Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
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The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC) is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada, primarily serving Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOC).
It has cathedrals in the cities of Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal. The Metropolitan Cathedral, seminary (St. Andrew's College), and central administrative office are all based in Winnipeg. Its membership is about twelve thousand, and the current Primate of the church is Metropolitan John (Stinka).
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[edit] Early History
Most ethnic Ukrainians moving to Canada from Galicia (Western Ukraine) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were Greek Catholics, and were tended early on by the local Roman Catholic hierarchy. This was because the Vatican had hoped that the Ukrainian Catholic's would assimilate into the Roman Catholic Church, which was already well established. The other major group of Ukrainians which were coming to Canada were from Bukovina, and they were mostly Orthodox. At first these Orthodox Christians were served by the Russian Orthodox Mission in North America (which at that time was part of the Russian Orthodox Church), but these services were not conducted in their native Ukrainian. Catholic's who were fed up with the Catholic's new ideologies in Canada, and the Orthodox who wanted to get their own church met in summer of 1918 the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and established the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Canada. Also at these meetings, the delegates (from mostly Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Manitoba had established a Brotherhood to try and help the young church.
The settlers had just created a new Church, but they were very conscious of Church Canon Law that states that a Church cannot exsist without a bishop. The Church's Brotherhood tryed to have Archbishop Alexander of the Russian Orthodox Mission to have the Church under his temporary care as Bishop. At first Archbishop Alexander agreed, but later declined, however, the UGOC's First Sobor (Church Council) still took place as planned on December 28th, 1918 in Saskatoon. This Sobor led to the establishment of the Church's first seminary in Saskatoon. The Brotherhood still looked very hard for a temporary Bishop, and found one: Metropolitan Germanos (Shehadi), who was the Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. He led the Church for the next 5 years (1919-1924). Under His supervision, Sobor II took place in Saskatoon, and was held on November 27th, 1919.
[edit] Archbishop John (Theodorovich)
Following Metropolitan Germanos' leadership, Archbishop John (Ioan) (Theodorovich) became the Church's Primate. Archbishop John had just arrived in the United States from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and he began to serve the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA to become their Primate and Metropolitan. The young Church had chosen the Ukrainian bishop as their bishop, hoping that the Church would further grow under his leadership (with his knowledge of Ukrainian traditions). During the summers from 1924 to 1946 Archbishop John would make his annual trip to Canada to visit the parishes throughout the country. When Archbishop John was in the USA during the winter months, a priest would act as an administrator at the Consistory, Fr. Semen Sawchuk.
After a few years as acting Primate of the UOCC, certain controversies laid around Archbishop John, due to his uncanonical ordination to bishop. Archbishop John was "ordained" by the "bishops" of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, who were not ordained according to the Canon Law's and Traditions of the Orthodox Church, but were ordained by priest's and lay people. The 1st Canon of the Holy Apostles states that new bishops should be ordained by at least 2 or 3 bishops. As a result of this, Archbishop John resigned his postion as ruling bishop in 1946.
At a special Sobor in 1947, Bishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) was accepted as the new Archbishop of Winnipeg and all Canada. However due to some misunderstandings, and arguments about how the Church should governed (mostly between him and Fr. Semen Sawchuk), he resigned as Primate in 1950 at Sobor X in Winnipeg. Under these happenings the UOCC had contacted Metropolitan Polikarp (Sikorsky) (who was the head of the Synod of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops under the Orthodox Church of Poland) for assistance, and he agreed to send some bishops over to help the faithful in Canada.
[edit] The Formation of the Metropolitanate
In 1951, St. Mary the Protectress Cathedral (who was not in the UOCC at that time) had invited Metropolitan Ilarion (Ohienko) to Canada to become their church's bishop, while the Consistory of the UOCC had already invited Archbishop Michael (Khoroshy) and Bishop Platon (Artemiuk) (who reposed shortly after arriving in Canada) to come to Canada to be the Church's Metropolitan and Bishop respectively. Once the Consistory had found out of Metropolitan Ilarion's coming to Canada, they sought him out, and invited him to become Metropolitan of the UOCC. He accepted only if St. Mary the Protectress was to be accepted back into the UOCC. The Consistory agreed, and the Central and Eastern Dioceses were created with Archbishop Michael heading the Eastern Diocese with its headquarters in Toronto, and Metropolitan Ilarion heading the Central Diocese in Winnipeg as Metropolitan.
[edit] Modern History
In 1990, it became a canonical church by being accepted into the Patriarchy of Constantinople. A few years later its sister church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA joined her. Also in 1990, the church made the official name change from: Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOC); to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC).
