Nomination of Father Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky to the Episcopacy Takes Place in Winnipeg
On November 7, 2023, the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha in Winnipeg hosted the Great Vespers with the Rite of Episcopal Consecration of Fr. Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky, who was elected the ruling bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster in Western Canada. Metropolitan Lavrentiy Hutsulyak of Winnipeg performed the ceremony in concelebration with Bishop David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton, who is the current Apostolic Administrator of the New Westminster Eparchy, and Bishop Brian Baida, Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Decree of His Holiness Pope Francis on appointing Father Michael as a bishop was read in Ukrainian and English.
“At this moment, beloved son, as we entrust you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy martyr Josaphat, we beseech you to carry out your service with the heart of a father, to embrace all those entrusted to you and to show special care for young people and the elderly, defending their rights and bearing witness to the truth that God and His Church very much love them,” the letter reads.
After the newly named bishop, Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky proclaimed his profession of faith. He took oaths of allegiance to Pope Francis, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, and their successors, laying his hand on the Gospel. The nominee bishop then celebrated Vespers.
The Episcopal consecration of the newly named Bishop of the UGCC takes place on November 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olga in Winnipeg. The Divine Liturgy will begin at 6:00 PM (local time). On this day, we will celebrate the feast of the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and other incorporeal powers.
As we have previously reported, on August 24, 2023, the Vatican announced that His Holiness Pope Francis, having blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, appointed Fr. Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky as the ruling bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of New Westminster.
The UGCC Department for Information,photo: Severyn Shved