Archpriest Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna Ostashek

Archpriest Vasyl Ostashek (1913-1998)

and

Matushka Vasylyna Ostashek (born Ungurian) (1912-2018)

— edited from articles in "The Canadian Orthodox Messenger" by the Priest Evan Lowig

Vasyl may be spelt Vasil, Vasili, Wasyl, Wasyly, William.

Vasylyna may be spelt Vasilena, Vasylena, Wasylena, Lena.

About Vasyl

Vasyl Ostashek was born on 21 January, 1913, at Shandro, Alberta, on a farm near which there is now a museum. The Shandro district is on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. His parents were Georgiy Ostashek and Vasylyna Vyshnytsky, who had come to Canada from the village of Banilla in the Carpathian Mountains, specifically from northern Bukovina. Northern Bukovina was at that time a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, earlier and later part of Romania, and now (since 1940), part of Ukraine. The northern part of this region has more Ukrainian and Russian speakers than the southern part. In this family, there were 4 sons and 3 daughters.

Vasyl's home Temple was The Dormition of the Theotokos Church, Shandro (sometimes called "Saint Mary's"). This parish was founded in 1899, and the Temple was sanctified by Saint Tikhon (Belavin) in 1904. Shandro is situated about 139 km (86 mi) northeast of Edmonton.

Young Bill (the common English nickname for Vasyl) started school in 1920, and he finished in 1928. For a year, he studied music at Alberta College, which enabled him to spend time in the “big city” of Edmonton and to become an accomplished violinist. He moved back to the countryside, and for a time he worked as a substitute teacher. Nevertheless, his love for the land led him away from a teaching career, and to be a farmer instead.

About Vasylyna

Vasylyna Ungurian was born on 1 October, 1912, on a farm at Wasel, Alberta. The Wasel district is on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River, straight north from Shandro, and about 141 km (88 mi) northeast of Edmonton. Her parents were Vasyl Ungurian and Raifta Basaraba, who had emigrated to Canada from the villages of Bila and Mamaeşte in Bukovina. Lena (the common bilingual nickname for Vasylyna) grew up on her family’s farm at Wasel, and her home Temple was that of the Holy Ascension, Wasel. Because services at that time were offered in this Temple only once a month, she would usually walk with her family a few kilometres farther to the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul at Dickie Bush. She fondly recalled long afterwards how she would generally walk barefoot with her siblings, in order to spare her “Sunday shoes”.

Marriage, 1933

Because of his skill with the violin, and because of his playing at various concerts and social events throughout the district, Vasyl met and fell in love with the lovely Lena Ungurian. She, in turn, being of a keen mind and independent spirit, decided that Bill was a solid and pious boy worthy of her devotion. Thus, they were married on 6 August, 1933, at Holy Ascension Church, Wasel, by the Priest-monk Varnava (Karateew) (brother of the Archpriest John Karateew).

Farm life

The Ostasheks homesteaded on their own farm from 1935, the year in which their oldest child, Nicholas, was born. They later received also from the Lord 3 more children : Olga (1939), Melvin (1945), and Robert (1949). With a twinkle in her eye, Matushka would let one know that she did most of the work of rearing the children.

Bill Ostashek was no ordinary farmer. For many years, he served on the local school board, and he was also chairman of the Two Hills County Home and School Association. He was very active in the Farmers’ Union of Alberta ; and several times, he attended its conventions as a delegate. Regardless, the Church was always his first love (not neglecting his love for Lena).

Active Orthodox Christians

As an active member of the Shandro Saint Mary’s Church, and a member of the choir, Bill became close friends with the Archpriest John Kowalchuk. It was Father John who, from the mid-1950s onwards, encouraged Bill to be a reader. He also taught him the “ins and outs” of the service-rubrics (“ustav”). He told him prophetically : “Some day you’re going to need to know this”. Therefore, in addition to farming, Bill became a virtually full-time reader and cantor for 12 years, during which years, Lena learned more about working the land and tending the animals than she would ever have expected !

This was not the first time that Lena Ungurian had received such surprising lessons in life which strengthened her resourcefulness and multiplied her talents. In her childhood and youth, she had learnt many things about the life of the Church from a certain Father Nicholas Levko which she would find useful later in life. At the time, Lena’s mother wondered whether her daughter would ever need all this information. After all, she thought, it is not as though she ever were going to be a matushka !

Unexpected change of direction ; higher education, 1967

The lives of the Ostasheks were irrevocably changed when Father John Kowalchuk fell asleep in the Lord on 2 December, 1967. Father John gave his spiritual son Vasyl the following admonition shortly before his repose : “Bill, maintain the order of the Church (Vasylku, trymaj porjadok Cerkvy)”. This, along with the strong encouragement of Father John Diachina, prompted Bill Ostashek to seek ordination. In the middle of a particularly difficult winter, Bill travelled to Toronto, where, at Christ the Saviour Sobor, he received intensive training in theology and practical liturgics.

