BISHOP‘S REPORT to the Annual General Meeting of St.Barbara’s Cathedral, Edmonton. 26.02.2017.

St. Barbara’s Cathedral. The Annual General Meeting.

Very Reverend Father Sergiy and Deacon Andrei with families, dear President of the Cathedral Board and Parish Council Roman Lopushinsky, dear Council members, Choir members, altar assisstants, dear Brotherhood and Sisterhood members of the Cathedral, and beloved in the Lord brothers and sisters! 

Earlier, this month, I took part in the celebrations of the 8th Anniversary of the Enthronization of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. He asked me in particular to extend to all of you, his fatherly blessings, prayerful good wishes and thanksgiving for all your efforts in the service to our Holy Russian Orthodox Church.

I join His Holiness in his gratitude and would like to thank the Rector of our Cathedral Archpriest Sergey Kipriyanovich for his fervent service, sermons, Biblical lessons, and dispensing of Holy Sacraments, and conducting funeral services. Also I wholeheartedly thank Fr. Mircha Panchuk for serving with us and for his convincing sermons and Deacon Andrei Boldireff for his exemplary serving. A special recognition and loving gratefulness to our new choir director Alexander and choir members.

Distinctive appreciation is to be expressed to the President of our Parish Council Roman Lopushinsky and to all the Church Board members for conducting monthly meetings, and looking after the Cathedral building. I also would like to thank our Brotherhood and Sisterhood for their help; for the banquet of our Parish Feast Day and for all the lunches organized throughout the year; for purchasing vestments for the clergy and the church. May our Lord reward all those of you who clean the church, and those who serve in the altar. To those who, for the first time, have come to our cathedral and took part in our services, I wish them to become active parishioners and join our parish life, to love Christ and our Temple with their whole heart and soul. I thank all our congregation for the dynamic spiritual life, for your prayers and donations for the upkeep of the parish and finally for all your alms-giving and good deeds in our Lord’s name.

Memory Eternal to Scheierodeacon Theophanes and to all our parishioners who have passed away in the past year. May Our All-Merciful Lord give rest to their souls where the righteous repose!

SPECIAL EVENTS:

During 2017, along with the 150th Anniversary of Canada we also celebrate the following:

1) 120 years since the first Orthodox Liturgy served on Canadian land (July 18, 1897)

2) 100 years commemorating the birth of Fr. John Margitich, longserving Rector (June 1, 1917)

3) 45th anniversary of the blessing of St. Nicholas church in its present location; on the grounds of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Museum, on opening day of the museum (August 27, 1972)

4) 10th anniversary ‘Cannonical’ reunification of ROCOR with the Mother Church (May 17, 2007).

I thank all the participants of today’s assembly, for your attendance and contribution and I call upon God’s Blessings upon your lives and deeds for the glory of His Holy Church and our mutual home — Saint Barbara’s Cathedral.

Thank you for your attention.

Iov, Bishop of Kashira, Administrator of the Patriarchial Parishes in Canada