St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

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  • + Fr. Oleg Krawchenko

    This past week the The Right Reverend Protopresbyter Oleg Alexander Krawchenko fell asleep in the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Many people reading this email will have not known who Fr. Oleg was beyond his name being on our prayer list or his relation to Dn. Thomas Chaput (father-in-law). Beyond his many accomplishments (which are numerous) Fr. Oleg articulated  in many respects the unity between Orthodox clergy and faithful that many of us take for granted.  Despite struggles and distractions that historically were the sources of division and disunity (especially between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Archdiocesan (OCA) Churches), Fr. Oleg was to one degree or another, willing to see past them and celebrate as he was able to, the unity of our faith. In many respects his work as a teacher at St. Andrew’s college inspired many of his students (some of whom I consider my closest friends) also to see the unity of  the “Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) in other jurisdictions regardless if they are Ukrainian, Russian, Greek, Serbian Romanian, or the OCA. It wasn’t as if his Ukrainian heritage was abandoned in this – certainly not!  Rather it provided a perspective that reconciled every difference as being the diversity of grace. 

    I hold dear to my heart, the few times  Fr. Oleg would show up at St. Nicholas with his wife (Dobordika Maria), having just served at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Gonor (also called St. Nicholas!) Each and every time he would radiate joy in greeting and blessing the our faithful, as if he was their pastor, and they were his flock! Nothing was held back, or reserved in walking into a Church more full of strangers, than people he knew (I have heard other stories like this from other priests in Winnipeg). This has always been a source of inspiration for me, in my relationships with other Churches and clergy, compelling me to always look at what we do (as unique as it might be) as being truly united with what other Orthodox Christians are doing (as unique as they might be) in serving the Lord. 

    Politics and culture will always surround our Churches, seeking to pull us apart – yet Fr. Oleg’s example should inspire us to recognize that although there are differences of politics and culture (some great and some small), we have been baptized into the same death and been raised in the same newness of life of Christ; we all confess our sins and are forgiven by the same Lord; and we all receive His Body and Blood from the same cup. Glory to God! 
    Truly may the Lord bring peace and mercy to His newly departed servant, healing what was broken, and reconciling that which was lost; and glorifying that which was of love, and exalting that which was of mercy.

    Our hearts and prayers go out to his Dobrodika Maria, and their five children, and our blessed brother Dn. Thomas. Memory Eternal! Вічная Пам’ять! Christ is Risen! Христос воскрес!

  • Photos from Pascha 2024

  • Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Pascha 2024

    resurrection

    To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, 

    My Beloved Children in the Lord,

    CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

    Now all is filled with light: heaven and earth and the lower regions. Let all creation celebrate the rising of Christ: in him we are established. (St. John of Damascus, Paschal Canon, Ode Three)

    Today we greet the most radiant feast of feasts, the king and lord of days, the Pascha of Christ our true God. Standing in the light of the Resurrection, we glimpse the true and unfading joy of the life to come.

    To be sure, even on this chosen and holy day of light-bearing festival, my own heart remains heavy as I look out upon the world and behold wars and terrorism, unjust imprisonment and persecution, civil strife and political divisions. Indeed, “the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of iniquity” (Ps. 73:20). The world and its troubles present a threefold temptation to Christians who behold this multitude of “dark places”: we are tempted to despair; we are tempted to indifference; and we are tempted to conform and subordinate our holy Orthodox Christian faith to some worldly political program or ideology.

    However, with his Pascha, Christ offers us a different response: a hope beyond this world, yet already present in this world. As we sing in the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus, everything is filled with the light of the Resurrection, even the lower regions. Life has burst forth from the grave; a light has shone in darkness (Jn. 1:5).

    We dwell in a world of real trouble, real sorrow, real pain. The Lord came down into this world and became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, and he felt pain in his heart—on the night in which he was given up, his soul was “exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death”—and pain in his flesh (Is. 53:3; Mt. 26:38). But out of pain, the Lord has brought forth healing; out of sorrow, he has wrought an incorruptible source of joy. He died, but now he lives forever, and he offers us the same hope: eternal life.