Ordinations, 1968

On 18 February, 1968, Vasyl Ostashek was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns).

Two days later, on 20 February, 1968, Vladyka Sylvester ordained Deacon Vasyl to the Holy Priesthood in the same Temple. Matushka Vasylyna expressed regret that she could not go to be with her husband at this important moment, but she was supporting everything that he was doing, even from 3,500 km away. However, the Willingdon Agricultural Society’s loss was the Archdiocese of Canada’s gain.

Dedicated pastoral service and teamwork

The first Temples served by the newly-ordained priest were Holy Trinity Church, Sunland, Saint Nicholas Church, Wostok (Bukovina) and the Nativity of the Theotokos Church, Kysylew. All these Temples are located near Andrew in east-central Alberta, where the Ostasheks eventually moved from their farm, and where they lived for many years afterwards. Father Vasyl’s life as a priest was never easy, and its beginnings put him at a particular disadvantage, thanks to people’s questioning his ability (that is : “What does a farmer know ?”) and to the jursidictional divisions afflicting Orthodox Christians in the Andrew district. In regard to both these problems, there were significant improvements during the years of Father Vasyl’s service, thanks to his positive and non-judgemental attitude.

Father J Diachina (his arm, far right) with Father M Andruchow, Bishop Joasaph (Antoniuk), Father V Ostashek in Sandy Lake, Manitoba, 1977

Those clergy who serve the rural parishes of Alberta and the entire archdiocese owe Father Bill a tremendous debt of gratitude, because not only did he fill an immediate gap upon ordination, but also the circumstances (a severe clergy shortage) found him becoming like the little Dutch boy who put his fingers in the dyke.

By 1980, Father Vasyl was serving up to a dozen Temples. In everything, Matushka Vasylyna was his right-hand : baking prosphora, reading, singing, organising choirs, and sewing vestments. In all this, for both Father Vasyl and Matushka Lena, the welfare of God’s holy churches was at the heart of their common service, and it remained their common and lasting concern. Indeed, in widowhood, it continued to be Matushka Lena’s.

Retirement, 1993

If unflagging zeal and faithfulness to his call from the Lord were sufficient, Father Vasyl would have continued in active pastoral service until the very end. However, failing health forced him to retire in 1993. Even in retirement, he participated as much as possible in the liturgical life of the Temples and communities he served. One might say that the Ostasheks were almost always a two-for-one team. They were much beloved for their good humour, tenderness, love for all, and for their generous hospitality. Both Father Vasyl and Matushka Lena were honest and forthright people. They spoke straightly and from the heart. Father Lowig, their main biographer, commented that one day Matushka Lena ought to publish a cook-book. He further expressed the hope that they both would manage to publish their memoirs.

The Holy Apostle Paul wrote : “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). It is an interesting “coincidence” that in Romanian, the word for soldier is “ostash”. There can be no doubt that both Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna, throughout their lives, were true to their surname, and to their calling.

The Holy Apostle Paul spoke of marriage as a great mystery which concerns Christ and the Church. One of the reasons Christian marriage is perceived as Holy Matrimony, a sacrament (mystery) which transcends the earthly institution, is that it lives within the Church as a service of the 2 lives who have become one flesh for the building up of the Body of Christ, and for the sanctification of many. The faithful in the Archdiocese of Canada have been given a very good example of such Christian marriage and ecclesial service in the lives of Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna.

Matushka Lena and Father Vasyl

In the early 1990s came the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna, and also the 90th anniversary of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, Sachawa. This Temple is situated a few kilometres to the south of the village of Andrew, where they lived for many years. This Temple was the "home church" of the circuit of communities which they served, and it was this Temple which they had helped to re-construct between 1970-1980, after a fire had burnt the original Temple to the ground. In view of this celebration, Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna saw to it that this Temple would have something special by which to remember these anniversaries : the installation in the Altar of 2 stained-glass windows. One of these windows presents our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the other presents the Mother of God, and they are both prepared in the Orthodox manner of iconography. The design was made, and the manufacture and installation were overseen by Matushka Henriette Somow, wife of Protodeacon Andrey Somow of Vancouver. These windows are smaller, but in the same style as the windows which she designed for Holy Resurrection Sobor in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna were preparing to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on 6 August, 1998. Theirs was a rich legacy of mutual faithfulness and a constant image of keeping the 2 great commandments : to love God with all one’s being, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself (Matthew 22:37-40). This anniversary was to be celebrated at the same time that many of the parishes he once served (and some of their neighbours) would be beginning to celebrate their centennial anniversaries. Father Evan Lowig was confident that this history came alive in the Ostasheks, who served as a bridge with the past. As children of pioneers, they became transmitters of the living tradition of Orthodoxy in Canada. Their knowledge, experience and piety consistently nurtured the clergy and laity in Alberta and beyond. Together, they served Christ and His holy Church in a manner that was clearly “above and beyond the call of duty”.

