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 Sister<strong>The</strong>odosia 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 compositi<strong>on</strong>, 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 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> andCelebrating their 60th jubilees are: (from left) Sister Mary Michael, Sister Lauraand Sister <strong>The</strong>odosia.the United States.Sister Laura has also served as the housesuperior for the Fox Chase c<strong>on</strong>vent, ensuringthat the many daily functi<strong>on</strong>s 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 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>, where she also workedwith orphans. She spent time in Brazil establishinga foundati<strong>on</strong>, then assisted the formati<strong>on</strong>process. 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 <strong>The</strong>odosia 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 sec<strong>on</strong>d term as principal at St. GeorgeSchool in New York. Sister <strong>The</strong>odosiahas also traveled the world to teach; asthe academic dean at the Pedagogical-Catechetical School in Ivano-Frankivsk,<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>, she worked with the training ofcatechists.During the sec<strong>on</strong>d 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 any<strong>on</strong>ecould possibly count. <strong>The</strong>y 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. – <strong>The</strong> July 17editi<strong>on</strong> of <strong>The</strong> Mecklenburg Times, anewspaper in Charlotte, N.C., recognizedDr. Maria Syska as a 2009 HealthcareHero for her excepti<strong>on</strong>al work as a veterinarian.According to Tanya Mathis, the news-Dr. Maria Syska with <strong>on</strong>e of her patients.paper’s publisher, the 17 individualsselected as Healthcare Heroes “are committedindividuals who are not <strong>on</strong>ly makinga difference in the healthcare industry,but are also committed to our communityas a whole.”In describing her dedicati<strong>on</strong> to her chosenfield, Dr. Syska told <strong>The</strong> MecklenburgTimes that she has “always felt called toveterinary medicine.” She also stated,“When I am caring for compani<strong>on</strong> animals,I am improving not <strong>on</strong>ly their qualityof life, but the quality of life of theirhuman families as well.”In additi<strong>on</strong> 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 graduati<strong>on</strong> from theUniversity of Pennsylvania School ofVeterinary Medicine was noted in theJune 22, 2008, editi<strong>on</strong> of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong>.Up<strong>on</strong> completing her internship at theAnimal Medical Hospital this summer,Dr. Syska will move <strong>on</strong> to share her talentsat the St<strong>on</strong>ey 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 promoti<strong>on</strong> 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,Yv<strong>on</strong>ne Roque-Iannelli. Sgt. Maj. Szczur was promoted by Maj. Gen. Fergal Foley<strong>on</strong> Saturday, July 25, at Camp Smith in Cortland Manor, N.Y. <strong>The</strong> newly promotedguardsman has been serving as a pers<strong>on</strong>nel sergeant major since 2005.“Notes <strong>on</strong> People” is a feature geared toward reporting <strong>on</strong> the achievements of members ofthe <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Nati<strong>on</strong>al Associati<strong>on</strong> and the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> community. All submissi<strong>on</strong>s shouldbe c<strong>on</strong>cise due to space limitati<strong>on</strong>s and must include the pers<strong>on</strong>’s UNA branch number (ifapplicable). Items will be published as so<strong>on</strong> as possible after their receipt.An open invitati<strong>on</strong> to local community activistsWould you like fellow <strong>Ukrainian</strong>s to know about events in your community?Would you like to become <strong>on</strong>e of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong>’s corresp<strong>on</strong>dents?<strong>The</strong>n what are you waiting for?<strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> welcomes submissi<strong>on</strong>s from local community activists.You may reach <strong>The</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> by ph<strong>on</strong>e, (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...(C<strong>on</strong>tinued from page 8)of Russia even the meager c<strong>on</strong>cessi<strong>on</strong>s thatthe Soviet government was forced to maketo the <strong>Ukrainian</strong>s, Georgians and othernati<strong>on</strong>alities in order to stay in power. To theend of his life Denikin remained c<strong>on</strong>vinced– and he frequently stressed this point in hiswritings – that the “basic vicious ailment” ofthe Bolshevik leadership was the fact that itc<strong>on</strong>sisted of n<strong>on</strong>-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? <strong>The</strong> Russianprime minister has no reas<strong>on</strong> for doubt.After all, just last year he dazzled the worldwith Russia’s might in his c<strong>on</strong>fr<strong>on</strong>tati<strong>on</strong>with Georgia, and as a former agent of theKGB, he is well-equipped to bring into playthe divisive tactics the tsarist general used soskillfully in <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> during the civil war. Heeven appears ready to quote Denikin inorder to warn Western leaders, PresidentBarack Obama am<strong>on</strong>g them, that it is acrime to meddle in what he c<strong>on</strong>siders“Russia’s internal affairs.” Could this obsessivepreoccupati<strong>on</strong> with Georgia and<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> the part of an imperially drivenRussian leader <strong>on</strong>ce again thrust the countryinto the whirlwind of a disastrous war?