In July 2005, at the XXI SOBOR of the UOCC, Archbishop John, (at that time) was elected Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of All Canada. In late 2005, Archbishop John, finally replaced (after his acception by the Holy Synod of Bishops of Constantinople) Metropolitan Wasyly Fedak as Metropolitan, who reposed in January 2005, after serving in the position for nearly twenty years.
Currently, the UOCC has just two bishops (fewer than preferred, as 3 bishops makes a "Council of Bishops", and the UOCC prefers to have 4 bishops to help them better look after their flock.), and at the XXI Sobor, the Sobor chose Very Rev. Fr. Michael Skrumeda as bishop-elect (however his consecration as bishop was put off until further notice).
Metropolitan John's enthronement took place on July 23, 2006 at Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg. Metropolitan Soterios of the Greek Metropolis of Toronto (Exarch of Canada) officiated the enthronement service, and presented Metropolitan John the Slavic, White Klobuk (of a Metropolitan), and a new episcopal staff. Metropolitan Soterios also installed Metroplitan John as Archbishop of Winnipeg, the Central Diocese, and Metropolitan of Canada.
[edit] Bishops
In Ukrainian (Slavic) Tradition, the Metropolitan is the Head Bishop of the Church and Primate, and then followed by the Archbishop(s) and/or Bishop(s). In Greek Tradition, the Metropolitan's, and Archbishop's roles are reversed.
In the UOCC, the Metropolitan is always the "Archbishop of Winnipeg, and the Central Diocese, Metropolitan of Canada" (which is currently Metropolitan John), while the next two Bishops are always the: "(Arch)bishop of Edmonton, and the Western Diocese," and the "(Arch)bishop of Toronto, and the Eastern Diocese" (Archbishop Yurij, currently), while the fourth Bishop is always the "Bishop of Saskatoon, and Vicar of the Central Diocese." Usually the church only has 4 bishops, but if there is a need for more, there are the spots of: "Bishop of Montreal, and Vicar of the Eastern Diocese," and "Bishop of Vancouver, and the Vicar of the Western Diocese."
List of Bishops, who served (or currently serve) in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada:
- +His Eminence, Metropolitan Germanos (Sheheddi) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (1919-1924) ("...The second Sobor (of the UOCC) was held on November 27, 1919, with the presence of the Antiochian Metropolitan Germanos, who accepted to lead the U.G.O.C.C. until the time it would have its own bishop. He headed the Church for five years, until 1924...")
- +His Beatitude, Metropolitan John (Theodorovich) (1924-48)(head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA who accepted the Canadian church under his omophorion)
- +His Eminence, Archbishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) (1949-1950) (His short stay in Canada was due to the fact that he did not like the way the church was governed (he wanted absolute control). After his resignation he went to the United States and became a long time Archbishop and Metropolitan (primate) of the UOC of the USA. In 1990 he was elected Patriarch of Ukraine, and he served in that role until his death in 1993)
- +His Beatitude, Metropolitan Ilarion (Ohienko) (first Metropolitan in UOCC) (1951-1972 as Metropolitan)
- +His Beatitude, Metropolitan Michael (Khoroshy) (1951-1977) & Metropolitan from 1973 to 1975 (Metropolitan Michael resigned as Metropolitan in 1975) (first Bishop of Toronto)
- +His Beatitude, Metropolitan Andrew (Metiuk) (1959-1985) & Metropolitan from 1975 to 1985 (first Bishop of Edmonton)
- +His Eminence, Archbishop Boris (Yakovkevych) (1963-1984) (first Bishop of Saskatoon)
- +His Eminence, Archbishop Nicholas (Debryn) (1975-1981)
- +His Beatitude, Metropolitan Wasyly (Fedak) (1978-2005) & Metropolitan from 1985 to 2005
- His Eminence, Metropolitan John (Stinka) (1983-Present) & Metropolitan from 2005 to Present
- His Eminence, Archbishop Yurij (Kalistchuk) (1989-Present)
Note: "+" denotes Deceased
[edit] See also
- History of Christianity in Ukraine
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
- Metropolitan John (Stinka)
- Archbishop of Toronto and Eastern Canada
- Archbishop of Edmonton and Western Canada
| Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Autocephalous Churches |
| Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople | Alexandria | Antioch | Jerusalem Russia | Serbia | Romania | Bulgaria | Georgia Cyprus | Greece | Poland | Albania | Czechia and Slovakia | OCA* |
| Autonomous Churches |
| Sinai | Finland | Estonia* | Japan* | China* | Ukraine* | Western Europe* | Bessarabia* | Moldova* | Ohrid* | (ROCOR) |
| The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized. |
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