In mid-July, 1998, Father Wasyl and Matushka Wasylena were looking forward with joy to the coming visit of Bishop Seraphim (Storheim), and the Deanery-wide celebration of their anniversary at the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul in Dickie Bush on 23 August.

Bereavement : repose of Father Vasyl, 1998

However, on 24 July, 1998, at 1500 hrs, the Archpriest Vasyl Ostashek very suddenly fell asleep in the Lord. He had not complained of any illness. He simply had thought he would like to rest a little. However, sitting beside his beloved wife, he simply collapsed into her arms, and he was “gathered to his fathers”. Of course, this was a great shock for Matushka Vasylyna, but she bore everything as a stalwart servant of Christ, and with deep confidence in Him and His love.

On 28 July, 1998 (the Feast-day of Saint Vladimir, old-style), a panikhida (memorial service) was served at the Temple of Saint Michael in Sachawa. Bishop Seraphim (Storheim), Archpriest Evan Lowig, Priest Nicholas Kondratyev, 2 other priests and 1 deacon served together at this time. A good public-address system helped all who attended to hear the prayers and the spoken words at this time. After the conclusion, the reading of the Holy Gospels began, and continued throughout the night.

On 29 July, 1998, Father Vasyl’s body was transported across the North Saskatchewan River to the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul, Dickie Bush. There, the Divine Liturgy and the service of the Funeral of a Priest were served by Bishop Seraphim and the same clergy who had served the previous evening.

There were more than 200 people praying together, and the choir consisted of singers who had travelled from as far as Vancouver to participate. A public-address system was again necessary for those who stood out-of-doors.

After the services at the Dickie Bush Temple (which Father Vasyl always called his “cathedral”), everyone proceeded to the Holy Ascension Temple at Wasel, where the Ostasheks had been married in 1933. There, the newly-departed was laid to rest, amidst the continuing prayers and tears of family, parishioners and friends. At that time, Father Vasyl and Matushka Wasylyna had 4 children, 11 grand-children and 6 great-grand-children.

Following the interment, a memorial meal (a "pomana", or offering) for Father Vasyl was shared in Willingdon. There, the last Memory Eternal of that particular, very long, and admittedly sad day was sung.

A ninth-day Litiya for the repose of Father Vasyl’s soul was served in the Temple of Saint Nicholas in Wostok (Bukovina) on 2 August. On 23 August, Bishop Seraphim returned to the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul, Dickie Bush, to serve a Litiya for him following the Divine Liturgy.

On 29 August, the Divine Liturgy and fortieth-day Litiya for the repose of his soul were served at the Temple of Saint Michael, Sachawa, the very Temple which the Ostasheks had helped to rebuild. Over 100 people came to this service of remembrance, which was served by 3 priests.

Memory Eternal – Vitchnaya Pamyat' – to the Archpriest Vasyl Ostashek.

Matushka Vasylyna continued to serve

In the midst of her grief, Matushka Vasylyna very maternally oversaw all the services and other arrangements, and she paid attention to those who had come to pray with her and her family. Afterwards, Matushka Vasylyna eventually sold the house in which she and Father Vasyl had lived, and she moved into an apartment in a building with assisted-living facilities, first in Andrew, then in Lamont. As much as her health and strength permitted, she continued to be present at church services, to contribute her singing in the worship, and to share her love and genuine care for those she had always served with her husband. At over a century in age, she continued to be concerned about the welfare of the Church and of her family, parishioners and friends with alert, genuine care and interest.

Matushka Vasylyna at 100 years

Matushka Vasylyna's centennial, 2012

On Sunday, 30 September, 2012, Matushka Lena Ostashek celebrated her 100th birthday at Saint Michael's Orthodox Church, Sachawa near Andrew Alberta. Her actual birthday was next day, 1 October, which was the Feast-day of the Protection of the Theotokos. About 100 invited guests of family, friends and parishioners gathered at the Temple at 2 p.m. to participate in a special thanksgiving moleben followed by a reception in the basement hall. Igumen Gerasim (Power) officiated, and he spoke of Matushka's life of long service to her family, the parish, the Church, and her community.

The liturgical responses at the moleben were led by Mr. Gregory Fedor of Saint Herman's Sobor in Edmonton. He had known Matushka Ostashek for very many years. He was assisted by Monk Tikhon (Green) and local singers from various parishes. Father Tikhon (Green), who lived in Edmonton, had been travelling to the countryside already for many years to help with the singing in many rural parishes.

