace Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch ofย the Eparchy ofย Saints Peter and Paul ofย Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics inย Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, was elevated toย the dignity ofย Cardinal ofย the Holy Roman Church byย His Holiness Pope Francis.
The ceremony took place in St. Peterโs Basilica and began with a short prayer and a reading from the Gospel of Mark. In this passage, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, ask Jesus to allow them to sit at His right and left in His glory. Then Jesus called them and said to them, โYou know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.โ (Mark 10:42โ45).
Following the Gospel reading, Pope Francis delivered a homily, emphasising that the cardinalโs ministry must have Jesus Christ and His teachings as its centre, foundation, and primary focus.
After the homily, the formal ceremony of creating the new cardinals began. Pope Francis declared: โDear brothers and sisters, we are about to carry out an agreeable and solemn task of our sacred ministry. It chiefly concerns the Church of Rome, but it also affects the entire ecclesial community: we will call certain of our brethren to enter the College of Cardinals, so that they may be united to the Chair of Peter by a closer bond our apostolic ministry. Having been invested with the sacred purple, they are to be fearless witnesses to Christ and his Gospel in the City of Rome and in faraway regions. Therefore, by the authority of almighty God, of Saints Peter and Paul and our Own, we create and solemnly proclaim Cardinals of Holy Roman Church these brothers of ours.โ He then read the names of the newly proclaimed cardinals.
The new cardinals recited the Profession of faith and took an oath of fidelity, pledging to remain faithful to Christ and His Gospel for the rest of their lives. They also promised to remain obedient to the Holy Apostolic Roman Church and the Holy Father and to join the ranks of the Roman clergy, working closely with Pope Francis and his canonical successors.
Each cardinal received a scarlet biretta, symbolising the dignity of the cardinalate and their readiness to defend the Christian faith with courage, even to the point of martyrdom. They also received a cardinalโs ring, signifying their love for the Church, which is strengthened by the love of the Prince of the Apostles. Additionally, each cardinal was assigned with the title/deaconry of titular church in honour of Almighty God and Saints Peter and Paul. Bishop Mykola received the title of Basilica of Santa Sofia, which will now be his cardinal seat in Rome.
It is worth noting that, as Bishop Mykola belongs to the Eastern Catholic Church, his vestments differed somewhat from the traditional attire of the other cardinals. He wore a purple robe in the old Kyivan tradition, adorned with embroidered images of Saints Peter and Paul. On his head, he wore a black koukoul in accordance with Ukrainian monastic tradition, styled after the 17th-century Brest Union and trimmed with a thin red border.
On this day, in addition to Bishop Mykola Bychok, 20 new cardinals were created.
Asย part ofย the Consistory for the Proclamation ofย New Cardinals, there isย aย tradition known asย aย โcourtesy visitโ toย the new cardinals. Immediately after the Consistory, clergy and faithful from around the world who had come toย Rome toย share inย this joyous event with Bishop Mykola had the opportunity toย meet the newly proclaimed cardinal inย the Hall ofย Blessing (Aula della Benedizione), located atย the entrance toย St. Peterโs Basilica.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?
As it happened right after the Tuesday morning Divine Liturgy, two of the clergy, actually two visiting priests from Italy and Winnipeg, offered to help the brothers. One of the priests is already a Knights while the other will be initiated on the following Sunday.
In the larger photo: Left to Right: Fr. Mykhailo Postoliuk, Br. Rodney Giddens (the Council Financial Secretary), Fr. Volodymyr Lyupak (still vested), and Deputy Grand Knight Br. Dan Roxas
(* Just a bit of trivia - The New Westminster Council 1393 of the Knights of Columbus, established back in 1907, is the third oldest council in Canada โ only after Montreal and Victoria!)
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