    And the eternal life that he offers is not just an extension of life in this world, with its ups and downs, sorrows and joys, sins and foibles and accidents. Rather he offers us abundant life, true life, by restoring our communion with God, who is the Source of life.

    This true and incorruptible life, a life of constant trust and love and joy, is not only available in the world to come. Whenever we believe in Christ and his Resurrection and accept the joy of his Pascha, we are already, through faith and hope, getting a foretaste of that life—a life without fear of suffering or death, that sees sorrow as a source of joy, since even in sorrow, Christ, the Man of Sorrows, is there, ready to draw near to us in a union of love.

    It is because of this that the holy Psalmist could write: “If I go up into heaven, thou art there; if I go down into hell, thou art present. If I take up my wings at dawn and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand guide me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 138:8–10). 

    Wherever we are, whatever troubles we experience in our lives, whatever troubles we behold in this world, Christ is there with us, suffering with us in our suffering and offering us the hope of the unfailing happiness of his Pascha, inviting us to be in the world and not of the world, storing up all our hope and all the treasure of our hearts with him, in the kingdom that has no end, where neither moth nor rust can destroy and where no thief can break in and steal (Mt. 6:20).

    May he who rose from the dead on the third day, kindling the light of hope for all the world, always shine upon our hearts with Paschal light, filling us with a joy-making desire for the good things to come and changing all our troubles and cares into opportunities to hope and trust.

    To him, the Risen Lord, be all glory and adoration, together with his Father and his All-holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages!

    Yours in the Risen Christ,

    + TIKHON
    Archbishop of Washington
    Metropolitan of All America and Canada

  • Yet another new Deacon.

    It is a pretty good indication that our Church is doing what it is supposed to be doing, when we gain three deacons in the course of week. For those keeping score, that is four in less than a year – Glory to God!

    Last Sunday, Vladika Irénée was in Hamilton On. at the parish of St. Maria of Paris (home of our dear brother Fr. Yuri Hladio) to ordain James Dale to the Holy Diaconate. 

    I first met the newly ordained deacon James back in 1982 when he started coming to (and was received into the Orthodox Church) at the Holy Transfiguration mission in Ottawa (now the Annunciation Cathedral) where my father was serving. I also attended some classes with him at St. Paul’s University and incidentally but nonetheless remarkable James also introduced me to punk rock- for which I am eternally thankful. James’ love of God and neighbour truly has guided him and his wife (Diakonisa Martha) to a life of service; becoming a cornerstone of St. Maria’s in its early days, and an example of Christian life for many new converts. It is only fitting that his service has been now “set apart” and offered to the Lord in the Diaconate, as a witness of the Lord’s love for us, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mk.10:45) May the Lord grant him and his wife, many blessed years in service to His Body, the Church.

  • Ordination of John Schantz to the Holy Diaconate.

    By God’s grace and mercy, the faithful of St. Nicholas of Narol, welcomed back, his Eminence Archbishop Irénée, for the blessed ordination of John (Dayrl) Schantz to the Diaconate. 

    On a beautiful sunny and warm spring morning (Saturday April 6th) Vladika Irénée served the Divine Liturgy with the faithful of St. Nicholas, and other Orthodox parishes. Joining Vladika in the service was the Archpriest Gregory Scratch (parish rector), the mitred Archpriest Serhii Kashyrets, the Archpriest Roman Pavlov, the Priest Matthew Beynon (both from Holy Trinity Sobor), the Priest Stephen Sharman (St Nicholas of Narol), Protodeacon Edward Jordan (St. Aidan’s Cranbrook BC) Deacon Denis Letunovsky (St Seraphim of Sarov Rawdon, QC), and the Deacon Greg Wiebe (St. Nicholas) Archpriest Anthony Esterbrooks (Retired) Dn. John Kavalas (St. Demetrios GOA – not serving) 

    During the Liturgy, the Priest Matthew Beynon was awarded the Gold Cross, and the Priest Stephen Sharman was awarded the Kamilavka.