Centennial moleben at Saint Michael's Church, Sachava

Matuhska Lena had served alongside Father Vasyl Ostashek in various parishes : singing, working with the Ladies' groups, sewing of liturgical vestments, providing leadership and advice and being a true inspiration by her faith.

A traditional Ukrainian meal was offered to the guests present, and Matushka Lena received congratulatory messages from all levels of provincial and federal government officials. Most important was a special greeting from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II which came from Buckingham Palace.

Birthday banquet

Centennial birthday cake

Matushka Ostashek's children all spoke about their mother, and at the end of the programme, Matushka herself spoke about many of the events that she recalled during her long life of 100 years. She thanked everyone for coming and helping her to celebrate this significant day. The singing of "Mnohaya Lita" (Many Years) was repeated numerous times throughout the afternoon moleben and reception.

Matushka Lena continued to live in the same way and in the same place as she had been living in Lamont, near those she knew, and where she was well cared-for. Although her hearing was more limited, her spirits remained as always. She remembered and she cared about people, and she was always concerned about the worship of the Lord.

Repose of Matushka Vasylena (Lena) Ostashek, 2018 (105 years)

Early in the morning of Tuesday, 15 May, 2018, Matushka Lena Ostashek] fell asleep in the Lord peacefully in Lamont. She had been given 105½ years by the Lord. Matushka Lena had been very alert to the end.

A panikhida (memorial prayer service) was offered by the Archpriest Nikolai Nikolaev and Deacon Kolin Berglund at Hainstok's Funeral Home and Crematorium in south Edmonton in the evening of Sunday, 20 May, 2018.

Then, on Monday, 21 May, the Memorial Divine Liturgy was served by the Archpriest Nikolai Nikolaev and Deacon Kolin Berglund at Saint Michael's Russo Orthodox Church at Sachava, south of Andrew, Alberta.

This was followed by the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Lay-person, and a memorial meal at the Temple.

Afterwards, there was a procession to the Temple and Cemetery of the HoOly Ascension at Wasel. There, her body was interred beside her husband Father Vasyl Ostashek.

May their memory be eternal ("vitchnaya pamyat'").

The particular site of the grave had been chosen by Father Vasyl because those who stand and pray at the grave have a grand view of the nearby countryside and of other nearby Temples.

Headstone

Reflections

Although the preparation of Father Vasyl to serve as a priest in the Central Alberta rural parishes was in an exceptional manner, it was a necessity at the time. This had to be done in several other cases so that the Faithful could be fed spiritually, regardless of the lack of formal theological education of the candidates. Regardless of the lack, Father Vasyl, and most of such priests, dutifully and lovingly carried out their responsibilities, and they cared for the spiritual flocks of rational sheep that had been entrusted to them by their bishops.

However, Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna were together exceptional in the loving manner in which they devotedly cared for the 13 communities that they nurtured for many years. Serving all these communities on a regular basis required a considerable amount of organisation, and a considerable amount of driving. One of the parishes was in western Saskatchewan, a drive of 240 km each way. For most of the parishes, they could expect to drive for an hour or so each way. This was done in all sorts of weather, and they did it together. Matushka Vasylyna not only usually baked the prosphora, but she was most often the leader and organiser of the singing of each service. Of course, she also sewed the vestments of Father Vasyl, and she sewed many other items when there was a need in one or another of the Temples. In this, she also had local assistance. She was also communicating by telephone with these parishioners as a supplement to her husband's pastoral labours.

On 24 July, 1998, Father Vasyl had fallen asleep in the Lord. Thus, he did not live on this earth in order to celebrate his special wedding-anniversary. Yet, as Father Evan Lowig pointed out, it could be said that he had actually reposed on the day of this jubilee, because they had had been married precisely on 24 July, according to the Julian Calendar (6 August, New Calendar). Father Evan cautioned that there are no coincidences. The Lord does things in an orderly manner, and it is important that we perceive His activity. Father Evan wrote that Father Vasyl and Matushka Vasylyna had spent their last day together at home — conversing, laughing, and in general enjoying each other’s company, while they were preparing for the coming anniversary. It had been for them a usual, pleasant day.

In his homily during the Divine Liturgy at the funeral of Father Vasyl, Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) said that no-one should be overcome and paralysed by this untimely loss. It is true that “Father Bill” was 85, but all would have preferred to have him rather longer. Instead, it is important that we all allow our Lord to transform the weeping into the singing of “Alleluia” (which means, “Praise the Lord”). All are to remember that this was a celebration of the feast of the passing of a beloved archpriest. At the end of the Order for the Burial of a Priest, the clergy, assisted by other pall-bearers, carried the body of Father Vasyl around the Temple. In Father Evan Lowig's estimation, in more ways than one, the clergy who bore his coffin felt the burden not so much of his passing away, as that of the importance of carrying out his legacy of tireless, patient and loving pastoral service.