No. 34EDMONTON, Alberta – Since<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>’s renewed independence, thereligious situati<strong>on</strong> and religious relati<strong>on</strong>sin that country have been the focus ofinternati<strong>on</strong>al attenti<strong>on</strong>. <strong>The</strong> rebirth ofChurches and religious instituti<strong>on</strong>s hasbeen accompanied by vigorous competiti<strong>on</strong>for the loyalty of <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>’s believers.<strong>The</strong> visit of Pope John Paul II to <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>in 2001 and the most recent visit of thenewly elected patriarch of Moscow andall Russia, Kirill, testify to the centralityof <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> both in the Catholic andOrthodox worlds. Ecclesiastical affairs,above all the allegiance of Orthodoxbelievers, have greatly influenced the processesof state-building and nati<strong>on</strong>-buildingin <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>.CIUS Press has published a number ofm<strong>on</strong>ographs and collecti<strong>on</strong>s of essays <strong>on</strong>problems 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 religioussituati<strong>on</strong> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>, the volume of essaysby Serhii Plokhy and Frank E. Sysyn,titled “Religi<strong>on</strong> and Nati<strong>on</strong> in Modern<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>,” has been especially welcome.<strong>The</strong> over 15 reviews of the volume havepraised this editi<strong>on</strong> as a greatly neededauthoritative work <strong>on</strong> modern religiousaffairs in <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<strong>The</strong> internati<strong>on</strong>ally renowned specialist<strong>on</strong> religious affairs Michael Bourdeauxevaluated the volume in the SlavicReview: “Since the collapse of the SovietUni<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> has been called the‘sleeping giant’ of Europe – <strong>on</strong>e of thec<strong>on</strong>tinent’s most populous nati<strong>on</strong>s, but<strong>on</strong>e that has so far had minimal impact <strong>on</strong>THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009 15“Religi<strong>on</strong> and Nati<strong>on</strong> in Modern <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>” reissued by CIUS Pressinternati<strong>on</strong>al affairs. Far too little is beingpublished, whether in the realm of scholarlystudies or in the press, about this vastnew independent country. ‘Religi<strong>on</strong> andNati<strong>on</strong> in Modern <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>’ is, therefore,not <strong>on</strong>ly a welcome additi<strong>on</strong> to the literature,but an excellent book in its ownright. As scholars c<strong>on</strong>versant with<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> 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 <strong>on</strong> religious groups in c<strong>on</strong>temporary<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>, 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 c<strong>on</strong>cede that they had underestimatedthe importance of nati<strong>on</strong>alityissues, and especially of religi<strong>on</strong>, as forcesshaping Soviet history. Few scholarsengaged the dynamic interacti<strong>on</strong> ofnati<strong>on</strong>ality and religi<strong>on</strong> as they played outhistorically in politics and the daily life ofSoviet citizens. <strong>The</strong> two authors of thisbook went against this trend and haveover the years amassed a distinguishedrecord of scholarship in the fields of<strong>Ukrainian</strong> history and of religious lifeover the centuries in this strategicallyimportant borderland.”<strong>The</strong>se and over 10 other reviews ofthis book can be read <strong>on</strong> the CIUS Presswebsite at www.utor<strong>on</strong>to.ca/cius/publicati<strong>on</strong>s/books/religi<strong>on</strong>nati<strong>on</strong>.htm.CIUS Press has decided to resp<strong>on</strong>d tothe <strong>on</strong>going demand for this book byscholars and a wider public interested inreligious affairs in <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> and theEastern Christian world by reissuing“Religi<strong>on</strong> and Nati<strong>on</strong> in Modern<str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g>.” <strong>The</strong> book is available in aHome for Salepaperback editi<strong>on</strong> for $29.95 and in hardcoverfor $39.95 (plus taxes and shipping;outside Canada prices are in U.S. dollars).Readers interested in matters of<strong>Ukrainian</strong> religious life can also takeadvantage of a limited-time opportunityto purchase Bohdan R. Bociurkiw’sauthoritative scholarly study of the processof dissoluti<strong>on</strong> of the <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Catholic Church in <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ukraine</str<strong>on</strong>g> by the Sovietauthorities: “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> GreekCatholic Church and the Soviet State(1939-1950),” hardcover editi<strong>on</strong>; 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 <strong>on</strong>line ordering system ofCIUS Press at www.utor<strong>on</strong>to.ca/cius orby c<strong>on</strong>tacting CIUS Press, 430 PembinaHall, University of Alberta, Edm<strong>on</strong>t<strong>on</strong>,AB, T6G 2H8; teleph<strong>on</strong>e, 780-492-2973;e-mail, cius@ualberta.ca.– Canadian Institute of <strong>Ukrainian</strong> StudiesZolota Osin community#25 – Sec<strong>on</strong>d house <strong>on</strong> right sideThree bedrooms, side deckPlease call:Orest Walchuk – 908-713-6307George Walchuk – 908-638-4732
- Page 1 and 2: INSIDE:• For the record: Yushchen
- Page 4 and 5: 4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGU
- Page 6 and 7: 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGU
- Page 8 and 9: 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGU
- Page 10 and 11: 10 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 12 and 13: 12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 16 and 17: 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 18 and 19: 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 20 and 21: 20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 22 and 23: 22 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 24 and 25: 24 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 26 and 27: 26 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 28 and 29: 28 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 30 and 31: 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG
- Page 32: 32 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUG