The life of any Orthodox parish or community is made “catholic” or whole through its bishop, who weaves the witness of Apostolic teaching and tradition from the day of Pentecost into the life of those confessing the saving work of Christ even today. This is Apostolic succession manifested for us at St. Nicholas in our beloved Vladika Irenee (Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada).
His Eminence was received into the Orthodox Church in 1967 and ordained to the priesthood in 1978. Vladika was consecrated to the Episcopate in 2009 and in 2015 was elevated as the ruling bishop for the Archdiocese of Canada. and has served his flock with the same dedication and sacrifice of his predecessors, those Bishops who crisscrossed this country proclaiming the saving work of the Lord in Canada.
St. Nicholas is served by the Archpriest Gregory Scratch. A graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Fr. Gregory attended classes at the University of St. Paul in Ottawa at the Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies and was ordained to the diaconate in 2003, serving at the Annunciation Cathedral in Ottawa. Along with his liturgical and pastoral responsibilities, he also worked as an art instructor at the The Perley Rideau Veterans Health Center. In the summer of 2012, he was ordained to the holy priesthood and moved with his wife Matushka Taesia and their four children (Maria-Suzanne, Seraphim, Elizabeth and Alexander) to Winnipeg to serve the parish of St. Nicholas, Narol. In 2021 Fr. Gregory completed his first unit in the CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) program run out of St. Boniface Hospital and the University of Winnipeg, and is currently the Dean of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nunavut.
In 2018, Father Stephen Sharman was ordained to the priesthood to assist in the pastoral and liturgical life of St. Nicholas in Narol. Father. Stephen served many rural communities throughout Manitoba as an Anglican priest for over 20 years, before being received into the Orthodox Church in 2012. He earned a PhD degree from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s. with his dissertation was entitled ‘Visions of Light in the Writings of the Venerable Bede’.
Deacon Gregory Wiebe was ordained to the Holy Diaconate at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church on June 3, 2023. Prior to that he had served as the principal choir director for the parish since 2017. Deacon Greg holds a PhD in Religious Studies, having written on the place of demons in the theological writings of St Augustine of Hippo (published by Oxford University Press), and helps facilitate various parish functions and events and is still actively involved with the leading the choir. He and his wife, Diakonissa Amanda, raise their three children, Kaylah, William, and Hannah, in Winnipeg.
Mitered Archpriest Serhii Kashyrets. In every fairy tale they say that they lived happily ever after… but the Fr. Serhii and his family’s story is not a fairy tale! In early 2023, Fr. Serhii, his wife Matushka Nataliia, and two of their five children (Nestor and Ephraim) arrived in Winnipeg as refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And despite the challenges of language and culture, found a home at St. Nicholas. Before entering seminary, Fr. Serhii was double bass and guitar teacher, as well as a member of an orchestral ensemble that toured throughout Europe. In 1995 he married Natalie and together they had five beautiful children. By God’s grace, Matushka Nataliia also brought him to the Orthodox Church. Fr. Serhii was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 1999 and studied at the Kyiv Theological Seminary (2000-2004), serving at various parishes in the Krivyj Rih Diocese of Ukraine (UOC) With the outbreak of hostilities, the Lord delivered Fr. Serhii and Matushka Natalie and their two youngest children to Canada. where they were embraced by the faithful of St. Nicholas and the Archdiocese of Canada. Both Fr. Serhii and Matushka Nataliia have become truly a part of the fabric of St. Nicholas and the Mission in Winkler, striving to serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk. 12:30). Truly not a fairy tale, but rather a witness of the Lord’s saving providential Love.
Dn. John (Daryl) Schantz and his family (Matushka Robyn Sophia, Anna-Christina (Monkman), Olivia, Adrienne and Emile) were received into Orthodoxy at St. Nicholas in 2017. From that blessed day on, Dn. John and his family, have been a constant and supportive presence in and outside of our parish, bearing witness to the Lord’s care and service to us in ways that many of us are unaware of (the definition of deacon in spirit). It was only fitting that this service was not only recognised, but also offered to the Lord sacramentally in ordination, that we might see in it the love of our God who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mt. 20:28). On April 5th 2024, Dn. John was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Vladika Irénée, blessing St. Nicholas with not one but two remarkable servants.
