80th
Jubilee of Religious
Life
Sister Neonilia Eudokia Charanduk
70th
Jubilee of Religious
Life
Sister Patricia Catherine Harrison
Sister Polycarp Anna Matwiy
60th Jubilee of
Religious Life
Sister Andronica Annie Spilchuk
Sister Valerie Sophie
Krochenski
Sister Esther Marie Kurylo
Sister Mary Holowaty
50th Jubilee of ReligiousLife
Sister Janice Soluk
Sister Eugenia Mary Stefaniuk
For all the above - MNOHAYA
LITA!
- 7 sec download at 28.8 kbps)
Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre
437 Wilson Street East
Ancaster, ON L9G 3K4
Tel.
905-648-4485
Eparchial Marian Pilgrimage: Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sister Mary
Nicholas Fedor , SSMI
1924 - 2006
Sister Mary Nicholas died peacefully on Saturday, December 02, 2006 at Seven
Oaks Hospital in Winnipeg, MB. Her Community of Sisters Servants of Mary
Immaculate had kept a prayerful and loving vigil by her bedside for twelve
days.
Mary was born to Wasyl Fedor and Mary (nee Buchko) on April 02, 1924, in
Neudorf, SK, near Ituna. Her parents had emigrated from western Ukraine in
the early years of the 1900’s. She was the second youngest of ten
children, eight sons and two daughters. Her father Wasyl was employed by the
Canadian Pacific Railway until his retirement. Among other projects, he
assisted in the building of the northern railway to Churchill on Hudson Bay.
The Fedor family moved to Ituna in 1925, where Mary attended the local school
and later, Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton.
She responded to the Lord’s call to dedicate her entire life to Christ
and His Church, entering the novitiate of the Sisters Servants of Mary
Immaculate in Mundare, AB, on October 12, 1949. Sister Mary Nicholas made
first profession of vows on April 14, 1952 and final profession, August 15,
1957.
For 57 years Sister Mary Nicholas served in whatever apostolate she was missioned
with her whole heart. Her mission work was the overflow of her life of prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament in company with the Blessed Mother. Her special
call was to accompany the dying in their final days and hours, reassuring
them of God’s infinite compassion, mercy and love. She touched the
hearts and lives of those she ministered to and their loved ones with her
deep faith and trust in the goodness of the Lord and her tender devotion to
the maternal Heart of Mary Immaculate. In her lifetime she was a channel of
God’s tender compassion and healing touch to young and old - priests,
Sisters Servants, laity.
From her early years in religious life, Sister Mary Nicholas loved to care
for the children in St. Joseph’s Home in Mundare, AB, until 1963, when
she was asked to serve at Holy Family Nursing Home in Winnipeg, MB, as
Housekeeper Supervisor. Her desire for caring for the aged and infirm grew
steadily led her to enter the health care field. She graduated from the St.
Boniface School of Nursing in Winnipeg as a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1971
and later received training in palliative care at the Royal Victoria Hospital
in Montreal. She served in the health care apostolate as LPN and in pastoral
care for fifteen years in Holy Family Nursing Home in Winnipeg, MB; Mary
Immaculate Hospitals in Willingdon and Mundare in Alberta and in St.
Joseph’s and Hotel Dieu Hospitals in Windsor, ON.
In addition to volunteering in Holy Family Home, another ministry which
brought Sister Mary Nicholas much joy was to minister to elderly and infirm
priests, assisting them in celebrating the Divine Liturgy, being attentive to
their needs and sharing her spiritual journey with them. From 1963 to 2003
she cared for twelve priests of the Winnipeg Archeparchy, who were residents
in Holy Family Nursing Home.
In her later years, with joy and self-sacrifice Sr. Mary Nicholas ministered
to the needs of the elderly and infirm Sisters Servants Bethany Home in
Winnipeg, St. Ann’s Home in Ituna and St. Joseph’s Home in
Mundare. Her loving concern, prayerful support and words of encouragement and
spiritual uplift were appreciated and treasured.
Sister Mary Nicholas lived out the charism of the Sisters Servants “to
serve where the need was the greatest”, be it ministering to the body
and spirit of the sick, infirm, and elderly, teaching catechism in the
parish, working in the garden and performing various domestic tasks, serving
as sacristan, making home visits to the sick and elderly, assisting in the
summer months at the Sister Servant mission in Lourdes, France, and serving
in the retreat ministry at Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster, ON. She was
local superior in Sister Servant missions in Winnipeg, Mundare, Windsor and
Ancaster.
