Calgary AB Saint Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church 1928

Calgary, Alberta, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saint Vladimir, 1928

Prehistory

Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was organised in 1928. The first Divine Liturgy was served in the home of M and A Danilovich by Priest T Volohatuke. This was the beginning of gatherings to worship and to pray in various homes.

In 1929, a Ukrainian language school was established.

In 1931, the Ukrainian Self-Reliance Association was established. The first president was J P Swityk.

In 1932, the "Olha Basarab" branch of the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada was established.

In 1935, the first executive of the developing congregation was selected. In this year also, the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYMK) of Calgary was formed.

Establishment of the parish, 1938

In 1938, the congregation received its official corporate status as the "Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Congregation", through the Alberta Religious Societies Lands Act.

In 1938, 2 lots were purchased, the Temple was constructed, and the basement was finished. In addition, there was a celebration of the 950th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’.

Priest Peter Sametz

The pastor of the parish was Priest Peter Sametz. The president of the congregation was M Danilowich. The building chairman was A Orishchak.

In 1940, the choir of the parish was formed under the leadership of M Humeniuk. During the following years, the Temple was connected to the electrical utility service.

Priest Metrat I Danyluk

In 1949, the Priest Metrat I Danyluk, the first resident parish priest, arrived.

In 1952, the members of the parish constructed the rectory for parish priests.

In 1959, the library and archives of the parish were established. The first librarian was M Woron.

The iconostas, 1961 (left) ; The Temple, 1962 (right)

A procession

A parish photo (left) ; Pastor and council (right)

In 1964, the pastor of the parish was Priest M Fyk. A club for the altar-boys was established.

In 1973, a quarter-section of land (about 160 acres or 64.7 hectares) was donated to the parish by C and V Komarnicky.

Damage by fire

In 1975, the interior of the Temple was severely damaged because of an electrical fire. After some deliberation and weighing alternatives, it was decided to repair the damaged Temple.

Some fire damage at the front of the Temple

Cultural centre ; Priest J Tkaczuk

In 1976, a cultural centre was begun to be built. The pastor of the parish was Priest J Tkaczuk (Thatcher). The president was B Zip and the building chairman was P Makowsky.

Constructing the cultural centre, basement completed

In 1977, the "Golden Age Club" was established, and the first president was J Zalaski.

In 1979, The Calgary Branch of the Ukrainian Self-Reliance Association received a certificate of incorporation under the Alberta Societies Act.

In 1980, the cultural centre’s lower level was completed. The president was M Charuk, and the building chairman was F Makowsky.

Second Temple, 1987

Priest Henry Lakusta

Between 1985 and 1987, a new Temple was constructed, as a project to mark both the 50th anniversary of the parish, and the millennium of the Baptism of Rus’. The pastor of the parish was Priest Henry Lakusta. The president was Nestor Papish, and the building chairman was Michael Zubkow.

In 1988, there was a library and museum expansion in the cultural centre and the annex lower level.

View of Saint Vladimir's Sobor and the Cultural Centre, from across the Bow River

A 2018 architectural description of the Temple :

 The dominant exterior design features are its five copper-clad 'banyas' (domes that create 
 the striking skyline silhouette.  The interior walls act as a canvas for very extensive and
 traditional iconography.  Executed by artisans, these hand-painted features are rare examples 
 of craftsmanship and construction techniques that also form part of the tradition of church 
 construction.

The adjacent cultural centre’s Ukrainian library is one of the largest outside Ukraine.

Change in status of the UGOCC, 1990

In 1990, the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada was officially renamed “The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (UOCC) by an Act of the Parliament of Canada.

In 1990, the 18th Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba, decided to enter into Eucharistic Union with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul). This decision also changed the relationship with the other Orthodox dioceses and parishes in Canada in a positive way.

New iconostas project, 1992

In 1992, the project to build a new iconostas in the new Temple was initiated. The pastor of the parish was still Priest Henry Lakusta (1980-1993). The president was Mel Pasichnuk, and the iconostas project chairperson was Shirley Din.

Mural iconography (left) ; iconostas (right)

In 1992, the land donated by the Komarnickys was sold. The money was put into a trust fund to prepare for the construction of a seniors’ complex. The pastor of the parish was Priest Taras Krochak, and the president was Peter Charuk.

New iconostas, 1995

Priest Taras Krochak

In 1995, the iconostas was completed. The pastor of the parish was Priest Taras Krochak, and the president of both the parish and the iconostas project was Shirley Din.

In 1996, the commemorative booklet “Iconostas, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Church” was published. The pastor of the parish was Priest Taras Krochak, the president of the parish was Shirley Din, and the editor of the booklet was Aka Papish.

Wall-frescoes, 2003-2010

In about 2003, a project was initiated to put iconography on all the walls of the Temple, in the style of frescoes. Vera Senchuk of Winnipeg, Manitoba, well-known iconographer, began this work, which continued over several years. That part of the project was concluded in 2010. It is intended to add iconography to the ceiling in due time.

