The Very Rev. Patrick Paschak honored on 50th anniversary of priesthood (10/19/97)

The Very Rev. Patrick Paschak honored on 50th anniversary of priesthood

by Bohdanna Pochoday

NEW YORK - September 28 proved to be a joyous and momentous day for St. George Ukrainian Catholic Parish located in the East Village of New York City, and in particular for the Very Rev. Patrick Peter Paschak OSBM, pastor of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church and vicar general of the Eparchy of Stamford.

On this memorable day, hundreds of parishioners, friends, Ukrainian dignitaries, neighbors and New York government officials united to commemorate the golden jubilee of the priesthood of the Rev. Paschak.

Father Paschak was one of six children born to Anastasia and Matthew Paschak, who emigrated from Ukraine to Canada in 1912. He was one of the three Paschak children who chose the religious life; all became active in both Canadian and American parishes.

Father Paschak attended St. Nicholas School in Winnipeg, and in 1937 entered the Basilian novitiate in Mundare, Alberta, where he took his first vows on April 20, 1939. He was ordained to the priesthood in Grimbsy, Ontario, on August 2, 1947, and celebrated his first liturgy in his hometown church, St. Nicholas, in Winnipeg.

Between 1947 and 1949 Father Paschak attended to the needs of parishioners in western Canada. In 1949 he was assigned to St. George Parish in New York City.

In the decade following, he served as the pastor of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church, was a director and instructor at St. George Elementary School, served as principal of St. George Academy for Boys, performed the duties of a teacher and catechist, conducted spiritual missions and retreats, and contributed in numerous ways to the press, radio and television.

In 1959 Father Paschak was transferred from St. George Parish to Chicago, as well as Hamtramck, Mich. In 1981 Father Patrick was reassigned to St. George Parish upon the death of the Very Rev. Wolodymyr Gawlich. He has been serving as pastor of the parish ever since.

In the early years of his pastoral duties at St. George, many demands were placed on Father Paschak. He was faced with the massive influx of Ukrainians to the United States, which in turn placed a tremendous burden on the infrastructure of the parish.

When Father Paschak returned to St. George Parish in 1981, he became involved in the completion of the internal decoration of St. George Church, which was built under the Very Rev. Gawlich's administration.

Years later Father Paschak was a major moving force behind the construction of the 12-story building adjacent to St. George Church. There were numerous legal, social and economic challenges to the development and construction of this building. Today, the building houses the parish rectory, living quarters for the parish religious and apartments owned by parishioners.

With the independence of Ukraine, at the pastor's initiative, St. George Parish was honored with visits by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and current President Leonid Kuchma and various other dignitaries. Today, Father Paschak remains closely involved within Ukrainian American community circles.

Divine liturgy of thanksgiving

The Very Rev. Paschak, celebrating his 75th birthday this year, publicly began his commemorative golden jubilee day at noon with a solemn divine liturgy of thanksgiving at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church. Presiding over the service attended by faithful of St. George Parish and other well-wishers was Bishop Basil H. Losten of Stamford. The Very Rev. Paschak was the main celebrant, and concelebrating clergy were the Very Rev. Christopher Wojtyna, Msgr. Leon Mosko, the Very Rev. Edward Young, the Very Rev. Bernard Panczuk, the Very Rev. Mauricius Popadiuk, the Very Rev. Lawrence Lawryniuk and Deacon Mark Hirniak. Also attending the divine liturgy were Knights of St. Gregory Dr. Iwan Sierant, Harry Polche and Julian Bachynsky. A homily in honor of the jubilant was delivered by Bishop Losten, a longtime friend and supporter.

The responses were sung by St. George Ukrainian Catholic Choir and the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptysky Choir conducted by Andrij Dobriansky.

Jubilee banquet

Immediately following the divine liturgy, the parishioners and other guests walked across the backyard of St. George Church into the auditorium of St. George Academy and School for a celebratory banquet.

The commemorative golden jubilee program was arranged through the efforts of a special jubilee executive committee headed by Myroslaw Shmigel. Committee members were: Jaroslawa P. Rubel, Lesia Goy, George Shtohryn, Lidia Krushelnytsky, Wasyl Nykeforuk and Roman Holiat. The jubilee banquet committee comprised Dean George Malachowsky, Natalia A. Chuma, Andrew Hankewych, Eugenia Iwashkiw, Oleksandra Kirshak, Stefania Kosowych, Ludmyla Kostyk, Oksana Latynska, Maria Losynskyj, Theodore Malyniak, Maria Piatka, Tania Rabij and Kornelij Wasylyk.

