Ukrainian Catholics have new eparch

By LAUREEN McMAHON

The same week that Roman Catholics opened their B.C. Catholic Newspaper to read about the new coadjutor bishop for the Vancouver archdiocese, Ukrainian Catholics in the New Westminster Eparchy celebrated the good news that their long wait for an eparch (bishop) was over!

Ukrainian Eparch-elect Ken Nowakowski

Ukrainian Eparch-elect Ken Nowakowski will succeed Eparch Severian Yakymyshyn, OSBM, who, two years ago, tendered his resignation to Rome at the age of 75.

With the new eparch's appointment, Eparch Yakymyshyn has officially retired, becoming Eparch Emeritus.

Eparch-elect Nowakowski's episcopal ordination and enthronement are slated for July 24 at Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary's) Church in Vancouver.

The announcement became official on June 1, Rome time, the new eparch told The B.C. Catholic from the eparchy chancery offices in New Westminster.

"It was a big surprise," said the eparch-elect, "when Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Luigi Ventura called on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI."

Instead of moving back to his native Saskatchewan to reconnect to his roots after a 21 years' absence, as he had planned, the new eparch will be the shepherd of "a huge parish," he told The B.C. Catholic.

Established by Pope Paul VI in 1974, the New Westminster Eparchy comprises all of B.C., the Yukon, and a part of the Northwest Territories.

`Humbled by their trust in me'

Eparch-elect Nowakowski professes to being "humbled by the trust placed in me by Pope Benedict XVI, His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, and the Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops."

Far from considering the appointment to be a reward for being a good priest, "I feel that it is a calling, a vocation, and an awesome responsibility from the Church. It reminds me of when my parish priest asked me many years ago if I wanted to be a priest. My answer at that time was that if I ever did become a priest, I would serve wherever the Church needed me the most. Today, I am very happy to accept."

The eparch-elect explained that Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, would consecrate him an eparch.

Additional consecrators will be Metropolitan Archbishop of Canada Lawrence Huculak of Winnipeg and Eparch Yakymyshyn.

Eparch-elect Nowakowski first met his "greatly-admired" predecessor in 1986 in Rome.

"I very much enjoyed working with Eparch Severian while I was rector of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary, the inter-eparchial seminary for the Ukrainian Church in Canada, and he was on the board of directors."

On June 3 and 4, the eparch-elect made a short trip to B.C. to begin preparations for the ordination and installation. It was only his second visit to B.C.

"Two years ago, when I came for Eparch Severian's 50th anniversary of priesthood, I little thought what my next visit might entail!"

Born May 16, 1958, in North Battleford, Sask., the eparch-elect is the son of Stanley and Roma (nee Ryhorchuk). His elementary schooling was in Battleford, and he attended high school in North Battleford.

He held several secular positions in private and government sectors before entering formation at the Redeemer House of Studies in Toronto. He graduated from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1984 with a Bachelor of Religious Studies and Philosophy.

Eparch-elect Nowakowski went to St. Jospahat's Ukrainian Catholic Pontifical College in Rome and was granted a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1989.

That year he was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon.

He returned to Rome in the autumn of 1989 for further studies in Eastern Canon Law and, in response to a growing Ukrainian refugee presence in Italy, he founded and directed the Ukrainian Catholic Refugee Office.

In June 1990 he was appointed vice chancellor and chief of staff to His Beatitude Cardinal Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Major Archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians.

In July 1991 His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan ended his exile, returned to his Archepiscopal See in Lviv, Ukraine, and appointed Eparch-elect Nowakowski his chief of staff in Lviv.

That position lasted until 1995, and he also served as vice rector of Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv from 1991-1992.

In 1994 the eparch-elect was instrumental in founding the Ukrainian Catholic Church's official charitable organization, Caritas Ukraine. He served as president until 2001, overseeing all charitable works, including the Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky Hospital, the development of home-care projects, and the establishment of eparchial branches.

He was appointed rector of Ottawa's Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in November 2001.

In October of the following year he became the press officer and spokesman of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada.

During the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto, he served as the Vatican-accredited media personnel liaison and assistant to the press office of the Holy See.

Last July he was appointed Chancellor of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, and it was at that point that he thought he would be "going home." Then the Pope beckoned!

Plans for the episcopal ordination and enthronement are underway under committee head Father Joseph Pidskalny, OSBM, and Father Bruce Power, said the eparch-elect.

The Ukrainian Eparchy of New Westminster has 10 secular and two religious priests, a permanent deacon, and two Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate serving approximately 8,000 faithful.