Southern Alberta Mission Project, 2000

In 2000, the Southern Alberta Mission Project was initially begun. It came to be known as the Holy Trinity Mission District. The new ordination of Patrick Powalinsky to the Holy Priesthood, under the sponsorship of Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation in Calgary, provided the personal resources for this project. Initially, the mission served Lethbridge, Red Deer, Oyen and Cranbrook, British Columbia. A new mission congregation had begun in Cranbrook because of the mission project. However, this Cranbrook mission was taken over by The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), when the Southern Alberta Mission Project was in hiatus.

Later, Holy Trinity congregation in Lethbridge, Alberta, and Holy Trinity Mission in Red Deer, Alberta, began to grow at a remarkable rate, mainly because of the resources and activity of the mission project. With the project, these congregations hope to grow to a point where they can support their own priests.

Lethbridge

The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation in Lethbridge, is a multi-ethnic congregation (with more than 8 ethnicities represented), which serves Lethbridge and the surrounding area. At that time, the Divine Liturgy was usually offered on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, and during the winter months, Great Vespers was usually served on the preceding Saturday evening. On Sundays when there was no Divine Liturgy, there was usually a reader’s service of the Typical Psalms in the Temple. The Temple is located at 643-13 Street North in Lethbridge.

Red Deer

The Red Deer Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Mission was organised in 1999, and since its inception, has been under the pastoral leadership of 5 priests (Mitred Archpriest Mykola Sawchenko, Priest Patrick Powalinsky, Priest Mykhaylo Pozdyk, Priest Volodymyr Bilous, and Priest Timothy Chrapko). During this time, as the mission developed, it came to include former members of the OCA’s Mission of Saint Nektarios (founded in 2000, closed in 2012). Many members gather for a “Vespers and Education Night” once a month.

In 2016, a new Temple was completed and then sanctified by Bishop Ilarion (Rudnyk) of Edmonton. With this sanctification, a new name was given to the Temple and congregation. It is now known as "Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church". The Divine Liturgy is served twice a month at the present time.

Oyen

The Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation of Saints Peter and Paul in Oyen, Alberta, is a small congregation, which serves a predominately farming community just a few kilometres from the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

Preschool, 1988

“Sadochok” is Calgary’s only Ukrainian bilingual preschool. Since 1988, parental support and gifted teachers have endeavoured to instil a love for Ukrainian culture and language. Programming facilitates children’s development through culturally relevant experiences in a fun and safe environment. No previous knowledge of the Ukrainian language is required.

Centennial of the UOCC, 2018

In 2018, the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and also of Holy Trinity Cathedral were marked at an extraordinary sobor (assembly) at the cathedral in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The purpose of the sobor was to celebrate 100 years of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. The celebrations were attended by Ukrainian Orthodox faithful from across Canada and beyond.

The Sobor began on Thursday, 9 August, 2018, with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Chapel of Saint Petro Mohyla Institute, presided by Bishop Andriy (Peshko) of the Eastern Eparchy, with the responses sung by the Clergy led by Father Michael Lomaszkiewicz. This was followed by an All-Canada Clergy Conference.

Centennial Clergy Conference

All gathered for Vespers at the Mohyla Institute Chapel and this was followed by a wine and cheese reception as the delegates and guests registered for the Extraordinary National Council.

The celebrations continued for a year.

2020-2021 Coronavirus-19 virus restrictions on parishes

In early 2020, the Covid-19 virus made its appearance in Canada, and it quickly became a world-wide pandemic. Because of the rules governing gatherings that were laid down by the provincial and city governments, the parish stopped any further services after 8 March, 2020. Including the rules regarding social distancing, the decreasing numbers permitted for any gathering, and the considerations regarding the health of all concerned, this and other parishes were required to close for a time.

As elsewhere, there was some controversy about the legal requirements.

Election of Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk), 2022

Election of a nominee by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

On 15-19 June, 2022, the 24th Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox of Canada was convened "on-line". This conference-meeting was convened thus instead of convening physically (as customarily) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There were 6 cathedrals in Canada where this meeting took place simultaneously through a computer-network : in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral) ; Vancouver, British Columbia (Holy Trinity Cathedral) ; in Edmonton, Alberta (Saint John's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral) ; in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Holy Trinity Cathedral) ; in Toronto, Ontario (Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral) ; in Montréal, Québec (Saint Sophie Cathedral).

There was a total of 205 delegates, which was near the average attendance for such sobors.

In the course of the work of the Sobor, there was the necessary election in order to nominate to the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople a candidate for election as Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, who would succeed the Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk).

