Honouring the Legacy of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky:

Ethical Action in Extreme Conditions

On April 25, 2012 the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute hosted a historical symposium at Saint Paul University.  Organized in conjunction with the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative and the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa, the Sheptytsky Institute had the honour to welcome the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations along with international scholars, academic and community participants for a half-day symposium honouring the heroic deeds and courageous public witness of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky in the face of the atrocities perpetrated against the Jews in World War II.

Among the 20 distinguished members of the Council were: His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church); His Holiness Filaret (Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyivan Patriarchate); His Eminence Mefodiy, (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church); Most Reverend Markiyan Trofimyak (Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine); Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich (Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine); Sheikh Ahmad Tamim (Grand Mufti of Ukraine), and various representatives of Protestant denominations and communities in Ukraine. In addition there were various resource persons and assistants accompanying the group.

Dr. Chantal Beauvais, Rector, Saint Paul University delivered greetings to the over 180 participants as did Mr. James Temerty, Chair of the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter (UJE) which sponsored the visitors.  Both Patriarch Sviatoslav and Rabbi Bleich brought greetings on behalf of the Council.

The discussion panel was chaired by the Very Rev. Dr. Peter Galadza (Kule Family Chair of Eastern Christian Liturgy, Sheptytsky Institute).  The program of speakers and topics was as follows:

Prof. Paul Robert Magocsi, FRSC (Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Toronto) “The World of Andrei Sheptytskyi”

Prof. Liliana Hentosh (Chair of History of the Catholic Church, Institute for Historical Research, Lviv National University) “Metropolitan Sheptytskyi and the Jewish Community: Archival Sources and Contextual Approaches”    

Prof. Myroslav Marynovych (Vice-Rector, Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv) “Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and the Jews: An Ethical-Historical Analysis”

Right Rev. Dr. Andriy Chirovsky (Peter and Doris Kule Chair of Eastern Christian Theology and Spirituality, Sheptytsky Institute) “Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky:  The Spiritual Core of a Complex Personality”

The session concluded with a 20-minute video presentation entitled, “Jewish Voices on the Compassion and Courage of Metropolitan Andrey.”

Special acknowledgement was given to the motion adopted, by unanimous consent, in the Parliament of Canada on the previous day honouring Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.

The motion reads:

Whereas Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (1865-1944) of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, was the leader of Western Ukraine’s largest faith group during the period of the Second World War; and

Whereas in the darkest period of Europe’s history, with the deepening horrors of the mass murder of Jews in their homelands in Eastern Europe under German occupation during World War II, he spoke out eloquently against anti-Jewish violence and urged his congregants in a famous homily:  “Thou Shalt Not Kill;” and

Whereas leaders and representatives of all Ukraine’s major faith communities – Christian, Jewish, and Muslim – are visiting Canada to acknowledge Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s good works; and

Whereas Metropolitan Sheptytsky acted to shelter and rescue Jews, saving over 160, including some present with us in Ottawa today;

This House is united in expressing Canada’s recognition of Andrey Sheptytsky’s courageous actions, compassion for his oppressed Jewish Ukrainian countrymen, and enduring example of commitment to fundamental human rights as humankind’s highest obligation.

In closing, Father Stephen, the director of the Institute, thanked Mr. Temerty and the UJE for their vision and sponsorship, Prof Dominique Arel and the MASI staff for the organization of the Symposium, and the panel for their excellent presentations.  In conveying his appreciation to the Council of religious leaders, he noted that while the Council expressed its gratitude to Canada for the many times it has recognized Ukraine in a formal way, it was important to underscore the profound gift the Council has brought to Canada.  “You showed us what it means not only for one denomination to live in harmony with another, but how multiple churches and multiple faiths can all live together as sons and daughters of God.” Such a gift, he said, was worthy of the legacy of him whom we honoured, our patron: Metropolitan Andrey.

Please accept our warmest invitation to attend Sheptytsky Institute Study Days 2012 – An Eastern Christian Feast for the Mind and Heart – to be held from Saturday, June 30 to Monday, July 2, 2012 at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.   We will also be offering a Cantoring Workshop on Friday, June 29, 2012. As usual, two accredited courses (worth 3 credits each) will be offered from Wednesday, July 4 to Saturday, July 14.