    It is something of a marvel, that it was less than eight months ago that Vladika Irénée was last at St. Nicholas – also for another ordination – Dn. Greg Wiebe. Indeed, this fact was not lost on his Eminence, as he noted in his sermon “there are churches that devour priests and clergy… this church produces them”. The newly ordained Dn. John, Matushka Robyn Sophia, and their four daughters, have with love and thanksgiving served the various needs of St. Nicholas for more than a few years; and truly this ordination is a confirmation of the Lord’s saving grace. In them, this service, has been “set aside” and offered to the Lord in thanksgiving through the laying on of hands; that the Lord, Himself, might reveal His saving service to us, through the newly ordained Deacon’s hands.. 

    May the Lord grant many blessed years to Vladika Irénée, blessing him with peace and wisdom as he criss-crosses the Archdiocese in service to the Lord. May the Lord grant many blessed years to the newly ordained Deacon John, his wife Matushka Robyn Sophia, their children Ann-Christina (and husband Jesse), Olivia, Adrianne, and Emily; and may the Lord grant many blessed years to the clergy and faithful of St Nicholas in their continued love and dedication to the Lord. 

  • A cleaning guide for Great Lent (the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete) 

    The first week of Great Lent is generally known as “clean week”.  In essence it is a chance for each of us to start with a clean slate – so to speak – to start the Lenten season off with a sure and clean foundation, to build upon with our fasting, prayers, and charity. This is so very important that they are specific services for every day.  Of course there is the Wednesday evening Presanctified,  but there is also the beautiful services of the Canon of St. Andrew (unique to only the first week of Great Lent and the 5th Wednesday of the fast).

    Indeed the character of “clean week” has in many ways been defined by the Canon he wrote. His work articulates, “Your will be done” (Lk. 11:2); and the witness of God’s saving work throughout the ages; the simplicity of His love and mercy for us. This is contrasted with the confusion and vanity of our own reasoning – of “my will be done” which in every age, has been the agent of violence and injustice, exploitation and indifference.

    This service was composed as a private Lenten devotion. It takes the form of a dialogue with his soul, contrasting the struggle to live and be healed, in communion with the divine – “Your will be done”; and reject the communion with death and sin – “my will be done”.  Maybe it is because what St. Andrew struggles with in his Canon, is so intimate and personal, that makes it all the more relatable, especially as we begin Great Lent. Saint Andrew’s struggles, ultimately articulate our struggle as Christians.

    This is the context for us, as in these services we being a dialogue with our own soul; where our passions, pride, addictions, distractions, lusts, anger, fear, and laziness; are compared with those men and women who in scripture who rejected the living God; choosing rather that which was finite and corruptible. St. Andrew poetically relates for himself and us, the tragedy of “my will” and its futility and fruitlessness.

    “I have refused to imitate Abel’s righteousness, O Jesus: never have I offered You any acceptable gift or godly work; neither a pure sacrifice nor a blameless life. Like Cain, we are condemned, O wretched soul, for we have offered to the Creator of all only our defiled actions, a polluted sacrifice and a useless life” (Canon of St. Andrew – Tuesday Ode 1 Troparia) 

    In contrast to this, St. Andrew calls us to be inspired by those righteous men and women of scripture, who found life in the living God; truly being witness of  “Your will be done”.  Again, as St. Andrew writes, both for himself, and for us, 

    “The ladder seen of old by the great Patriarch Jacob is an example, O my soul, both of ascent through action and of ascent through spiritual understanding. If, therefore, it is your  desire to live by your works, with understanding and contemplation, you will be made new”. (Canon of St. Andrew – Monday Ode 4 Troparia)

    All that St. Andrew considers – and that we are called to consider – provides the whole context for clean week (and the rest of our Lenten journey) as it guides to accept the things of God, and reject those things that are not of God – a sort of cleaning guide.