There were 3 candidates who were considered : Archbishop Job (Getcha), Bishop Ilarion (Rudnyk), and Bishop Andriy (Peshko). The final choice of the members of the sobor was Archbishop Job (Getcha). He had received more than the minimum required 51% of the votes, and there was no subsequent voting required.

The election by the Sobor (Assembly) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada then had to be confirmed by the Holy Synod of Bishops of Constantinople (as is described in the Consistory By-laws).

Upon having received the nomination (with accompanying documents) from the Sobor of the UOCC, the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople elected Vladyka Ilarion (Rudnyk) to become Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople elected Archbishop Job (Getcha) to become Metropolitan of Pisidia, in west-central Türkiye (Turkey), north of Lycia, and east of Ephesus.

Confirmation of election in Constantinople/Istanbul, 2022

On 29 August, 2022, Vladyka Ilarion (Rudnyk) was at the Phanar in Constantinople for the purpose of the first confirmation of the election in June, 2022. He co-served the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) in the Cathedral of Saint George at the Phanar.

Enthronement as Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, 2022

On Saturday, 19 November, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., in Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Enthronement Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served. Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) presided at the Divine Liturgy. He was assisted by Bishop Andriy (Peshko), many priests, several deacons, subdeacons and Altar-servers. Present also were Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios (Athanassoulas), Exarch of Canada for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk), Former Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.

Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) at the Phanar, Istanbul, 2023

On Sunday, 2 July, 2023, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) was present and praying during the Divine Liturgy at Saint George's Cathedral in the Patriarchate compound. He gave the blessing that Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) preside ("horostasia") over the Divine Liturgy. Metropolitan Job (Getcha) of Pisidia, Bishop Athenagoras (Ziliaskopoulos) of Nazianzos, and the Honourable Roman Nedilskyi, General Consul of Ukraine in Constantinople were also present and praying with the congregation of the Faithful.

Change of calendar for the UOCC, 2023

On 1 December, 2023, in accordance with the resolutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk) announced that, effective that day, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada moved to use the New (Revised Julian) Calendar. He allowed that for a brief period of time, a parish might remain on the Old (Julian) Calendar.

It seems that subsequently, John's Cathedral in Edmonton, Alberta, was the first to adopt the New (Revised Julian) Calendar.

However, a previously-existing group of persons began to encourage resistance to the immediacy of this change. It was their understanding that the process would be determined ultimately and finally at the next general sobor of the UOCC. Therefore, on 16 December, 2023, Metropolitan Ilarion issued a formal letter concerning the situation, together with a letter of support sent to him by his predecessor (Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk)). He called the resisters to repentance.

Particular parish information

This parish is a part of the Calgary District of the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. The bishop of the eparchy is Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk).

This parish follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.

The Altar Feast-day of this parish is the Feast of Saint Prince Vladimir, 15/28 July.

In 2024, the pastor of the parish is the Archpriest Patrick Yamniuk.

Address :

Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church

404, Meredith Road NE

Calgary, Alberta

T2E 5A6

Telephone : 403-264-3437

Fax : 403-264-3438

E-mail : info@stvlads.com

Web-site : http://www.stvlads.com

Facebook

Directions :

From Deerfoot Trail :

From Deerfoot Trail, exit west on Memorial Drive. Turn right on Edmonton Trail and then turn left at Meredith Road, which is the first street on the left. The Temple and Cultural Centre are on the right side of the road, halfway up the hill.

From 6th Avenue North :

Drive on Edmonton Trail South. At the bottom of the hill, turn right on Meredith Road. Meredith Road is 1 block north of Memorial Drive.

Calgary is accessible by road, principally Highway #1 (east-west), and Highway #2 (north-south).

It is accessible by various airlines through the Calgary International Aeroport.

It is accessible by interurban bus through various Alberta companies (Red Arrow ; Ebus ; Rider Express ; Poparide ; Cold Shot ; abestx.com, and others).

Archpriest Patrick Yamniuk

Telephones : (403) 264-3437 ; (403) 890-5325

E-mail : fatherp@stvlads.com

References

Papish, M Aka, ed., “Iconostas, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Church” (Calgary, AB : St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation, 1996) © 1996 St Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation. ISBN : 0968056407. ISBN : 9780968056400.

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Yereniuk, Prof. Roman, “A Short Historical Outline of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC)”.

Additional information :

A Brief History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

“Collection of Material Relating to the 50th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, 1918-1968” (Winnipeg : Consistory of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, 1968).

Sametz, William, “My father the priest : the life and times of the Very Reverend Dr. Peter Sametz : founding missionary priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (Toronto : Hypertex Plus, 2008). ISBN : 9780969670056.

Saint Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Calgary parish listing

Orthodox World listing

Ukrainian Orthodox Western Eparchy web-site

Wikipedia article about the Western Eparchy of the UOCC

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Wikipedia article about the Ukrainian Orthodox of Canada

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis)

Archbishop Boris (Yakovkevych)