F O R E V E R Y O N E W H O S H A R E S I N T H E M I S S I O N A N D S P I R I T O F S T. A L P H O N S U S Kindred Spirits F A L L 2 0 1 5 This is when I carried you... Sebastian Simros (German Exchange Student & SERVE 2015 Participant) It was a sunny Saturday it appeared muddier than afternoon. The birds were expected and his feet would praising their Creator and a sink deeply into the mud so balmy breeze brought the that we nearly stumbled on our fresh air of spring and the path. I saw myself smashing woods to us. Winter had into the deep waters from the I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : lasted too long and nature rejoiced to finally be able to bring forth all its greens and discover even more scenic spots and to be able to take selfies with the black bears of dizzy height up on his shoulders. But he would whisper a prayer to Jesus and SERVE 2015 1, 4 riches. We were on a retreat this region. To make it clear the Virgin Mary for help and weekend in scenic Pinawa, from the outset, the second right away he would find again Family Ministry 2, 3 MB, literally on the edge of grace was not granted to us. balance and the strength to Table for Two 5 Growing in Faith 6 UR Youth 6 Mission Night 7 Announcements 8 the wilderness. We were resting from the wonderful work of serving and loving the poor while sharing in the Ukrainian-Catholic spirituality of song and prayer in Winnipeg for two weeks (the so-called SERVE-Program). Five out of nine of us had just got ashore from a marvellous slow-rafting tour on the Pinawa Channel, spotting fishing ducks, sunbathing river turtles and majestic bald eagles. But instead of returning to our hotel on the shore of the Winnipeg River immediately, Caleb (SERVE participant and Welcome Home community member) and I decided to take the 3km hiking trail through the forest along the Channel, hoping to Suddenly a little stream crossed our way. It was at least 3m wide and 20cm deep and impossible to jump over or walk around. No tree was near to cross it and the waters beside the path were even deeper and dangerously marshy. So I glanced at my tall companion with his strong shoulders and nearly 6 4 of height. And half for fun, half hopeful I asked him, Do you think you might be able to carry me to the other side? And without any hesitation, without protest or any doubts he just replied, Sure! And then he added, If you could meanwhile hold my shoes. So he gave me a piggyback ride and started to wade through this creek. But continue on his way! What a miracle! Eventually both of us were safe and sound on the other side. He got his shoes back and I remained dry and deeply impressed. This happened at least five times on our now expanding hiking tour at longer and even deeper creeks. But there's more to come. As soon as he had put me down he even expressed his sincere thankfulness and feeling of honour for having allowed him to carry me over this creek! This actually made me speechless as my request was one hundred percent selfish and not thinking of him at all. But his approach was the absolute opposite! Serving and loving and even thankful when being allowed to serve. Continued on Page 4
PAGE 2 The Sleigh Ride Alexis Pereira Age 8 When we went on the sleigh ride, we got to jump off and come back on. We also got to go to the front of the sleigh because the instructor said that we were allowed to. The temperature felt like -30 outside and it was freezing outside! When I went, I saw a lot of families and a bit of kids. Well, there was a lot of kids. When I went on, I only saw one of my classmates. I liked it because all people could go on the sleigh ride... old people, young people, and very young people. When we came to the tent to wait for our turn, we saw a massive pile of poo. It felt like the horses did not have to stop to go to the bathroom! Lots of people were jumping off and then after a bunch of people were off and they took a bit to stop and then they stopped in a place where they could stop! Alexis Jaclyn Jaclyn Szutiak Age 8 and her mom, Michelle We had lots of fun on the sleigh ride. The horses were beautiful and very hard-working. The barbeque was tasty and we really enjoyed the hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was nice to spend time with our friends and family. We laughed a lot when people jumped off and at those who struggled to catch up to the sleigh but we did ask the driver to stop and wait for them! It was a beautiful sunny day and wasn t very cold. We can t wait for next year to do this again! Thanks! On March 1, 2015, parents, children and volunteers from St. Joseph and St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic churches and The Welcome Home gathered at Miracle Ranch for an afternoon sleigh ride, followed a bonfire, hotdogs, marshmallows and of course, steaming cups of hot chocolate! KINDRED SPIRITS