    We are called to “Wash (ourselves), make (ourselves) clean; Put away the evil of (our) doings from before (the Lord’s) eyes” (Is. 1:16) as we begin this fast. And in the same way we clean up our homes, offices, shops, we are called to do some “soul cleaning”. In cleaning up, we generally find things that are really important and useful;  and things that are neither – just garbage that has accumulated. What St. Andrew offers us to in this “clean week” helps identify what is what, and guides us to keep that which is important, useful and life-giving in acclimation of the divine – of “Your will be done”; and identifies what is garbage, guiding us to throw away all that is futile, and decaying; the consequences – of “my will be done”.

    By St. Andrew’s prayers, may his work inspire us to engage in this dialogue with our souls. Being guided by his struggle, may we reject the garbage and clutter of our hearts, of “my will be done”, and commit to the clarity of that which is of “Your will be done”.

  • +Protodecon Taras Papish (the sanctity of being ourselves)

    Father Deacon Taras (Terry) Papish (affectionately called Proto)  was one of those people that one never forgets; if only because he was himself in everything he did.

    This might not seem like a very remarkable thing to celebrate; after all, we live in a culture that glorifies the extraordinary, and  proclaims  over and over again, that we are either not good enough to be ourselves, or that we have to be something completely different to be ourselves. Yet despite any expectations or social, economic or religious pressure he  always presented himself as just that; himself.

    Indeed in being “himself” or more to the point, like the Prodigal Son (Lk 15: 11-32) he was  always labouring to “return to himself” bearing witness to love. For “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 6:4-7). Indeed this isn’t something one forgets.

    The love he had for his wife Gail, was both profound and elemental – he was truly himself – a husband in every respect. The love he had for his children (and grandchildren) was both absolute and unconditional – he was truly himself – a father in every respect. The  love he had for friends was both supportive and corrective – he was truly himself – a friend in every respect. A labour that is unforgettable.

    Alas, I only ever saw this from a distance, and I never had the opportunity, or  time to develop a closer friendship with him; yet this witness of love  was all the more verified for me (even if only experienced in a formal or professional way) by serving beside him as a deacon and then intime, as a priest. It is here that  I witnessed  first hand, his love of God in both being glorified  and humbled – he was truly himself – a Christian in every respect. His love of serving the Lord, both mystically, at the Altar in the Divine services of the Church,  and practically, in the “daily distribution” (Act. 6:1),  serving those whom he encountered at school, work, the hospital; whether they be family, friends or complete strangers – truly a  himself – a Deacon in every respect. Not something that can be forgotten.

    Of course I’m not naive enough to think that it was ever easy for Proto, or that he never had to work at them (especially given the continued and prolonged  challenges to his health). Yet in spite of these challenges, or maybe because of them,  he made it look easy. As he once said to me, “when you think about it, what is so difficult about loving… it is who we are”. Then he laughed and qualified his insightful comment “we generally get in the way of ourselves and make it harder for us and everyone else…Господи помилуй (Lord have mercy)”!

    I have been holding onto these words in the days since his blessed repose, if only because they expressed the purpose he strived for – loving God and neighbour alike, and accepting the love of God and neighbour alike – the context of being “who we are” in general, and specifically “who he was” – himself. Even when his various health challenges became much more pressing, and was faced with the reality of not being able to serve Vespers or Liturgy at Holy Resurrection (something that was indeed a understandable sorrow for him) he told me that this was “Боже (God) telling me to serve Him in the hospital or at home”. Again, not something one forgets.