 The theme this year is: The Bible – A Timeless Text for Today? “Celebrating … Understanding … Living … the Word of God.” The Bible is central to all of Christian life. And yet, reading it can bring as many questions as answers.  Our Study Days will begin with an introduction to the place of the Scriptures in the Church’s life, and move on to reflect on some “difficult passages.”  How are we to understand the Book of Revelation?  What is to be made of Old Testament texts where God appears vindictive?  These, and many more questions will be discussed in the context of Eastern Christianity’s distinctive approach to biblical interpretation.

We have confirmed three plenary speakers who will be presenting this theme from different viewpoints.  The plenary speakers are Dr. Edith Humphrey (Professor, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and laywoman of the Antiochian Orthodox Church), Father Andrew Onuferko (holder of the Wynnyckyj Teaching and Research Fellowship at the Sheptytsky Institute in Saint Paul University and Ukrainian Catholic priest) and Father Andrea Spatafora (Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University and Roman Catholic priest).

 We turn to you to assist us in advertising Study Days by sharing this information.  A vital way of helping us is through your promotion of the conference as you speak to the people you know.  Most importantly, please pray that the participants realize a fruitful outcome to their spiritual and intellectual seeking.

More information on Study Days, the Cantoring Workshop and the Academic Courses will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at 613-236-1393, extension 2330.  You may also wish to visit our website at www.sheptytskyinstitute.ca

Thank you, in advance, for your good will, kindness and support. Hoping you accept our invitation, I am

Yours faithfully in Our Lord,

Father Stephen

Facsimile of the Peresopnytsia Gospel (Ukraine, 16th century)

THO 2137 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Thought I:  Metropolitan Anthony Bloom and Kenotic Theology (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)  Rev. Dr. Roman Rytsar

THO 3306 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Thought II:  Theosis (Deification) (6:00 pm to 8:00 pm) Rt. Rev. Dr. Andriy Chirovsky

For more information please contact Father Stephen Wojcichowsky, Director, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (MASI) at 613-236-1393, extension 2330.

 FALL 2012

THO 2130**Foundations of Eastern Christian Theology (Professor Brian Butcher) (Wednesday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

THO 2131W**General Introduction to the Eastern Churches (Professor Andrew Onuferko) (ON-LINE)

THO 3301*Hermeneutics & Exegesis in Eastern Christianity (Professor Andrew Onuferko) (ON-LINE)

THO 3318* Eastern Christian Spirituality  (Professor Maxym Lysak) (Tuesday 5:30 pm to 8:30pm)

THO 3332  Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Liturgy/Sacraments II:  Marriage (Professor Michael Winn) (Thursday 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm)

WINTER 2013

THO 2119a Selected Topics in the Practice of the Church I:  Eastern Christian Pastoral Theology (Professor John Jillions) (Monday 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm)

THO 3319*Eastern Christian Doctrine I:  Trinity, Christ and Holy Spirit (Professor Andriy Chirovsky) (Thursday 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm)

THO 3322*Byzantine Eucharistic Liturgies (Professor Brian Butcher) (Tuesday 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm)

THO 3324*Introduction to Eastern Christian Ethics (Professor Brian Butcher) (Thursday 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm)

**Compulsory basic (Foundational)

 * Compulsory

Graduate Courses in Ottawa

FALL 2012

THO 6376/6359 Foundational Texts in Eastern Christian Spirituality (Professor Brian Butcher) (Tuesday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

THO 6378 Resources and Methods for the Study of Eastern Christianity (Professor Peter Galadza) (Monday 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm)

THO 6382 Foundational Texts in Eastern Christian Theology (Professor Andriy Chirovsky) (Thursday 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm)

WINTER 2013

THO 6375 Foundational Texts in Eastern Christian Spirituality  (Professor John Jillions) (Wednesday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

THO 6392 The History of Eastern Christian Institutions, Movements, Persons: Twentieth-Century Eastern Christian Sacramental Theology  (Professor Peter Galadza) (Monday 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm)

THO 6710 Herméneutique Théologique (Professor James Pambrun) (Tuesday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

For information on how to register, contact the Admissions & Recruitment Office at 613-236-1393 or admission@ustpaul.ca 

Part-time students and auditors welcome.  Full-time University of Ottawa students can register at no extra charge.

