+ Father Roman Galadza, RIP

With great sorrow, we pass along this message just received from the family of + Father Roman Galadza, past of Saint Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton, Ontario.

Dear Parishioners and Friends, 

+Father Roman fell asleep in the Lord early in the morning of August 1, 2023. His passing was very peaceful, surrounded by family. 

We sang to him for much of the day on Monday, we napped at his side, and he listened to the livestream of Vespers. 

Father’s burial will take place on Monday, August 7th. Details of services will follow shortly. 

Thank you for all your prayers.

VIDEO: Good news about Father Roman Galadza

At the beginning of this month, Walt asked you to pray for Father Roman Galadza, the Pastor of Saint Elias Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Brampton ON. I'm happy to share this health update. 

Father Roman has transitioned from a "crisis" to more of a steady pace of care and treatment. He underwent five rounds of radiation therapy and expects the benefits — less pain! — to continue for the next while. He has also seen specialists in pain management and of course the oncologists. The system is working as it should and Father is in great hands. 

Walt and Agent 78 are on their way to the Great No-longer-white North to visit Father Roman. We will not be the first! A couple of days ago, Father Roman had his own personal concert from the Fun in the Sun with the Angels and Saints campers. All his favourite tunes!! Here's a sample.

 

The whole Galadza family is extremely grateful for your support and prayers. They are a source of comfort and support. Please keep Father Roman in your prayers. They are being heard and answered!

VIDEO: Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God - Blessing, Там Де в Небі Божа Мати and Пресвята Діво, Світла Зорице

Yesterday was the Feast of the Dormition of Mary, the Mother of God, also called the Assumption, in the Roman Catholic Church. 

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at Saint Elias Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, in Brampton ON, Canada by Fr. Roman Galadza, Pastor. In this video you will see the final blessing, follwed by two beautiful hymns, Там Де в Небі Божа Мати and Пресвята Діво, Світла Зорице which Father's tato mama used to sing in church during May devotions to the Mother of God.

   

Click here for more information on the Church of St. Elias the Prophet. Visitors, including non-Catholics, are always welcome.

VIDEO: Father Roman explains the importance of Christian tradition

Jorge Bergoglio, the man who calls himself "Pope Francis", accuses us traditional Catholics of being rigid, of clinging to dogma which is no longer fashionable or relevant to modern times. We cannot pretend that the world has stood still since Vatican II, or that Holy Mother Church can turn back the hands of time, but we cannot cast into the dustbin of history the two millennia of Christian tradition. 

In this homily, given by Father Roman Galadza, the pastor of Saint Elias Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, in Brampton ON, Father Roman points out that Catholic Tradition predates the New Testament. It is through the teachings of Our Lord, handed down orally by the Fathers of the Church, that our Christian Faith was given shape and substance. To turn our backs on Tradition is to turn our backs on the Faith.

   

Click here to see the entire Divine Liturgy offered on 17 July 2022. You can visit the Saint Elias Church website by clicking here.

VIDEO: Moleben for peace in Ukraine

This service of intercession and supplication, was held last night at Saint Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton, Canada. The celebrant is the pastor of the parish, Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza.

   

Please pray for the Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. 

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy!

Слава Україні! Героям слава!

Easter bazaar at St. Elias Church, Brampton, Canada

Regular readers will know that Walt has a great regard for St. Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton ON, and for its pastor, Archpriest Roman Galadza. The parish is very vibrant, with many activities for the community of faith, and for the larger community.

One of the big events of the year is the Easter bazaar. This year's Easter Paska sale will take place on Saturday, April 8th, at the church, located at 10193 Heritage Road in Brampton, from noon until 3 p.m.

The popular bazaar will feature several specialty items such as the ritual Easter breads (Paska), hand-decorated Easter eggs (Pysanky), beeswax candles, gifts and much more. Says Father Galadza, "Easter should be joyous and fun. The bazaar takes place a week ahead of time so people can purchase the special breads (Paska) and eggs, meat and other items and set it aside until Easter Sunday when the baskets of food will be blessed after the service. It all really tastes great because basically because it's all the stuff you haven't eaten during Lent!"

Ukrainian or not, Catholic or not, all are welcome. And you never know who you may see there.

How "Heaven" looked... before the fire

This magnificent depiction of "Heaven, from below" graced the interior of St. Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church, in Brampton, Ontario (in the Eparchy of Toronto), before the terrible fire of last Easter. The beautiful art and architecture embodied in the church building can never be reproduced exactly, but, thanks be to God, a new temple is expected to ready for consecration in 2016.

