UWO Toronto Easter Luncheon 2008

Orysia Sopinka-Chwaluk

I have been the Mistress of Ceremonies for the Ukrainian Women’s Organization Easter Luncheon a number of times, but never have I enjoyed it as much as this year.  Spilne Sviachene was held this year on May 4, Thomas Sunday according to the Julian calendar, at the Ukrainian National Federation Toronto Community Centre. UWO President, Mrs. Stacy Seussmeuth opened the event welcoming everyone and emphasized that the Ukrainian Women’s Organization has celebrated Easter with the Ukrainian community 77 years in a row. She reminded us of how fortunate we Ukrainians are to be able to celebrate this holiday according to our own traditions.  The luncheon, prepared by Mrs. Anne Fedun and a committee from the UWO membership included the traditional Ukrainian Easter dishes.  Father Stepan Czornij from St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, blessed the food and wished for us to glean the real meaning of Easter and not be distracted from it by our fast-paced lives and material well-being. 

My contribution to the Easter luncheon was to highlight the importance of Easter for Christians and to make sure that the programme for the afternoon flowed smoothly. Here were some of my reflections.  To celebrate Easter is to feel and recognize the greatness of Jesus Christ. Our faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a sense of purpose on Earth.  By demonstrating our belief in the Resurrection, we show our faith in the future of Mankind and reaffirm our belief in life after death.  As a nation, we practise our Easter traditions and rejoice in their beauty.  A friend of mine, Mrs. Pearl Holubowsky, sent me a calendar of pictures of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army published by Litopys UPA in Toronto.  I was compelled to show our guests a picture of the UPA celebrating Easter in the Carpathian Mountains in the 1940s.  Their Easter table was built from tree trunks, covered with evergreen boughs. On the table were the same traditional dishes that we were enjoying today. Ignoring the fact that they were at war, the soldiers stopped fighting and celebrated Easter as best as they could, fully realising that their lives could be shortened at any moment.  They did not fear their fate because they firmly believed in the Resurrection of the Lord.  I knew that this information had left an indelible impression on some guests because after lunch, a number of them inquired about obtaining the calendar.

We were entertained by the delightful Boyan Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Natalka Fuchylo, accompanied by Mrs. Natalie Obal.  The choir sang a number of Ukrainian Easter-time songs called hayilky, and several versions of Chrystos Voskres – Christ is Risen! Their voices were lovely, carrying across the happiness of spring.  Of course, the best part of singing is when you do it yourself, and the audience had a chance to participate in several songs. Mrs. Fuchylo has a wonderful informal way, and still maintain a professional stance, of practising inclusion with her audience.

The following distinguished guests gave Easter greetings: Mr. Taras Pidzamecky, President of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada Board of Directors, Mrs. Natalka Bundza- Iwanytzka, National President of the Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada, Mr. Oleksandr Mikhayletskyy, President of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation in Toronto and Mr. Gregory Adamowich, Vice President of the Ukrainian National Federation Toronto Branch. 

Normally, at the conclusion of our celebration, we have the priest lead the closing prayer. This year, journalist Vera Ke decided to add some of her humour to the occasion.  After the prayer, she entertained us for a long time with her jokes and funny stories.  She is a natural stand-up comedian, short in stature but tall in words. We all left the Trident Hall in stitches, thinking about how much fun we had listening to her wit and what a wonderful  afternoon we had celebrating  Easter this year.