Sister Mary Nicholas was a devoted member of the Sisters Servants,
participating wholeheartedly in the community life of the Sisters and in
their renewal programs, meetings and celebrations. She was deeply grateful
for the opportunities the community provided her for pilgrimages to Rome and
Lourdes, scriptural studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and
opportunities for retreats and spiritual renewals.
She especially valued the ministry of those called to serve in the priesthood
and did all she could to assist them in their vocation, by prayer, sacrifice
and word. In the words of one priest: “You have touched my life with
your presence. The Spirit works through you and many will feel the power of
Christ through you. Let you preach Christ without preaching, not by words but
by your example, by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what
you do.
Sr. Mary Nicholas was predeceased by her parents and brothers infant Joseph,
Mike (+Tillie), John, Bill (+Pauline), Nick and Pete and Paul. She is
survived by her sister Anne and brother Thomas, both residing in Hamilton,
ON, and sisters-in-law Jean (+Nick), Rose (+Pete), Betty (+Paul) and many
nieces and nephews with their families.
Requiem services for Sister Mary Nicholas were held at St. Nicholas Ukrainian
Catholic Church in Winnipeg. On Monday, December 04, 2006, Sr. Anne Pidskalny
led a common rosary at 6:30 pm, prior to the Parastas celebrated by
Archbishop Michael Bzdel CSsR, Bishop David Motiuk, Msgr. Michael Buyachok,
Fr. Isidore Dziadyk OSBM, Fr. Walter Klimchuk, Fr. Damien Dutka OSBM, Fr.
Raymond Lukie CSsR, Fr. Volodymyr Bashutsky and Fr. Zachary Shwaluk OSBM. The
singing was led by Lesia Sianchuk. In his homily Bishop David referred to the
wise men who followed the Bethlehem Star, which led them to the Christ Child.
Similarly, Sr. Mary Nicholas followed her particular star, which led her to
Christ. Today we rejoice with her as she enters the Eternal Light and Joy.
Vice-Provincial Sr. Theresa Matwe SSMI delivered the eulogy on behalf of
Provincial Superior Sr. Junia Kunanec. She highlighted the rich and varied
apostolic life of Sr. Mary Nicholas, a dedication flowing from her life of
prayer and self-sacrifice. After the service the SSMI Associates served
refreshments to those present in the parish hall.
At 10:00 am on Tuesday, December 05, Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak OSBM
officiated at the funeral Divine Liturgy with the participation of Archbishop
Michael Bzdel, Msgr. Michael Buyochok, Fr. Richard Soo SJ, Fr. D. Dutka OSBM,
Fr. Yaroslaw Dybka CSsR, Fr. Mark Gnutel, Fr. Walter Klimchuk and Rev.
Deacons,Victor Humniski and Gordon Mendres. Also present were Fr. Isidore
Dziadyk OSBM and Fr. Zachary Shwaluk OSBM. Sisters Servants led the singing.
Sr. Terry Anne Slota, Provincial Councillor, read the Epistle. Sr. Theresa
Matwe again gave the eulogy at the end of the liturgy.
In his homily Metropolitan Lawrence pointed out that the Lord called Sr. Mary
Nicholas to Eternity at probably the busiest season of the year, when all are
rushing to buy gifts. Yet the great gift is that of time, to stop still and
devote our time to what is truly important, to say farewell to a person
consecrated to the Lord’s service, to ponder her life journey, her
fruitfulness in the Lord’s vineyard over fifty years.
The interment took place at Holy Family Cemetery in the Sisters
Servants’ Plot. The pallbearers were Sisters Servants Terry Anne Slota,
Anne Pidskalny, Joanne Gawlicki and Darleane Pelechaty Deacon Gordon Mendres,
Jack Kisil and Tom Ganger (an orphan Sr. Mary Nicholas had cared for many
years before).
At the Memorial Meal which was served at Holy Family Nursing Home Auditorium,
Sr. Florentine Smysniuk, Superior, expressed gratitude to Metropolitan
Lawrence, Archbishop Michael, Bishop David and clergy for celebrating the
requiem services and sharing their meaningful reflections with all present.
She thanked all those who came to say a final farewell to Sr. Mary Nicholas
and to those who assisted in any way.
May the memory of Sr. Mary Nicholas be Eternal!
Sister Theresa Anna
Kwasnycia, SSMI
1913 - 2006
Sister Theresa died peacefully on October 06, 2006, at
St. Joseph
's Home in
Mundare
,
Alberta.
The Sisters kept vigil around her bedside, accompanying her on her final
journey with their
loving care and prayers.