The banquet auditorium, suitably decorated in symbolic golden colors, was filled to capacity by parishioners, friends, fellow religious from numerous parishes, representatives of Ukrainian organizations, neighbors, family members and well-wishers.

Attending the golden jubilee - both the religious service and the banquet - were Ukrainian dignitaries, including Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine and President of the 52nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Hennadii Udovenko, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Anatolii Zlenko (who has since been named ambassador to France) and Ukraine's Consul General in New York Viktor Kryzhanivsky, all with their spouses, as well as other members of the Ukrainian diplomatic corps.

In addition, Dr. Jay Iselin, dean of the Cooper Union, a neighbor of St. George, and the jubilarian's brother, Walter Paschak, also joined the jubilee celebrations.

After opening the banquet, Mr. Shmigel turned over the program to Dr. Bohdan Kekish, who did an admirable job as master of ceremonies.

The Dumka Chorus opened the banquet celebrations with a mini-concert, and the audience was also treated to two songs by the delightful children's choir from the Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Astoria, N.Y., directed by Chrystia Balko.

Dr. Orest Kebalo, a parishioner and former student at St. George School for Boys, provided the keynote speech in the Ukrainian language. Mr. Kebalo entertained everyone with his humorous memories of life under Father Paschak's administration as a student at St. George School in the 1950s.

A keynote speech in the English language was delivered by Bohdanna T. Pochoday, president of the Ukrainian American Bar Association and a St. George parishioner. Ms. Pochoday outlined the numerous accomplishments of Father Paschak over the years, among them his completion of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church, the development and construction of the 12-story apartment building next to the Church, and his assistance to Ukrainian immigrants in the 1950s.

After the delivery of these two speeches, Yaroslaw Szul, an acting student of Lidia Krushelnytsky, rendered a well-performed, humorous monologue.

While a satisfying lunch was served by St. George high school girls, the audience was treated to a rendition of the Latin version of "Ave Maria" and the popular Ukrainian song "Sadok Vyshnevyi," sung by Larissa Huryn Magun.

Words of greetings, tribute and appreciation for the jubilarian were rendered by the Very Rev. Wojtyna, a former priest from St. George Parish who currently serves the Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Astoria, N.Y. Praise was offered also by Foreign Affairs Minister Udovenko, who remembered the early days of his acquaintance with Father Paschak. Speaking on behalf of the Ukrainian American Veterans, Mr. Polche gave a heart-warming greeting as did Father Paschak's good friend Msgr. Joseph J. Fedorek, pastor of St. Vladimir Church in Elizabeth, N.J.

During the banquet, Mr. Kekish took the opportunity to disclose the special citation conferred upon Father Paschak on the occasion of his golden jubilee by the governor of New York, George Pataki.

Gov. Pataki noted: "... no greater tribute can be bestowed upon an individual than to be recognized by those who are the grateful beneficiaries of your life's work. This occasion represents the most sincere display of affection from the congregation to whom you have long been a guide, counselor and advocate. The Empire State is proud to pay tribute to the achievements and gifts bestowed upon the Ukrainian Catholic community by Father Paschak, who has endeared himself to so many by carrying out fundamental Christian teachings and selfless acts of kindness and love for others."

Once the speeches and the program came to a conclusion, the jubilarian thanked all in attendance for commemorating the occasion with him and thanked those who helped put the commemorative program together (the committee members, the decorators, the students and the Bachynsky meat market).

He also gave praise to God for allowing him to lead the life that he was privileged to live over the past 75 years - 50 of them as a priest. Father Paschak also shared some memorable and moving personal moments from his fruitful and complex life. It was a moving and appropriate conclusion to an exceptional commemorative program.

In his typical humorous fashion, the Rev. Lawryniuk thanked everyone for their attendance and show of respect and love for Father Paschak, and thanked all of the individuals and organizations that helped make the program a success. The program was concluded with congratulatory remarks and a prayer by the Very Rev. Wolodymyr Bazylevsky of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of St. Vladimir in New York City.

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