Scheduling subject to change. 

Names accepted on a waiting list.  Please click for registration form.

Honouring the Legacy of  Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky

Ethical Action in Extreme Conditions

Symposium organized by the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative in cooperation with the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies and the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa 

Join us in welcoming 

Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk

(Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church);

Jacob Dov Bleich

(Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine);

Patriarch Filaret Denysenko

(Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyivan Patriarchate) and

other leaders of the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine;  

                                           other religious authorities of Ukraine and international scholars              

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Saint Paul University

                  Amphitheatre, Guigues Pavilion                    

223 Main Street, Ottawa, ON

                                  Public Symposium in English.  Free admission.                                 

Please register in advance. 

For more information contact Father Stephen Wojcichowsky,

Director, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies

at 613-236-1393, extension 2330

 Portrait of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky by Fr. Serhij Kindzerawyi-Pastukhiv.

She Paid the Ultimate Price

By:  Iryna Korpan

This is a film documentary which chronicles Iryna’s efforts to uncover the tragic fate of her grandmother in Western Ukraine for sheltering Jews during the Holocaust.  It includes commentary on Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.   

The film is in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

7:00 pm

Saint Paul University

Amphitheatre, Guigues Pavilion

223 Main Street, Ottawa, ON

Please RSVP your attendance by calling 613-236-1393, extension 2651

or email:  okowalchuk@ustpaul.ca

Please click for flyer.

The Silver Anniversary of a Golden Opportunity: A Personal Account of the Early Years and Reflections on the Accomplishments of the Sheptytsky Institute

Andriy Chirovsky (205)

Articles

Pavel Florensky: His Life and Work

Richard W. Armstrong (223)

Abstract

In this short biography, the author sketches the life of the Russian polymath, priest, mystic and martyr Pavel Florensky. Two lenses are adopted in presenting this exceptional personality: (1) the biographical photograph and (2) the biographical portrait. The first perspective provides the basic empirical data and material-efficient causes of Florensky’s life. The periods and themes covered in this section are Florensky’s Early Life, Professional Life, Life Extinguished and Life Remembered. The second perspective uncovers the true being and formal-final causes of Florensky’s life. The themes developed in this section are Florensky the Ontologico-Symbolical Seeker and Florensky the Icono-Mystical Witness. Afterward, a third and final section is appended, outlining a brief summary of the most serious appraisals of the person of Florensky. The study concludes that Florensky stands out as one of twentieth-century Christianity’s most outstanding luminaries, and arguably as one of the most intellectually, morally, spiritually and mystically endowed figures in all of Christian history.

Резюме

У цій короткій біографії автор представляє ескіз життя російського ерудита, священика, містика та мученика Павла Флоренського. Для представлення цієї неординарної особистості використано дві перспективи: 1) біографічна фотографія та 2) біографічний портрет. Перша перспектива відображає основні емпіричні дані й матеріяльно-дієву причину життя Флоренського. Періоди та теми цієї частини – це „Раннє життя, професійне життя, вигашене життя і життя в пам’яті інших” Флоренського. Друга перспектива розкриває правдиве буття і формально-телеологічні причини життя Флоренського. Теми розкриті у цій частині – це Флоренський як онтологічно-символічний шукач і Флоренський як іконо-містичний свідок. Опісля додано третю та останню частину, яка представляє короткий опис найбільш серйозних оцінок особи Флоренського. У дослідженні дойдено до висновку, що Флоренський є одним із найвидатніших християнських світочів двадцятого століття і, можливо, одним з найбільш інтелектуальних, моральних, духовних та містично обдарованих осіб цілої християнської історії.