    As many Orthodox Christians know, the principle hymn at an Orthodox funeral is “Memory Eternal” (Вічная Пам’ять). Indeed it is an expression that we are not forgotten by the Lord, who even in His descent into Hades, seeks to liberate all humanity – by name! – constantly forgiving and redeeming all of us from the effects of sin and death. This hymn is also an expression of our faith in the forgiving love of God, and an affirmation that the witness of love offered by our departed loved ones, stretches into the endlessness of God; yet all the while confirming and correcting (in God’s love) those of us who are stuck in time and space.

    This is a great and healing consolation. That even in the bitterness of losing a husband, father, grandfather, friend, and brother at the Altar, bears a kind of grace.  Those things that have been taken away from us in the falling asleep of Father Deacon Taras – love,  are those things that stretch into the timelessness of God, as they truly manifest His divine love for us, because his blessed self recognized  “loving…it is who we are” – Nothing can change this, and make me forget about him – not even death.

    May follow his unforgettable example of being ourselves – as “children of God” (1 Jn. 3:1) and truly may His memory be eternal!

  • The Great Blessing of the Waters in Sandy Lake.

    This past Saturday (Jan. 27th) our sister parish of St. Nicholas in Sandy Lake, co-hosted the traditional Great Blessing of the Waters for the leavetaking of Theophany (OS) with Fr. Jay Korban and the Rossburn Ukrainian Catholic Pastoral District, on what could be described as the most perfect winter day (+1, no wind, and perfect blue skies).

    It was St. Nicholas’ turn to bless the lake this year; as the honour went to Fr. Jay and his communities last year; and surrounded by about 40 people from Sandy Lake, and surrounding communities, there was collectively a feeling of joy and thanksgiving.  Just like last year, there was a beautiful ice Cross, ice altar, and greenery to accompany the ice cross cut out of the lake, again prepared this year by Chad Davies and David Rystafanchuck and others.

    Given that we were unable to get outside and bless the Red River this year because of unstable ice; this service was truly a wonder – made all the more wondrous by the beautiful weather, the fellowship of Fr. Jay and his communities, the people of Sandy Lake, the faithful of St. Nicholas, the visitors from St. Nicholas of Narol and the Mission in Winkler! 

    We truly offer our thanksgiving to God for the willingness of the people of Sandy Lake to embrace this blessed event, the willingness of Fr. Jay and his parishioners to join us on such a blessed feast this year, and the willingness of some of our faithful to make the road trip for this feast. We also offer our thanksgiving to God for His saving love and mercy manifested creation.

    We look forward to next year. Glory to God!

    Photos – Fr. Jay Korban, Deb Maluk, Fr. Gregory Scratch

  • Photos from the festal Vespers for St. Nicholas day.

  • Recognising with thanksgiving our choir directors.

    In its wisdom, the Orthodox Church in America set aside the Sunday closest to the feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, and of St. Roman the melodist (Oct. 1st) as a day to recognise the labours and contributions of those who sing and read in our Churches.

    Truly we are blessed at St. Nicholas with a full choir, and six willing and capable people to lead the singing of our services. Yet on that particular day (and the following weekend) most of our choir directors were away. The fact that our services did not grind to halt, or devolve into a dirge or cacophony, over those two weekends, but rather were as beautiful and harmonious as ever, bears witness to the commitment and dedication in guiding and cultivating the singing at our parish. Truly inspiring and worthy of recognition.

    So this past Sunday (ironically on the Sunday closest to the Old Calendar feast of the Protection and St. Roman) we were able to recognise the praise worthy labours of all our choir directors – Fr. Deacon Greg Wiebe, Lisa Douma, Robyn Schantz, Matushka Dianne Kennaugh, Mary Thorn, and even Helena Letkemen (the choir director from the Christ the Saviour Mission in Winkler).

    By the prayers and intercessions of the Most Holy Theotokos, and of St. Roman the melodist, our parish and the Mission in Winkler have been blessed beyond measure, to the Glory of God!

    May the Lord bless them, and all our singers and readers with many blessed years.