Much could be said about Matushka Dianne Kennaugh, wife of the late Archpriest Robert Stephen (Fr. Bob) Kennaugh. Her time as the choir director established a firm foundation for the rich choral liturgical life at St. Nicholas, that sought to convey the riches of Orthodox theology as sung in Galician and other traditions, as being the responsibility for not just a choir, but also the faithful! Her tireless work of directing and leading the congregation in singing and her tutelage of new choir directors is all the more remarkable by the fact that she was born blind. Her commitment and perseverance at leading the choir and congregation when she directed, and her new role as a teacher and mentor, has truly been an offering of joy and love to Christ.
In early 2024 (Jan. 12th) the Archpriest Robert Stephen Kennaugh (affectionately known as Fr. Bob) fell asleep in the Lord. Fr. Bob had been an Anglican seminarian student, who like so many others, found a home in the Orthodox Church, first as an ordained deacon in the Western rite (under the Antiocian Archdiocese). Later, after a lengthy Diaconate, he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Seraphim of the Archdiocese of Canada (OCA) in 1991, and assigned to the parish of St. Nicholas, Narol, MB. Under his pastoral guidance, the parish of St. Nicholas steadily grew from being a small church where everyone was related to everyone else, to a diverse and dynamic community. In the fall of 2012, Fr. Bob’s health necessitated his retirement, and he was attached as the Rector Emeritus at St. Nicholas Church. It is not an understatement to say that without the pastoral guidance and dedication of Father Bob, St. Nicholas might just be another randomly served prairie Church, or worse yet a relic of the past. May his memory be eternal!
The Archimandrite Alexander (Pihatch) or Fr. Dennis -as he was known- started his life of service to Christ in the Orthodox Church at St. Nicholas, where he was Ordained to the Diaconate in 1986. Father Alexander/Dennis served the Mission community in Yorkton Sask. (St. Mark’s) and was longtime dean of Manitoba and Saskatchewan for many years. He was appointed the chancellor in 1996 and in 1998 he was appointed the dean of St. Herman of Alaska Sobor in Edmonton. In 2009 he was tonsured a monk, taking the name of Alexander and served as the Dean at the Annunciation Cathedral in Ottawa, before being assigned to the OCA representative Church in Moscow (St. Catherine’s). Despite Fr. Alexander many postings and work across the Archdiocese and OCA, he always kept in contact with Fr. Bob, Matushka Dianne and St. Nicholas, and left an indelible mark of love and service for our community. Our community as it exists today has much to do with is witness and service to Christ. On Oct. 7th 2016 Fr. Alexander reposed in the Lord while visiting Toronto. He is always remembered as a founder of St. Nicholas. May his memory be eternal!
Matushka Susan Blomquist was a quiet and guiding presence at St. Nicholas. Her life as a wife, mother, and Matushka (Predeceased by her husband Fr. James Blomquist +2002). Matushka Susan manifested the generosity of Christ towards all she came in contact with. She was ever dedicated (even to the day before her repose) to seniors and shut ins : visiting them, driving them to Church doctor’s appointments, or driving them to visit family in nursing homes. She provided flowers and food for parish feasts (especially those dedicated to the Mother of God) and those who were hungry, all the while giving what little energy, or funds she had. Matushka Susan suddenly passed away on Nov. 7th 2018. Her example of faithfulness, and charity is an example of the Lord’s love for humanity, that inspires the members of St. Nicholas to this day. May her memory be Eternal.
Others who have been ordained at, or served at St. Nicholas are the late Archpriest Anastasy (Stacey) Richter (+2020) Priest Anthony Esterbrooks (+2024), Priest Matthew Beynon, Priest Yuri Hladio, Protodeacon Raphael Cole, Deacon Lasha Tchantouridze, Deacon Thomas Chaput, Dn. Gregory Rychlo.