Anna (Sister Theresa) was born on June
11, 1913, in Wolswyn, in the district of Sokal in Poland (presently Oblast of
Lviv, Ukraine) to Paul and Barbara (nee Kruk). Her father was a farmer.She
corresponded with her maternal aunts, Anna Kruk and Anastasia Pasichny, who
had emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada in the early 1920s and had married some
years afterwards. Her aunts decided to sponsor her as an immigrant to join
them in Winnipeg, where she arrived in 1930. She was employed as a domestic, saving her money to repay her aunts
for the cost involved in sponsoring her .Anna had
become acquainted with the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, who had
missions near her village in Ukraine.
She was drawn by their witness and responded to the Lord’s call
to consecrate her entire life to His service.
She entered the Novitiate of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate
in Mundare, Alberta, on March 27, 1932.
She made her first profession of vows on October 07, 1934 and final
profession on February 02, 1941.
In her seventy-five years as a
Sister Servant, Sister Theresa generously served her Church and people. She was missioned throughout Canada,
serving for a number of years in each of the following SSMI missions:
Mundare, Edmonton and Willingdon in Alberta; Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and
Prince Albert (where she served 20 years) in Saskatchewan; Winnipeg and
Komarno in Manitoba; Toronto and Ancaster in Ontario. In 2000, she came to St. Joseph’s
Home in Mundare, serving the Lord by bearing patiently her infirmities and
offering her sufferings and prayers for the Sisters in the active ministries,
vocations to the priesthood and religious life, her beloved family members,
especially Bishop Cornelius Pasichny OSBM, her first cousin, whose priestly
vocation and ministry she had supported throughout her lifetime by her prayer
and friendship.
A typical
Sister Servant, Sister Theresa joyfully served “where the need was the
greatest”. Going from the heart of the Sisters’ home, the chapel,
to her daily domestic responsibilities in the kitchen, garden and other
household tasks, she humbly and joyfully cared for the needs of her Sisters
and guests. In addition, she developed
her culinary and household skills in the Sister Servant missions, providing
meals for the following: the residents in Sacred Heart Academy in Yorkton and
Ancaster, in our Children’s Home in Ituna, in our women’s hostels
in Saskatoon in Regina, the sick and infirm in our hospital in Willingdon and
home for the aged in Komarno and Winnipeg, the retreatants at Mount Mary
Retreat Centre in Ancaster.
Occasionally, she took a break from her cooking
to teach catechism in the rural parishes nearby. For a short time she served in the
episcopal residence in Winnipeg. She was responsible for baking and preparing
the altar bread for Divine Liturgy and in later years trained lay
parishioners to fulfill this apostolate. Similarly, she laundered and ironed
church linen and taught lay women this art. Having an artistic touch, she
decorated the chapel and churches for festive occasions. The Sisters’
homes were enhanced by her beautiful cross-stitched works, one of her
favourite hobbies. She also was a skilled “flower maker”.
Mention
must be made of her final active mission assignment, serving twenty years in
the parish community of St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in
Prince Albert. This mission gave her an opportunity to enter fully into
parish life, offering her time, energy and talent to enrich the life of
parishioners of all ages. Not only did she offer the hospitality of
home-cooked meals to visiting guests, but also to the local pastor. She delighted
in beautifying the church grounds, planting flowers and tending them. She
assisted in cleaning and decorating the church sanctuary for parish feasts.
She cared for the priestly vestments and altar linens, making certain all was
fitting for liturgical celebration.
She participated in the UCWLC meetings, joining in prayer and hymn
singing and made regular visits to the Senior’s Residence and hospital,
cheering the patients and praying with them.
Grounded
in a faithful prayer life, a
child-like devotion to the Mother of God, walking in the footsteps of
the first Sister Servant Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska, Sister Theresa was
zealous in building the Kingdom of God.
But she was a loyal community-minded Sister Servant as well,
delighting in making mouth-watering “surprises” for the Sisters,
taking an interest in the works of other community members, radiating her
sparkling smile to all she encountered.
She was gifted with a good sense of humour and was sensitive to the
concerns and sufferings of the Sisters she lived with. She rejoiced with the Sisters’
successes and shared in their frustration in times of struggle and
failure. She lifted the spirits of
all, sowing words of hope and trust in the Providence of God. All this she
did in a spirit of self-effacement, as these words, taken from the
“Sisters’ Farewell to Prince Albert Ceremony”, testify:
“Sr. Theresa, who had never made a speech in her life, thanked the
people and the pastors for their many kindnesses.” Truly Sister Theresa had a grateful heart
and was quick to thank another for the smallest good deed.