FALL 2015 PAGE Pizza, Pajamas & a Movie Every once in a while, St. Joseph s Church hosts a movie night for the children of the catechism program and their families. My family and I attend these movie nights whenever possible. All the children bring blankets and pillows, and wear their favourite pyjamas. The night starts with a delicious pizza dinner. Then the movie begins. This time, we watched Muppets Most Wanted. It was about the time that Kermit the Frog got mistaken for an James Brennan Age 11 extremely dangerous criminal who was wanted worldwide. The movie was great, and my friends and I had a lot of fun! I would like to thank Ashley Radlinski and Michelle Thiessen for organizing and helping out at the movie night. I m really looking forward to the next movie night. Train up a child in the way he should go: Movie night at St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church A Special Visit Fr. Taras Kchik, C.Ss.R (the new chaplain at The Welcome Home) paid a springtime visit to Winnipeg, sharing his talents with our catechism children, youth and young adults. He has a unique way of capturing and holding the attention of young people. Just look at how attentive they are! Fr. Taras taught the children and youth about the different ways we can pray and why it s necessary to be part of a faith community and how it s possible to support each other with prayer. He had everyone amazed with the physical demonstration of why we need each other for support. Wow! No chairs! and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 3
P A G E 4 Caleb On our last day of SERVE our amazing coordinator, Michelle Thiessen, encouraged us to write a theological reflection on the event which was most significant to us during these two weeks of SERVE. A few thoughts shall be mentioned here that I connected to the experience above. When being carried through the deep waters I could Continued from Page 1 not help but think of St. Christopher. It was him who carried passengers over a wide river as there was no bridge and the waters were deep. One day a little child came to cross the river. While both were on their way, the child got more and more heavy and St. Christopher could barely hold the child any longer. Eventually they reached the shore and the child suddenly revealed itself as Christ, the Son of God through whom all things were made. I knew that carrying me, Caleb was ultimately offering a gift to God. It felt weird being in the position in which Christ was for St. Christopher. But sometimes in life we go through phases where we can hardly see or feel any trace of God around us. It was this event which made me honestly question whether my doubts at this point were truly appropriate. Because it is like in the famous poem Footprints in the Sand the Canadian author Margaret Fishback Powers. You think Christ would always walk beside you in your journey of life. But when you look back, you will often find only one set of footprints, especially during the most troublesome and hardest times of your life. But if you ask Christ why He had left you alone, He will respond to you: This is when I carried you. In Deuteronomy 1:31 God is assuring you the very same truth: The Lord fights before you, just as He did in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you travelled until you reached this place. What is God's response if you do not see Him anymore walking beside you in your journey of life? If you feel left alone, as if you would have to fight through the hard times all yourself? If you cannot trust God anymore like in Deuteronomy and you cry out to Him like in the poem: Where are you? What will be God's response? He bears your anger and sorrow and simply carries you. He is with you. It is He who brings you through the dark valley and through the mighty waters... if you only allow him to carry you. You might ask how does this happen? God's grace offers many ways in which people can relate to Him. One in particular shall be presented at this point. Many churches are actually built in the form of a ship. The so-called aisle is the reliable boat that shall carry its passengers safely to their harbour of rescue. The church helps guide you. She is not the harbour herself, but she is heading towards it. Everyone is invited to go aboard and to share in this joyful journey. Even if the waters of your life grow deeper and the storms get stronger, the assembly of the faithful will not sink, but endure (cf. Mt 16:18). It s like the dream of St. John Bosco, where the ship of SERVE is an intense two weeks designed