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03.09.2008, [16:54] // Orthodox //RISU.ORG.UA

Saskatoon, Canada – An Extraordinary Sobor (Assembly) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC) took place on 22-24 August 2008 in Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saskatoon (Saskatchewan province, Canada). It was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the UOCC, introducing changes into the statutes of the church, electing new bishops, and Ukrainian Independence Day.

It started with a Divine Liturgy served by the head of the UOCC, Metropolitan John (Stinka); Bishop Christophoros, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; Archbishop Yurij (Kalistchuk) of the Eastern Diocese of the UOCC; and “the two bishops proposed to complete the Synod of Bishops of the” UOCC, bishops Ilarion (Rudnyk) and Andrij (Peshko).

A majority of the bishops of the sobor ended up electing Bishop Ilarion for Edmonton and the Western Diocese and Bishop Andrij for Saskatoon and auxiliary bishop of the Central Diocese.

The sobor approved the renewed statutes of the UOCC, in which relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople were defined and confirmed the principles of rule by sobor in church administration, according to which bishops are elected by the sobor of the church. The functions of the head of the UOCC, diocesan bishops, parish priests, church committees and commissions were also specified.

uocc.ca noted that the sobor “warmly greeted” Bishop Brian Bayda, newly-elected Ukrainian Catholic hierarch of Saskatoon, “who paid a courtesy visit in the late afternoon” of 23 August.

It is no coincidence that the sobor took place in Saskatoon in Holy Trinity Cathedral. In 1918 in this place the UOCC was established with the permission of the Canadian government.

The sobor ended with a Divine Liturgy celebrated together by the episcopate of the UOCC and the UOC in the USA and with clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox parishes of Canada. Then there was a thanksgiving service on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine. On the occasion of the celebration of Independence Day, “Ukrainian days” with music, singing, and of course, traditional varenyky (stuffed dumplings) and sour cream took place in the central park of Saskatoon.

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