Already from her childhood in
Wolswyn, Sister Theresa had a great appreciation and respect for the
priesthood, especially the Order of St. Basil the Great. She was proud to have a family member, her
first cousin, John Pasichny (who took the religious name
“Cornelius”) answer the call to join the Order of St. Basil the
Great in 1944. Sister Theresa
supported Father Cornelius in his priestly vocation by prayer, sacrifice,
kindly words and “motherly concern.
She was overjoyed to hear that he had been chosen by the Holy See to
become the third Eparch of Saskatoon in 1996 and the Eparch of Toronto in
1998. No doubt, she doubled her
prayers!
One of the greatest gifts for
Sister Theresa was to visit her parents, brother and sisters in Soviet
Ukraine in 1970 and again in 1993, after Ukraine had become a free republic.
She also treasured her pilgrimage to the Vatican and Rome in 1970.
Sister
Theresa was predeceased by her parents, brother Hnat and sisters Paraskevia
(Pearl) and Tekla (all in Ukraine), her aunts Anna Kruk and Anastasia
Pasichny in Winnipeg and first cousin in Winnipeg, Mary (Pasichny)
Homik. She is survived by nieces and
nephews with their families in Ukraine. She is survived by her cherished
first cousins, Bishop Cormelius Pasichny OSBM emeritus of Toronto
and Mrs. Tilly (Tekla) Kwasny of Winnipeg.
Sister Theresa's body was
brought to St. Joseph's
Home Wednesday Oct.11 and met by the Sisters at the front door. Rosary at
6.30 pm was led by Sr. Aloysius Safranowiz. At 7:00 pm Panachyda
was celebrated in the chapel by Fr. Bi1l Hupalo, Eparchial Administrator,
Fr.Theodosius Machinski OSBM and Fr. Ivan Nahachewsky of Prince Albert, SK,
Sr. Theresa's final active mission. Fr. Hupalo gave the homily. Sister Rose
Luby of Edmonton led the singing of the responses at the requiem services.
Coffee was served in St. Joseph’s
Home and those present remained for fellowship afterwards.
On Thursday, October l2
Funeral Divine Liturgy was concelebrated at l0:00 am
by Fr. Ignatius Holowajchuk OSBM, Pastor of Ss Peter and Paul Church in
Mundare and Fr. Ivan Nahachewsky. Fr. Ignatius gave the homily. Oristeen
Kulyk of Prince Albert, who had first met Sr. Theresa at Sacred Heart Academy
in Yorkton as a student, read the Epistle.
The pallbearers were Milton
Holowach, Joe Prystash, Sam Wasylenchuk, Johnny Boris, Bernard Kotylak and
Stan Skubleny.
A memorial dinner was
served at St. Joseph’s Home
after the burial in the Sisters Servants’ plot in Ss Peter and Paul
Cemetery.
Sr. Martha Zulyniak, Superior
at St. Joseph’s Home, read the eulogy and thanked the Apostolic
Administrator Fr. Hupalo, the Basilian Fathers and Fr. Ivan Nahachewsky of
Prince Albert, SK for the celebration of Panachyda and the Requiem Divine
Liturgy and for sharing the Word of God in the homilies. She thanked the St.
Joseph's Home Nursing staff for their loving care of Sr. Theresa in her final
days. She thanked the kitchen staff
for their gracious hospitality in preparing the lunch after the Panachyda and the memorial meal. She thanked the Sisters for leading the
rosary and the singing and she thanked the pallbearers for so graciously
fulfilling their service.
Sr. Martha expressed special
gratitude to Sr. Theresa's cousin from Edmonton who had come to bid Sister Theresa final
farewell and to those who had come from Prince Albert, SK: Fr. Ivan and
parishioners from Prince Albert. She thanked Emily Zuk
for taking care of the memorial book at the services. She thanked Pauline Skubleny for the
cornmeal, a specialty served at the memorial meal in tribute to Sr. Theresa,
who had spent so many years preparing and serving meals in the Sister Servant
homes and institutions.
She thanked the Sisters
Servants who had come from other homes in Alberta, the Mundare branch of the UCWLC
and for all those who had come to pay final respects to Sr. Theresa and pray
for her. She thanked Park Memorial staff for their assistance in preparation
for the funeral and at the funeral itself.
May
the memory of Sister Theresa be eternal!
Sister Borysa Olga Horecza, SSMI
1917 - 2006
Sister
Borysa, a member of the Sisters Servants of Mary
Immaculate, died on May 24,
2006 at the Lamont Health Care Centre, AB, with Sisters present
at her bedside.
