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14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009No. 34NOTES ON PEOPLEThree sisters mark60 years of ministryFOX CHASE MANOR, Pa. – On June28 the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil theGreat celebrated the lives and achievementsto date of three women: Sister Laura Palka,Sister Mary Michael Bayda and SisterTheodosia Lukiw.By answering a call by God to ministerto the world, all three sisters have journeyedand experienced more that they could haveimagined 60 years ago as late teenagers andearly 20-somethings in 1949.Sister Laura, the current provincial superior,has ministered across the country invarious capacities. Most prominently, shehas shared her gift of music through teaching,directing, composing and performing.As the music teacher at St. Basil Academyand Manor College, Sister Laura was theimpetus behind the numerous musicals performedby the students.Her most notable composition, the magnificentcantata from Bohdan Lepky’s poem“In the Cathedral of St. George,” has beenfeatured at various venues, the most recentbeing the 2003 music tour of the BasilianSisters’ combined choir from <strong>Ukraine</strong> andCelebrating their 60th jubilees are: (from left) Sister Mary Michael, Sister Lauraand Sister Theodosia.the United States.Sister Laura has also served as the housesuperior for the Fox Chase convent, ensuringthat the many daily functions were coordinatedand ran smoothly.Sister Mary Michael has also been ateacher, in Chicago, New York, Philadelphiaand Parma, Ohio. She has traveled widely inher ministries, teaching seminarians and catechistsin <strong>Ukraine</strong>, where she also workedwith orphans. She spent time in Brazil establishinga foundation, then assisted the formationprocess. She also served in Rome atthe Generalate, the sisters’ worldwide headquarters,as general bursar and general councilor.When she wasn’t called to various partsof the world, she became a licensed practicalnurse (LPN), working at Holy RedeemerHospital in Philadelphia.Sister Theodosia has also taught innumerous parishes: Watervliet, N.Y., NewYork, Hamtramck, Mich., andPhiladelphia, and at St. Basil Academy inFox Chase Manor, Pa. She is currently inher second term as principal at St. GeorgeSchool in New York. Sister Theodosiahas also traveled the world to teach; asthe academic dean at the Pedagogical-Catechetical School in Ivano-Frankivsk,<strong>Ukraine</strong>, she worked with the training ofcatechists.During the second half of the 1970s intothe mid ‘80s she served as provincial superiorfor the Fox Chase Province.In their 60 years of ministry these threewomen have touched more lives than anyonecould possibly count. They have servedas a visible symbol of the love of God, andhave inspired many to follow the divineexample of Jesus Christ.Veterinarian namedHealthcare HeroCHARLOTTE, N.C. – The July 17edition of The Mecklenburg Times, anewspaper in Charlotte, N.C., recognizedDr. Maria Syska as a 2009 HealthcareHero for her exceptional work as a veterinarian.According to Tanya Mathis, the news-Dr. Maria Syska with one of her patients.paper’s publisher, the 17 individualsselected as Healthcare Heroes “are committedindividuals who are not only makinga difference in the healthcare industry,but are also committed to our communityas a whole.”In describing her dedication to her chosenfield, Dr. Syska told The MecklenburgTimes that she has “always felt called toveterinary medicine.” She also stated,“When I am caring for companion animals,I am improving not only their qualityof life, but the quality of life of theirhuman families as well.”In addition to her work as an intern atthe Animal Medical Hospital in Charlotte,Dr. Syska has volunteered as a veterinarianin remote villages in Nicaragua, aswell as various spay-neuter clinics and atthe Humane Society’s Rural AreaVeterinary Services.Readers may be familiar with Dr.Syska, whose graduation from theUniversity of Pennsylvania School ofVeterinary Medicine was noted in theJune 22, 2008, edition of The Weekly.Upon completing her internship at theAnimal Medical Hospital this summer,Dr. Syska will move on to share her talentsat the Stoney Creek Animal Hospitalin Charlotte as an associate veterinarian.Dr. Syska is the daughter of Williamand Loressa Syska of West Chester, Pa.,and the granddaughter of Eva Uzych ofWallingford, Pa., and the late Dr. WalterUzych, and of the late Olga and OttoSyska.Receives promotion in N.Y. GuardCORTLAND MANOR, N.Y. – Newly promoted to the rank of sergeant major, TarasSzczur (right) of the New York Guard, shakes hands with Command Sgt. Maj.James Harter; both are former Marines. On the left is Sgt. Maj. Szczur’s fiancée,Yvonne Roque-Iannelli. Sgt. Maj. Szczur was promoted by Maj. Gen. Fergal Foleyon Saturday, July 25, at Camp Smith in Cortland Manor, N.Y. The newly promotedguardsman has been serving as a personnel sergeant major since 2005.“Notes on People” is a feature geared toward reporting on the achievements of members ofthe Ukrainian National Association and the Ukrainian community. All submissions shouldbe concise due to space limitations and must include the person’s UNA branch number (ifapplicable). Items will be published as soon as possible after their receipt.An open invitation to local community activistsWould you like fellow Ukrainians to know about events in your community?Would you like to become one of The Ukrainian Weekly’s correspondents?Then what are you waiting for?The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes submissions from local community activists.You may reach The Weekly by phone, (973) 292-9800; fax, (973) 644-9510;e-mail, staff@ukrweekly.com; or mail, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054.Black knight...(Continued from page 8)of Russia even the meager concessions thatthe Soviet government was forced to maketo the Ukrainians, Georgians and othernationalities in order to stay in power. To theend of his life Denikin remained convinced– and he frequently stressed this point in hiswritings – that the “basic vicious ailment” ofthe Bolshevik leadership was the fact that itconsisted of non-Russians. He did not trustthe Soviets, whom he viewed as a band ofaliens and traitors, to guard the interests ofMother Russia.Would Denikin trust Putin? The Russianprime minister has no reason for doubt.After all, just last year he dazzled the worldwith Russia’s might in his confrontationwith Georgia, and as a former agent of theKGB, he is well-equipped to bring into playthe divisive tactics the tsarist general used soskillfully in <strong>Ukraine</strong> during the civil war. Heeven appears ready to quote Denikin inorder to warn Western leaders, PresidentBarack Obama among them, that it is acrime to meddle in what he considers“Russia’s internal affairs.” Could this obsessivepreoccupation with Georgia and<strong>Ukraine</strong> on the part of an imperially drivenRussian leader once again thrust the countryinto the whirlwind of a disastrous war?