Thanks be to God, yes, and thanks also to all who have answered appeals for help with Rebuild Fund. Here is a true story of Heaven-sent support, as recorded by the church's Pastor, Archpriest Roman Galadza.

Those of us who were able to attend the Benefit Concert and Dinner arranged on our behalf by the Ukrainian Orthodox Community of Toronto had a wonderful experience of brotherly love. Some 300 friends of our parish were in attendance. The hall was nicely decorated, the concert by the Canadian Bandurist Capella was delightful and the food excellent. In the course of the evening a number of donors came forward to make the eventual total raised for our Rebuild Fund to approximately $28,000.

And then, the miracle! A Ukrainian philanthropist sent up a note to have the organizers announce his donation in memory of his father, +Illya. The amount -- $250,000! All were stunned. I had to have people assure me I had heard correctly. A quarter of a million dollars given our community by someone who was here just once! – for a wedding!- but that was enough to convince him and his wife that our community is special and deserved his support. Certainly he and his family will be in our grateful prayers for as long as we pray in the new temple!

I have been asked why we are accepting donations to rebuild the temple, since insurance is covering the costs. Actually, we were underinsured. The coverage was not indexed over the past 10 years and we were short at least 25%. Catholic Mutual will be making a lump-sum payout which will enable us to begin rebuilding. If we are very careful, using the resources in our parish, this, plus what was allotted for the contents, might almost be enough to put up the walls. But the contents, the iconography, the books and sacred vessels – without donations from the community, the interior of the church could be quite bare for years to come.

This donation, and the donations being received every day, mostly from outside our parish community, enable us to plan the interior at the same time that the structure is being erected. When our church is consecrated once again (summer of 2016, please God!) we look forward to entering through the doors into an interior that replicates what we once had. Yes, we were insured to replace the structure, but everything inside is still up to us, and our God-sent friends! God bless them!

As Father Galadza says, more help is still needed. Please click here to donate. The St. Elias Church community will thank you (and give you a tax receipt, if you're Canadian) and God will surely bless you!

St. Elias Church burned to the ground - PLEASE HELP!

This was the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Elias the Prophet, in Brampton, Ontario. The media describe it as an "iconic church", and so it was -- literally -- until yesterday morning, when it burned to the ground.

St. Elias was built in the early 1990s entirely of wood, in the traditional Boyko style which originated in western Ukraine. The main timbers were Douglas fir, imported from British Columbia. The cladding was western red cedar. The cupolas were shaped in the Cossack style of the 17th century. St. Elias was one of only two churches in the world with five cupolas rather than the usual three, the other being St. George's in Drohobych, Ukraine.

St. Elias had a magnificent Iconostas (literally "Stand of icons") in front of the Sanctuary, rising all the way to the highest dome. Even the ceiling over the Sanctuary was decorated with a series of icons. At the highest point was the "Pantokrator" icon of Christ "Ruler of the All" - an icon of consolation proclaiming the ultimate victory of love.

Now all of this is gone, reduced to ashes. Here is a photo of the great church in its death throes.

The fire broke out around 7 a.m. in the basement of the church. The cause has not yet been determined. By noon, only charred pillars and mounds of ash remained.

In a press release issued later in the day, the pastor, Mitrophoric Archpriest Roman Galadza, said the loss to the church is devastating. The church originally cost $2 million to build plus significant volunteer labour. Bohdan Turetskyy, an iconographer from Ukraine, spent ten years on the interior iconography.

Said Father Galadza, "This is devastating but no one was hurt and we will rebuild. The scriptures tell us 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord,' so we trust in His providence even in these difficult times."

"Expressions of sympathy and support have been coming in throughout the day and from throughout the world," Father Galadza added. "They are overwhelming and much appreciated."

If you are moved -- as I hope you will be -- to contribute to the rebuilding of St. Elias, you can send your cheque, payable to "St. Elias", to Father Roman at 10193 Heritage Rd., Brampton, ON, L7A 0A1, Canada. For the time being, online donations can be given through CanadaHelps.org.

Virtual tour of St. Elias - Click here for links to a YouTube series of short videos explaining the architecture and iconography of St. Elias. You will see how it was. Please help to rebuild it, to the glory of God!