Vatican announces new appointments (01/03/93)

Vatican announces new appointments

by Christopher Guly
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WINNIPEG - The Vatican announced the appointment of the Very Rev. Michael Bzdel as the metropolitan for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada on Tuesday, December 29; the Rev. Roman Danylak was named apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of Toronto with the authority and powers of the Bishop of Toronto.

Thus, Canada's two most senior Ukrainian Catholic bishops - Archbishop Maxim Hermaniuk, who also serves as metropolitan for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada and Toronto's Bishop Isidore Borecky, both 81 years old, will step down from official duties within three months. Bishop Borecky, will however, remain Bishop of Toronto.

The Very Rev. Bzdel, 62, provincial superior of the Ukrainian Redemptorists in Canada and the United States since 1984, has been named Canada's second Ukrainian Catholic archbishop-metropolitan. He succeeds Metropolitan Hermaniuk who was consecrated a bishop in 1951 and has served in his present capacity since 1956.

The Very Rev. Danylak, chancellor of the Toronto eparchy since 1966, who turned 62 on the day of his appointment, will serve as the eparchy's second bishop. However, unlike Metropolitan Hermaniuk who submitted his resignation six years ago when he turned 75, Bishop Borecky has refused to step down.

While the metropolitan will serve as archbishop-emeritus of Winnipeg, Bishop Borecky will, in his words, remain as the bishop in Toronto "until his death" without any episcopal power. Bishop Borecky was consecrated the first Ukrainian Catholic bishop of the Toronto eparchy in 1948.

Archbishop-elect Bzdel was born in Wishart, Sask., on July 21, 1930. He entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Ukrainian Redemptorist Fathers) in 1948 and completed his studies at St. Mary's Seminary in Waterford, Ont. Fellow Redemptorist Metropolitan Hermaniuk, who had once served as vice-provincial superior of his congregation, taught his successor Scripture and Hebrew at the seminary.

Rev. Bzdel was ordained in 1954 and served as a parish priest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan between 1956 and 1984. He taught at St. Vladimir's College and Minor Seminary in Roblin, Ma., from 1955 to 1967 and served as the vicar provincial of his congregation from 1967 to 1969 and from 1981 to 1984.

On May 3, 1984, he was named provincial superior of the Ukrainian Redemptorist Fathers in Canada and the United States.

Bishop-elect Danylak was born on December 29, 1930 in Toronto. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical University Urzbanium in Rome and a doctorate in civil and canon law from the Pontifical University Lateranum also in Rome.

Rev. Danylak was ordained a priest by Metropolitan Hermaniuk in Rome in 1957. He has served his current parish, St. Josaphat's Cathedral, since 1966, when on April 30, he was named Bishop Borecky's chancellor. In 1978, he was promoted to rector of the cathedral.

Although a date has yet to be set for the Rev. Bzdel's consecration and installation, March 25 has been targeted as a possible date for the Rev. Danylak's episcopal ordination. He says that he has invited Cardinal Myroslav Lubachivsky, archbishop-major of Lviv, as his principal consecrator, to be joined by Metropolitan Hermaniuk and Bishop Borecky.

His installation will take place at Toronto's Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral which accommodates 1,200 people. The Rev. Danylak's cathedral only holds 400.

The Toronto eparchy, Canada's largest at 81,000 members and 80 priests, almost double the size of the Winnipeg archeparchy which has 41 priests and 46,000 people.

Both outgoing bishops say they are pleased with the appointments. "He was my candidate," says Metropolitan Hermaniuk. "It's not a surprise to me."

The metropolitan plans to assume editorial duties of the newly-revised Logos theological review, published out of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute for Ukrainian Studies at St. Paul University in Ottawa.

Meanwhile, when his successor assumes his duties, Bishop Borecky says, "I'll go fishing."

The two announcements bring the total of Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy to 30, with five for Canada. Further appointments are expected to be made for Australia, Chicago and New Westminster, B.C., which has been vacant since its eparch, Bishop Jerome Chimy died in 1992.

Two Basilians, the Rev. Cornelius Pasichny, pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Winnipeg; and the Rev. Severian Yakymyshyn, who sits on the order's general counsel in Rome, are rumored to be in the running for the British Columbia vacancy.

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