to give young adults an opportunity to deepen their relationship with Christ through an experience of the Redemptorist lifestyle which revolves around preaching the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned. Sebastian (L-R)- Roman Kuzytskyy, Taylor Martin, Jeniece Charles, Fr. John Sianchuk, C.Ss.R, Cynthia Uzozie, Olesia Panas, Caleb Sterzer and Sebastian Simros. the church is wedged between two huge columns - the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Despite mighty storms it is safe there. Take refuge in this ship and find comfort in those columns. And then, in the midst of all the storms and troubles, you might hear the same voice whispering: Take heart. The I am is carrying you. (cf. Isaiah 46:4). SERVE 2016 is scheduled for May 5-20th, 2016 K I N D R E D S P I R I T S
FALL 2015 PAGE Simple Pleasures are the best. Nancy Wood Recently my husband Ted and I were asked to speak at the annual Table for Two, a candlelight dinner for couples held each year around St. Valentine s Day at St. Joseph s Parish. Couples are seated alone at tables and with each course of the meal they are served up question to discuss like, Why is it important that we accept each other for who we are? In what ways do we do this? In what ways do we not do this? or How do I feel when I realize I have hurt you? That is, topics that most couples never get around to talking about. Why is it hard to go deeper with our spouse, to talk about things that might be classified as difficult or intimate? Everyday life, children, grandchildren, television and the internet can all fill up the empty spaces of our lives and it s easy to avoid any topic that might make us uncomfortable. In his book, Prayer: Our Deepest Longing, Ron Rolheiser says that often we wake up in the morning and feel like we are being swept through a car wash the day just sucks us through a round of activities and distractions and we end the day exhausted, like we had no quality time with anyone, not our spouse, not our children, not with God. Do we have to wait till next year s Valentine s Day dinner? No! Just decide to get out of the car wash and be with your spouse sit on the couch (I ve heard it called couch time ), sit on the front steps with a cup of tea while the kids play in the yard, go for a walk. Dinner out and a movie can work, but don t spend the whole meal Nancy and Ted enjoying the photo booth at Table for Two (courtesy of RD Photocorp) talking about the kids. Ask, how are you doing in your spirit? Reminisce about when you first met. Talk about your dreams. Finally, enjoy what singer Bob McFerrin describes in his song, Simple Pleasures. After the Table for Two meal, Ted and I played this delightful song where McFerrin describes the joy he feels in his morning routine feeding his kids their breakfast, reading the Good Book, waking up his wife: Debbie, get up, it s a beautiful day... oh the simple pleasures are the best. Look for those moments in your day and be sure to share them with your spouse. Good couple time is really very simple. Ted and Nancy coordinate a mission to married couples called Cana, where they offer a whole week of quality couple time they provide meals, plan the schedule, have volunteers to care for the children all the couples have to do is commit to being present to each other (this year s session ran July 3-5 at St. Charles Retreat Centre in Winnipeg). It s a wonderful, lifetransforming experience. For more information contact Nancy at 204-885-2260 or email stcharlesretreat@hotmail.com. Our Redemptorist fathers at Table for Two, in support of all our young, married and engaged couples.
PAGE Growing in our Faith! 6 Fitting in Christmas November 2014 A Pilipivka Retreat with UCY Facilitated Michelle Thiessen Under the Radar July 2015 at Siloam Mission UR Youth Participants: Mackenzie Brook, Ron Grahame, Ben Rawluk. Leaders: Tim Cruikshank (of Siloam Mission), Michelle Thiessen and Alex Pankiw. Prayer Workshop March 2015 UR Youth & Young adult gathering Facilitated Fr. Taras Kchik, C.Ss.R Watching & Waiting March 2015 A Palm Sunday Retreat with UCY Facilitated the Most Reverend Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak, OSBM and hosted the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate Eastern Prayer Rope Workshop March 2015 Facilitated Fr. Taras Kchik, C.Ss.R UR Youth Ashley Radlinsky Before KINDRED SPIRITS After Painting selfie! (L-R) Paula, Michelle, Mikaila and Ashley I had a lot of fun with Paula, Mikaila, and Michelle painting the youth room. I love the transformation from the colourful to the calm beige. Michelle said that we are going to be picking furniture for the room. The youth room is going to look completely different!