No. 34EDMONTON, Alberta – Since<strong>Ukraine</strong>’s renewed independence, thereligious situation and religious relationsin that country have been the focus ofinternational attention. The rebirth ofChurches and religious institutions hasbeen accompanied by vigorous competitionfor the loyalty of <strong>Ukraine</strong>’s believers.The visit of Pope John Paul II to <strong>Ukraine</strong>in 2001 and the most recent visit of thenewly elected patriarch of Moscow andall Russia, Kirill, testify to the centralityof <strong>Ukraine</strong> both in the Catholic andOrthodox worlds. Ecclesiastical affairs,above all the allegiance of Orthodoxbelievers, have greatly influenced the processesof state-building and nation-buildingin <strong>Ukraine</strong>.CIUS Press has published a number ofmonographs and collections of essays onproblems of religious history by authorsand editors such as Ihor Sevčenko,Yaroslav Isaievych, Geoffrey Hosking,Andrij Krawczuk, Paul R. Magocsi,Bohdan Bociurkiw and David Goa. Tothose interested in the current religioussituation in <strong>Ukraine</strong>, the volume of essaysby Serhii Plokhy and Frank E. Sysyn,titled “Religion and Nation in Modern<strong>Ukraine</strong>,” has been especially welcome.The over 15 reviews of the volume havepraised this edition as a greatly neededauthoritative work on modern religiousaffairs in <strong>Ukraine</strong>.The internationally renowned specialiston religious affairs Michael Bourdeauxevaluated the volume in the SlavicReview: “Since the collapse of the SovietUnion, <strong>Ukraine</strong> has been called the‘sleeping giant’ of Europe – one of thecontinent’s most populous nations, butone that has so far had minimal impact onTHE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009 15“Religion and Nation in Modern <strong>Ukraine</strong>” reissued by CIUS Pressinternational affairs. Far too little is beingpublished, whether in the realm of scholarlystudies or in the press, about this vastnew independent country. ‘Religion andNation in Modern <strong>Ukraine</strong>’ is, therefore,not only a welcome addition to the literature,but an excellent book in its ownright. As scholars conversant with<strong>Ukraine</strong> will know, the names of SerhiiPlokhy and Frank E. Sysyn guarantee thequality of the work. Each has a profoundinsight into the complex issues facing thecountry today.”A specialist on religious groups in contemporary<strong>Ukraine</strong>, above all theProtestants, Catherine Wanner, characterizedthe topic and volume thusly: “It wasnot until the late 1980s that many schol-ars from a plethora of disciplines wereforced to concede that they had underestimatedthe importance of nationalityissues, and especially of religion, as forcesshaping Soviet history. Few scholarsengaged the dynamic interaction ofnationality and religion as they played outhistorically in politics and the daily life ofSoviet citizens. The two authors of thisbook went against this trend and haveover the years amassed a distinguishedrecord of scholarship in the fields ofUkrainian history and of religious lifeover the centuries in this strategicallyimportant borderland.”These and over 10 other reviews ofthis book can be read on the CIUS Presswebsite at www.utoronto.ca/cius/publications/books/religionnation.htm.CIUS Press has decided to respond tothe ongoing demand for this book byscholars and a wider public interested inreligious affairs in <strong>Ukraine</strong> and theEastern Christian world by reissuing“Religion and Nation in Modern<strong>Ukraine</strong>.” The book is available in aHome for Salepaperback edition for $29.95 and in hardcoverfor $39.95 (plus taxes and shipping;outside Canada prices are in U.S. dollars).Readers interested in matters ofUkrainian religious life can also takeadvantage of a limited-time opportunityto purchase Bohdan R. Bociurkiw’sauthoritative scholarly study of the processof dissolution of the UkrainianCatholic Church in <strong>Ukraine</strong> by the Sovietauthorities: “The Ukrainian GreekCatholic Church and the Soviet State(1939-1950),” hardcover edition; discountedprice: $23.97 (reg. $39.95).Twenty reviews of this book can be foundat http://tinyurl.com/mcd5e3.Orders for both books can be placedvia the secure online ordering system ofCIUS Press at www.utoronto.ca/cius orby contacting CIUS Press, 430 PembinaHall, University of Alberta, Edmonton,AB, T6G 2H8; telephone, 780-492-2973;e-mail, cius@ualberta.ca.– Canadian Institute of Ukrainian StudiesZolota Osin community#25 – Second house on right sideThree bedrooms, side deckPlease call:Orest Walchuk – 908-713-6307George Walchuk – 908-638-4732
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