Lutsenko goes on trial - The Ukrainian Weekly

24THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011No. 22“Ukraine on Parade” on St. Patrick’s Day: an integral part of Quebec societyby Vasyl PawlowskyMONTREAL – On March 20, for the187th consecutive year the St. Patrick’sDay Parade was held in Montreal, and forthe 10th consecutive year Montreal’sUkrainian community participated underthe name “Ukraine on Parade.” The entrywas awarded Best Cultural CommunityUnit, one of 20 different categoriesjudged as parade entries. And this wasnot the first time.While this is Montreal’s Ukrainiancommunity’s 10th consecutive year ofinvolvement in the St. Patrick’s DayUkrainian participants march in Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.Parade, Ukrainians first participatedwhen Prosvita from Pointe St. Charlesparticipated in the parade back in 1942,said Edward Dorozowsky. Better knownas Ed Doro, he has been the driving forcebehind ensuring that the Ukrainian communityhas its place in such a venerableinstitution as the St. Patrick’s Day Paradein Montreal.The son of a blacksmith, Mr.Dorozowsky, grew up in the Pointe St.Charles district of Montreal, a workingclassdistrict that had high concentrationsof both Ukrainians and Irish. There are anumber of parallels in the histories ofYurij Luhovythese two peoples, and it would come asno surprise if Doro had many Irishfriends as he was growing up. Clearly, amutual respect has formed between thecommunities over their history in theprovince.“Ukraine on Parade has its own executivecommittee and is a separate entityfrom other Ukrainian organizations inMontreal. For some years I approacheddifferent organizations in Montreal withthe idea of participating in the St.Patrick’s Day Parade. Their respectiveleaders said they had to discuss it withtheir committees. I simply got tired ofwaiting and formed my own executivecommittee, and called it “Ukraine onParade,” as it works well in English,French and Ukrainian,” said Mr.Dorozowsky.He recalled how his biggest supportersin the beginning where his eldest childrenAlexandra, confined to a wheelchair allof her life with spina bifida and whopassed away in 2006, and Eddy, a professionalwrestler. “They all said Dad, Gofor it,” reminisced Mr. Dorozowsky.Even before Ukraine on Parade wascreated, Mr. Dorozowsky always tried tofind a way to insert elements ofUkrainian culture through other organizationsinto the mainstream.He recalled how, as a member of theLions Club, a community service organization,he installed a long-time communityleader carrying the Ukrainian flag intothe St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “This wasagainst organization policy, as there wasstill no Lion’s Club in Ukraine, but I hadcontributed a great deal, providing eyeglassesto the less fortunate through anumber of projects, and the top peoplesimply told others, don’t interfere withEd,” Mr. Dorozowsky related. That leaderwas Dr. Walter Kowal, who was veryinvolved in the Ukrainian CanadianProfessional and Business Association ofMontreal and who had served as its president.Since the reintroduction of theUkrainian community’s participation inthe St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2002,after a 14-year hiatus, it has become awelcome event for some Ukrainians inMontreal.“The last time that Ukrainians wereinvolved in the St. Patrick’s Day Paradewas in 1988, the Millennium ofUkrainian Christianity,” said BohdanKlymchuk, founder of the TroyandaDance Ensemble of Montreal, which hascontributed to the Ukraine on Paradefloat since it’s inception.“We are extremely happy to be part ofthis presentation to the community atlarge. But for the most part, we neverrealize that the we have participated inthe event until it is over. Our dancerswant to finish their program,” stated Mr.Klymchuk.In addition to organizing all the sponsorsand handling the logistics of theevent, Mr. Dorozowsky has included thenomination of a Ukrainian of the Yearwho will ride in the parade. Those whohave been selected to hold this honorabletitle have included both Montrealers, aswell as others from outside Montreal andQuebec. Those from Montreal haveincluded Bill Hladky in 2002, YaremaKelebay in 2007, Peter Zhytynsky in2009 and Yourko Kulycky in 2010.“After being selected as Ukrainian ofthe Year for Ukraine on Parade in 2004,M e m b e r o f P a r l i a m e n t B o r y sWrzesnewskyj enjoyed participating inthe St. Patrick’s Day Parade so much thathe invited himself back the followingyear,” said Mr. Dorozowsky.The man honored with the title thisyear was also not from Montreal, butfrom Royun-Noranda, in northernQuebec. He is James Slobodian, presidentof the camp Spirit Lake Corp. Hehas been tirelessly working for more thana decade to ensure that the interpretivecenter about the internment of Ukrainiansas enemy aliens during the World War I atSpirit Lake becomes a reality.The Spirit Lake internment site was thesecond largest site in Canada; 1,200 men,women and children were unjustlyinterned there as enemy aliens- the majoritybeing Ukrainian. From Montreal’s St.Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Churchalone, 60 families were taken.Mr. Slobodian had good models toguide him, and this became clear whenasked about the man behind Ukraine onParade.“Having spent a few hours with EdDoro, I observed how he is well-known,respected and a real Ukrainian right fromhis roots. As the annual organizer ofUkraine on Parade every March, he integratesinto the entire Montreal communityand the province the presence ofUkrainian culture in Quebec. He remindsme of my late uncle Bill Senkus, whowas also very proud and every dayreminded others of his Ukrainian origins.Yes, congratulations Ed Doro,” said Mr.Slobodian.Mr. Senkus, was a well-respectedUkrainian community leader who arrivedin Canada in 1929 and served on theexecutive of the Ukrainian CanadianCommittee from 1945 to his passing in1965. In 1992, as a way of honoring allUkrainians in Quebec, the municipalcouncil of what was then the city ofLaSalle renamed one its streets after Mr.Senkus.Such an honor clearly reflects thatUkrainians are an integral part of Quebecsociety, and Mr. Dorozowsky has ensuredfor over the last decade that all the peoplewho line the streets of Montreal for theSt. Patrick’s Day Parade know thatUkrainians are present in Montreal.“In fact, very often those watching theparade are in awe when they see theentire presentation, including our dancerson the back of a flat-bed truck. It’s hardfor them not to notice that Ukrainians arepart of the community here,” concludedMr. Klymchuk.Visit our archive online: www.ukrweekly.com