P A G E 7 Mission Night! Michelle Thiessen Truly, what does it Next, we travelled to their mean to be a Philadelphia, PA to visit joys. With a missionary these days? Edward (no, we didn t background in music, And especially for physically go there... she has especially young people... do we skyped with him on enjoyed bringing the they feel it s beyond a big screen. It s the world of music and their reach? next best thing!). rhythm to the children The Ukrainian Redemptorists hosted a Mission Night at The Welcome Home this past winter. It was a combination of three presentations from three different young people, currently volunteering or working with the Redemptorists in three different countries. We began with Caleb, a young adult currently volunteering for one year at The Welcome Home as a live-in community member. He shared with us his faith story, of the things and people in his life who helped him grow in his faith. He shared how he has been discerning a vocation and he hopes that this time at The Welcome Home, living a life of prayer and service, will help him to be more attentive to what God is calling him to in his life. Edward is also a young man in his early 20 s, currently working at a Redemptorist mission called Blessed Sarnelli Community. Edward had also spent a year of service at The Welcome Home, straight out of high school. His experiences in both of these missions reveal themselves in his creative personality and his unique way of simply meeting people where they are at in their lives. And finally, we ended our mission tour in Pattaya, Thailand, with Michelle. A young woman in her late 20 s, Michelle is currently volunteering 6 months of her time to teach English at the Fr. Ray Foundation. Her time is spent with students with varying disabilities, reaching out to them, sharing in their struggles and there. Like Edward, Michelle also came to The Welcome Home soon after completing high school, eventually staying and serving there for three years. We all love a good story, and I think that s what made this evening so fascinating. We heard very different stories from very different individuals, but they all had the common thread of living at The Welcome Home. I don t think it s a coincidence that they have continued to take opportunities to work with those most in need. Many young people come to The Welcome Home in the hopes of changing the lives of the people they encounter there, but the truth is, they are the ones that are transformed... and always for the better. Caleb Sterzer enjoying the great outdoors during S.E.R.V.E. Edward Nelling (of Blessed Sarnelli Community) with neighbour, Tyson. Michelle Fedorowich, volunteer teacher at The Fr. Ray Foundation with student, Ta.
P A G E 8 Announcements Quadrennial Appointments for the Redemptorists of the Yorkton Province (August 1, 2015 July 31, 2019) Winnipeg On May 15, 2015 our novice, St. Joseph s Ukrainian Catholic Church Eumir Bautista, was invested in Fr. Larry Kondra-Provincial Superior Fr. Dmytro Dnistrian-Pastor the Redemptorist habit and on Fr. Frank Szadiak-Assistant Pastor August 14, he professed his Fr. John Sianchuk-Assistant Pastor & temporary vows in the Director of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky Shrine Congregation of the Most Holy St. Andrew s Ukrainian Catholic Church Redeemer. Please continue to Fr. Leonard Ratushniak-Pastor pray for Eumir as he continues The Welcome Home his formation and studies in Fr. Taras Kchik-Chaplain & Director of Vocation Ministry Justine Kruz-Community Coordinator Saskatoon Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church Fr. Michael Smolinski-Pastor Fr. Leonid Malkov-Assistant Pastor St. Joseph s Nursing Home Fr. Thaddeus Krawchuk-Retired Fr. Vladimir Kolpakov-Retired Yorkton District St. Mary s Ukrainian Catholic Church Fr. Bohdan Lukie-Pastor Fr. Raymond Lukie-Assistant Pastor Fr. Methodius Kushko-Assistant Pastor Chicago! On May 16, 2015 Sophia Nahachewsky and Jay Korban were united in the Mystery of Crowning in Winnipeg, MB! Celebrations included a visit from the Goldeyes mascots, Goldie and Goldette, countless polka numbers, and an unlimited amount of perogies and cabbage rolls! Ituna District Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church Fr. Peter Pidskalny-Pastor Fr. Boris Kyba-Assistant Pastor Bishop Emeritus Michael Wiwchar-Retired Kindred Spirits F A L L 2 0 1 5 Ukrainian Redemptorist Young Adult Ministry Office 188 Euclid Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2W 2X4 rymcssr@gmail.com 204-799-1060 **Our website is currently under construction** Ukrainian Redemptorist Young Adult Ministry THE REDEMPTORISTS are an international religious order of priests and brothers founded in 1732 Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Their mission is to spread the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned. THE REDEMPTORISTS OF THE YORKTON PROVINCE include all the Ukrainian Catholic Redemptorists of Canada. We currently serve parishes located in Saskatoon, Yorkton, Ituna, and Winnipeg. Commissioned lay collaborators, Partners in Mission, share an integral role in our ministry. Recognizing that youth and young adults are among the most abandoned in our church, we have deeply invested ourselves in growing in relationship with them since 1991. The Welcome Home, a community-focused Winnipeg inner city mission, was established in 1993 and enables us to share our charism with the neighbourhood and with young adults who choose to live in community with us. Winnipeg is also home to the Shrine of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, a Redemptorist bishop who was beatified in 2001. Redemptorists of the Yorkton Province