Parenting in the Spirit: Helping Children Stay on the King’s Highway

Theresa Zolner (253)

Abstract

In this ground breaking article, the author, an Eastern Christian and practicing child and family psychologist, both calls for much more work to analyze and integrate secular psychology and Eastern Christian spirituality and psychology, and deepens that very process by briefly analyzing developmental theories of such as Sigmund and Anna Freud, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Erik Erikson, John Watson, Walter Bandura, William Kessen, Harry Stack Sullivan, and John Bowlby. These are set alongside prominent psychological theories in Greek patristic and monastic literature from the Philokalia as well as such ancient figures as Sts. Basil the Great, Isaiah the Solitary, Philotheos of Sinai, Hesychios the Priest, Symeon Metaphrastis, Diadochos of Photiki, Anthony the Great; and, in the modern period, Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna, John Boojamra, Anthony Coniaris, and others. The author focuses in particular on patristic-monastic notions of psyche, nous, dianoia, logos, and theosis, which are analyzed to find where there are possible semantic overlaps with analogous terms in the psychological literature of today. Eastern Christian parents, in seeking to fulfill their role as pneumatophors, must practice theosis and strive to help their children grow into that practice by means of de-deification of the ego, rejection of the logismoi, and acquisition of self-control and a spirit of repentance.

Резюме

У своїй новаторській статті східно-християнський автор, практикуючий дитячий та сімейний психолог, заохочує до посиленої праці над аналізом та інтеграцією світської психології зі cхідно-християнською духовністю та психологією. Цей процес вона поглиблює коротким аналізом теорій розвитку психологів Зиґмунда та Анни Фройд, Жана Піяже, Лоуренса Колберґа, Еріка Еріксона, Джона Ватсона, Вальтера Бандури, Вільяма Кессена, Гаррі Стак Суллівана та Джона Бовлбі. Цей набір психологічних теорій порівнюється з грецькою патристичною та монашою літературою з „Добротолюбія”, а також з такими давніми постаттями як Василій Великий, Ісая Самітник, Філофей Синайський, Ісихій єрей, Симеон Метафраст, Діадох Фотікійський, Антоній Великий, та авторами

сучасного періоду: Архієпископ Хризостом з Етни, Джон Бужамра, Антоній Коніаріс, та інші. Автор зокрема зосереджується на святоотцівських-монаших поняттях психе, нус, діаноя, логос i теозіс та проводить їх аналіз, щоби виявити потеційну семантичну схожість з аналогічними сучасними психологічними термінами. Східно-християнські батьки, прагнучи сповнити свою роль духоносців, зобов’язані практикувати обоження та старатися допомогти своїм дітям зростати в цій практиці за допомогою деобожнювання власного „я”, відмовою від лукавих помислів, присвоєння самоконтролю та духа покаяння.

Symbols and Symbolism in the Liturgy Revisited: A Ricoeurian Critique of Schmemann’s Symbology

Brian Butcher (293)

Abstract

This paper probes the discrepancy Alexander Schmemann posited between the true meaning of the symbolism of the liturgy, as disclosed in and by the rites themselves, and that which obtains in the classic genre of liturgical commentary. Informed by Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of symbol and metaphor, the author argues that Schmemann’s wider oeuvre can be marshalled in favour of an interpretative pluralism, over and against the univocity to which the latter appeals in his provocative article, “Symbols and Symbolism in the Liturgy: Liturgical Symbols and Their Theological Interpretation.” Roundly critiquing therein the patristic commentators and their illustrative and mystagogical tendencies, Schmemann boldly charges them with “apply[ing] to the liturgy their particular vision rather than seek[ing] in the liturgy the vision implied in its own ordo, in its own structures and texts, in short, in its own symbolism” – arguably a capital instance of what Paul Ricoeur has called the “conflict of interpretations.” In response to this, the author finds a potential mediation in the triadic categories of For the Life of the World. The ensuing hermeneutical model is applied to a select instance of symbolic polemic within the Byzantine liturgical context, in order to vindicate the Ricoeurian “surplus of meaning” implicit in Schmemann’s original intuition, as explicated in his Introduction to Liturgical Theology, of a “Byzantine synthesis.”