Sister Borysa
was born to Iwan Horecza
and Maria (Markowska) on February 13, 1917 in Rawa Ruska in the oblast of
Lviv
,
Ukraine
. After attending the local school she took
teacher training for two years.
She entered the novitiate of the
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Kristinopil, Ukraine
on May 03, 1938. Sister Borysa considered it a great blessing that in God’s
Providence Olha Matskiv entered on the same day and
that they were together during formation in the novitiate and took first
profession on the same day. Olha, who
took the religious name Tarsykia, is today Blessed Martyr Tarsykia, beatified
by Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2001 in Lviv, Ukraine. During the beatification process Sister Borysa testified to the heroic virtues of Sister
Tarsykia.
After her first profession of vows
on November 05, 1940, Sister Borysa was missioned to serve at the hospital in Cholm, Poland, which was under the
administration of the Sisters Servants. Besides caring for the sick, she in
charge of the
pharmacy, where she served conscientiously and zealously. In 1946 due to communist persecution,
Sister Borysa and others Sisters were advised to
flee from Poland to seek
refuge with Latin-rite Sisters in Belgium. In early August, 1947 Sister Borysa left Belgium
and came to Canada,
where she made final profession of Vows on August 15.
In her 68 years as a Sister
Servant, Sister Borysa generously served her church
and people. She was missioned Edmonton,
Vegreville, Winnipeg,
Regina, Saskatoon,
Dauphin, Oshawa, Ottawa and Toronto. Since 1995 she has been at St. Joseph’s Home in Mundare.
Among her apostolic works were the
following: teaching religion and Ukrainian during the year and in the summer
months, preparing first holy communicants, serving in episcopal
residences in Edmonton and Toronto, laundry, cooking, gardening and
other domestic works in the Sisters’ homes, visiting the sick and
infirm.
Sister Borysa
will be remembered for her prayerfulness, simplicity, concern for those in need, and the faithful, loving fulfillment of the
duties entrusted to her. She was grateful for the protection of the Lord in
the midst of war and for her new homeland.
She returned to visit her family and the Sisters Servants in the
“underground” in Ukraine
in 1971. She also treasured the
blessings of her 1975 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Lourdes
and Fatima.
Sister Borysa
was predeceased by her parents, brothers Bohdan and
Jaroslaw and her sister Stefania,
all in Ukraine, and her
cousin Zenon in Toronto.
She is survived by relatives in Ukraine
and cousin Orysia in North Saanich, BC.
The Requiem prayer service was
celebrated by Father Bill Hupalo, Eparchial
Administrator,
Father Michael Kowalchyk and Father
Ignatius Holowaychuk OSBM in St. Joseph’s Home chapel on Monday,
May 29 at 7:00 pm. Father Hupalo gave the homily. It had been preceded by a common
rosary led by Sister Irene Windyk. Coffee and
fellowship followed the service.
The funeral Divine Liturgy was
concelebrated on Tuesday, May 30 at 10:00 am in the chapel by Father Ignatius
Holowaychuk and Father Michael Kowalchyk.
Father Ignatius had the eulogy.
Sisters Rose Luby, Esther Kurylo and Andrea Kruk, who had
come from Edmonton,
led the singing. Sister Esther read
the Epistle.
After the burial in the Sisters
plot in Ss Peter and Paul Cemetery, a memorial meal was served in St. Joseph’s
Home. Sister Martha Zulyniak, local Superior, read Sister Borysa’s obituary and thanked Fathers Bill Hupalo, Michael Kowalchyk and
Ignatius Holowaychuk for leading the requiem
services and for sharing God’s Word.
She thanked the Sisters who led the singing and all who had come to
say their final Farewell to Sister Borysa. She also
thanked the Sisters who came to be with Sister Borysa
in her final days, supporting her by their love and prayerful presence.
Sister Martha thanked the
pall-bearers: Milton Holowach, Stan Skubleny, Clarence Kitura, Andy
Woitas, Sam Wasylenchuk
and Allan Boris, who so willingly offered their time in this busy season for
farmers.
She thanked Emily Zuk for her assistance and the Kitchen Staff for
preparing the memorial meal. She
expressed appreciation to Pauline Skubleny for
bringing her special cornmeal dish and farm cream to add to the memorial
meal.
Sister Martha specially thanked
Sister Borysa’s cousin Orysia,
who had come from British Columbia
to pay her last respects and pray for her beloved relative.
She thanked Park Memorial staff
for their services, in particular Kevin and Janey,
who assisted with arrangements.
May the memory of Sister Borysa be eternal.
