Ukrainian
Genocide Remembered
On Saturday,
November 26 at 11 am., a commemorative service in remembrance of the victims of
the Holodomor in Ukraine 1932-33 took place at the Dormition of the Mother God
Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mississauga, Ont., organized by the Ukrainian
Canadian Congress – Toronto Branch. The Most Rev. Chmilar, Bishop of the
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, His Grace Bishop
Andrij of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada – Eastern Eparchy, and the
His Eminence Bishop Vincent Nguyen of the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto,
together with local clergy offered a memorial service for the millions who died
as the result of the Holodomor Artificial Famine Genocide, carried out by the Communist
Party against the Ukrainian nation, subjected to the harsh rule under the
regime of Stalin.
Following
the church service, everyone present gathered in front of the church at the
memorial built last year in honour of the victims of the Holodomor, constructed
and sponsored by well-known benefactor Evhen Kostruba. UCC Toronto President
Oksana Rewa expressed the community’s collective sadness and grief, and a
magnificent wreath with red roses was placed at the foot of the memorial.
In
a short programme, respect was paid to the innocent victims of The Great Famine
not only by leaders and members of Ukrainian organizations and affiliates, but
notably by Oleksandr Danyleiko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, and by
Canadian politicians from all government levels: Federal Members of Parliament
Ted Opitz, Wladyslaw Lizon, and Bernard Trottier; former MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj
representing interim Liberal Party Leader Bob Rae; new Ontario Speaker and MPP
Dave Levac; and City of Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. There also were
representatives of the Polish and Italian communities in attendance.
Individuals
of particular significance at the commemoration were witnesses to the Holodomor
– Fedir Strohyj, Mykola Latyshko and Vira Kanareyska, who repeatedly shared
their memories of what they endured during this tragic chapter of Ukraine’s
history.
After
the commemorative programme at the memorial, all participants entered the
Church Hall for lunch, appropriate for a Holodomor service – plain borscht and
dark rye bread. UCC Toronto President Oksana Rewa again spoke during this
occasion.
Former
UCC Toronto President Markian Shwec read aloud a petition and asked all present
to sign it requesting the House of Commons and Canadian government to create a
permanent exhibit about the Holodomor in Ukraine 1932-1933 at the new Canadian
Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.
Not
only should every Ukrainian remember the Great Famine as a tragic page in our
history, and its innocent victims, but it is the duty of every one of us to
tell the entire world about it, so that the like not be repeated anywhere ever
again!
Canada recognizes
the Holodomor as famine genocide, along with many other nations.
The Fourth Annual National Holodomor
Awareness Week ran this year from November 21-27. The fourth Saturday of
November (26th) is Holodomor Memorial Day in Canada - honoured in
Ukrainian-Canadian homes by a moment of silence at 7:32 pm. (19:32). Church
services across the country were held on Sunday, November 27. Throughout the
week black flags were displayed in public to mark the solemn occasion.
Photos: Markian Radomskiy