Резюме

Ця стаття досліджує різницю, яку Олександр Шмеман поклав між справжнім значенням символізму літургії (богослуження), виявлену у та через самі обряди, та таким, що проявляється у клясичному жанрі літургійного коментаря. Використовуючи філософію символу та метафори Поля Рікера, автор статті стверджує, що широкий доробок Шмемана може бути задіяним на користь тлумачного плюралізму проти однозначности, на яку він полягав у своїй провокативній статті „Символи та символізм в Літургії: Літургійні символи та їхня богословська інтерпретація.” Різко критикуючи патристичних коментаторів з їхніми ілюстративними та містагогійними нахилами, Шмеман у цій статті виразно звинувачує „у застосовуванні в літургії їхнього власного бачення замість пошуку світогляду притаманного їй ordo, у власній структурі й текстах, коротше кажучи, в її власному символізмі” – правдоподібно, основний приклад того, що Пол Рікер називав „конфліктом інтерпретацій.” Відповіддю на це автор бачить потенційне посередництво у троїчних категоріях За життя світу. Саме цей герменевтичний метод застосовується в статті для певного прикладу символічної полеміки всередині Візантійського літургічного контексту, щоби виправдати Рікерський “надлишок сенсу”, прихований в оригінальній інтуїції Шмемана якa говорить в його „Вступі до Літургійного богослов’я” про „Візантійський синтез.”

Notes, Essays, Lectures

The Canonical Rules of the Orthodox Church: Theory and Practice

Vassa Larin (313)

Book Reviews

Brandon, Ray and Wendy Lower, eds. The Shoah in Ukraine: History, Testimony, Memorialization (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2010), 392 pp.

Myroslav Shkandrij (331)

Jarrett Zigon, “HIV Is God’s Blessing”: Rehabilitating Morality in Neoliberal Russia (University of California Press, 2010), 280 pp.

Sarah D. Phillips (336)

Anthony O’Mahony, ed., Christianity and Jerusalem. Studies in Modern Theology and Politics in the Holy Land (Leominster: Gracewing, 2010), ix + 326 pp.

Stephen W. Need (339)

Philip Wood, “We Have No King but Christ”: Christian Political Thought in Greater Syria on the Eve of the Arab Conquest (c. 400–585) (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 295 pp.

David Bertaina (343)

Diarmaid MacCulloch, Christianity, The First Three Thousand Years (NY: Viking, 2009), xviii + 1161 pages.

Michael Plekon (347)

Maxwell Johnson, ed., Issues in Eucharistic Praying in East and West: Essays in Liturgical and Theological Analysis (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2010), 416 pp.

Nicholas Denysenko (350)

Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom (InterVarsity Press, 2010), 373 pp.

Daniel Larison (354)

G.M. Hamburg and Randall A. Poole, eds., A History of Russian Philosophy 1830–1930: Faith, Reason, and the Defense of Human Dignity (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010), xv + 423 pp.

Robert F. Slesinski (358)

S.L. Frank, The Meaning of Life, translated by Boris Jakim (Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), xvi + 138 pp.

Robert F. Slesinski (363)

Laura Engelstein, Slavophile Empire: Imperial Russia’s Illiberal Path (Ithaca & London: Cornell University Press, 2009), xiv + 239 pp.

Robert F. Slesinski (365)

Vladimir Solovyov, The Principles of Integral Knowledge trans. Valeria Z. Nollan (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008) 179 pp.

Robert F. Slesinski (368)

Basilio Petrà, L’Etica Ortodossa: Storia, fonti, identità (Assisi: Cittadella Editrice, 2010), 327 pp.

Robert F. Slesinski (369)

James Siemens, The Christology of Theodore of Tarsus: The Laterculus Malalianus and the Person and Work of Christ (Brepols, 2010), 211 pp.

John Hunwicke (372)

Ana Smith Iltis and Mark J. Cherry, Eds. At the Roots of Christian Bioethics: Critical Essays on the Thought of H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. (Salem, MA: Scrivener Press, 2010), 339 pp.

Stanley Samuel Harakas (376)

Rachel Scott, The Challenge of Political Islam: Non-Muslims and the Egyptian State (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2010), 277 pp.

Nelly van Doorn-Harder (379)

Bryn Geffert Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans. Diplomacy, Theology, and the Politics of Interwar Ecumenism (University of Notre Dame Press, 2010), ix + 502 pp. + 22 plates.

