'Renewed sense of strength' among Ukrainian community after visit of archbishop to Winnipeg

CBC

02-03-2025

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With a message of strength and unity, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church renewed a sense of hope at a church service in Winnipeg, an uplifting moment for parishioners amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and Friday's heated clash in Washington.
Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, held an hours-long service at the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in the city's North End.
Hundreds of parishioners filled the temple Sunday morning, bringing attendance numbers that are often only seen during Christmas and Easter, said Eugene Waskw, a trustee of the church.
"What the patriarch brought to us today was a sense of the strength of the Ukrainian people throughout the world," he said.
Shevchuk's visit carried a message of renewed strength, faith and unity in the face of Ukraine's war with Russia, Waskw said.
The sermon, a call to stay strong and pray for the future of the country, Waskw said, hit the right set of notes against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv after heated clashes between the leaders of both countries at the Oval Office Friday.
But it was also an important reminder that Ukraine is not alone.
"The message from the patriarch helped," Waskw said. "We will be here. Ukraine is not dead, and it's not dying."
Auxiliary bishop Andriy Rabiy said Shevchuk's visit, his first to Winnipeg since 2012, was a significant event for the congregation and an opportunity for parishioners to get a word of hope in the midst of a war now dragging into its fourth year.
"It is a huge uplifting moment for all of us here in Winnipeg," he said. "He had a word for everyone."
Shevchuk offered individual blessings to those inside the temple, a "huge thing," said Rabiy, who thinks many of those who received it will cherish it today for years to come.
"He is a very recognizable figure in Ukraine, [a] moral authority, [a] religious authority," Rabiy said.
Shevchuk came to Canada for a synod of bishops in Ontario but decided to make a stop in Winnipeg due to the larger number of Ukrainians living in Manitoba, and to commemorate the 125th birthday of the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral coming this upcoming spring, Waskw said.
Lynn Nykoluk, a parishioner at the church, said Shevchuk drew in a crowd size she hadn't seen before, even during Christmas, and created an opportunity for the Ukrainian community to ground in prayers.