Hugh Wybrew (383)

Victor Roudometov and Vasilios N. Makrides, eds., Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: the Role of Religion in Culture, Ethnicity, and Politics (Ashgate, 2010), 258 pp.

Nicolas Prevelakis (387)

Lee Trepanier, Political Symbols in Russian History: Church, State, and the Quest for Order and Justice (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010), 197 pp.

Heather Bailey (391)

Briefly Noted (395)

Contributors (403)

The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies

Academic Programs, Resources, Books

How divine!  How loving! How mellow was your voice,    O Christ, when you gave your firm promise to remain with us until the end of time!  We, the faithful, rejoice in this wellspring of hope!                             Resurrection Matins, Ode 9

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

How can we not have hope when it is Christ himself who speaks words of peace, of encouragement, of steadfast love for us?  As I reflect upon our 25^th anniversary year, now nearing to a close, I am mindful of the many blessings we have received – blessings that came, it seems, when we were most hard-pressed, most unsure, most prone to discouragement.  It was then that we heard that still, small voice of God in the turbulence of our lives. How did it come to us? – not in some thunderous revelation, but in the quiet of our hearts and in the voices of you our supporters.  It came, too, in the accomplishments of our students and professors.

Our Institute has a vital role to fulfill for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, for Eastern Catholicism, for the world of Orthodoxy and for Western Christianity.  We stand at the intersection of these spheres of the Christian faith in order to provide a centre of higher learning, committed to quality education; a centre of research, committed to scholarship and publication; a centre of ecumenical understanding, committed to fostering respectful and fruitful encounter and dialogue; and a centre of prayer, dedicated to integrating academic study and worship of the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Your prayers, generosity and endorsement mean everything to us and to those we serve.  Thank you for all your goodness.

May the Risen Lord grant peace, joy and hope-filled assurance to all – now and always.

Christ is Risen!  Truly He is Risen!

Father Stephen Wojcichowsky, Institute Director

Logos Volume 52, Nos. 3-4 (2011)

Renewal and Back Issues  Subscription rate: Canada CDN $45.00 • International US $45.00

If you are interested in starting or continuing your current subscription, or wish to make an order of some back copies of LOGOS, please download the form below.

  Logos Renewal Form

 Both Eastern and Western Christians gathered for Vespers at Saint Onuphrius Ukrainian Catholic Church located within the Museum.  Originally built in Smoky Lake, Alberta, Saint Onuphrius Church was dismantled and rebuilt within the Museum in 1996.

 Following Vespers, approximately 80 participants took part in a procession to a beautiful ice cross erected next to the Museum, in front of the Ottawa River for the water blessing. The cross was built by a team of seminarians from Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary and students of Saint Paul University under the supervision of Father Andrew Onuferko. 

At Vespers Father Andrea Spatafora, a Roman Catholic priest and Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Saint Paul University, assisted Father Stephen Wojcichowsky, Director of the Sheptytsky Institute, in leading the service. They were then joined for the Water Blessing by Father Andriy Chirovsky, Founder and Former Director of the Sheptytsky Institute; Father Roman Rytsar, Sessional Lecturer at Saint Paul University; and Father Taras Cherwick, Lieutenant-Colonel Air Command Chaplain. The singing was led by Sub-Deacon Brian Butcher, who is on a one-year contract teaching with the Institute. Prof. Butcher also offered an insightful reflection on the meaning of the ritual at the end of Vespers.

Following the water blessing, Father Roman Rytsar, accompanied by all the children and most of the adults, proceeded to the bank of the Ottawa River where he threw a blessed cross into river to mark the entry of Christ into all the waters of the world.  The group then gathered back in the Museum for a reception of warm beverages sponsored by the events team of the Museum.

Father Stephen Wojcichowsky commented, “When I stepped out into the courtyard and saw the ice cross backlit with spotlights and how it illuminated the darkness of the evening, I was deeply moved by the thought that the prayer of our little group was truly blessed. If our faith could shine as vividly and powerfully as that cross, then we could be authentic witnesses to Christ’s peace and light for the renewal of the world.” 

Photos taken by Chrystia Chudczak.  www.chrystiachudczak.com