Consulate of Ukraine opened in Michigan at Ukrainian Cultural Center
by Anatoli Murha
WARREN, Mich. - The Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan was officially dedicated here on March 23, with a gala banquet at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren, Mich.
Among the nearly 600 guests were: Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States; Consul General of Ukraine in Chicago Dr. Borys Bazylevskyi; Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Michigan Bohdan Fedorak; U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; U.S. Reps. David Bonior and. Sander Levin; State Reps. Jennifer Faunce, John Papageorge and Andrew Raczkowski; Warren Mayor Mark Steenburg; Sterling Heights Mayor pro tem Katharine George; Warren City Council Member Michael Chupa and 11 representatives of the consular corps in Michigan.
The president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Michael Sawkiw Jr., offered greetings to Mr. Fedorak on the occasion of his appointment to the position of honorary consul of Ukraine. "This is a very important step in the bilateral relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, which reflects the close cooperation and trust between the two countries," he said.
"It also underscores the mutual respect and the attention by the government of Ukraine toward the Ukrainian community in America. We are gratified that the relations between the U.S. and Ukraine are developing in a positive direction and that the achievements of the Ukrainian community are appreciated in Ukraine," Mr. Sawkiw stated.
The UCCA leader concluded by noting that "Mr. Fedorak's high designation and his efforts in this new position will further facilitate the sharing of his vast experience of unceasing work for the good of Ukrainians in America, in Ukraine and throughout the world."
The dedication included the blessing of the Ukrainian Consulate by Bishop Alexander Bykowetz, the Very Rev. Dean Basil Salkovski and the Very Rev. Dr. Pavlo Bodnarchuk.
The cultural program during the dedication featured mezzo-soprano Christina Romana Lypeckyj; the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus with Oleh Mahlay, conductor; a sextet from Ukraine, with Maestro Rostyslav Demchyshyn, conductor and artistic director; soprano Solomia Urbanovych; and soprano Lesia Borovets. The master of ceremonies was Jurij Fedorak.
The commemorative program book of the dedication included 41 congratulatory letters, resolutions and proclamations from American government officials, Ukrainian organizations and individuals. There were 100 organizations and individuals that served as sponsors of the dedication gala.
The dedication gala was organized by the Committee in Support of the Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan whose members are: Chairman Borys Potapenko, Vice-Chairmen Bishop Bykowetz, the Very Rev. Salkovski, and the Very Rev. Bodnarchuk; Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairman Lubomyr Lypeckyj; Program Committee Chairman Stefan Fedenko; Government Relations Committee Chairman Jurij Fedorak; and Media Relations Committee Chairman Wolodymyr Lewenetz.
The principal official duties of the honorary consul in Michigan, as stated in the "Agreement on Functions and Duties of the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, Bohdan Fedorak," are:
The Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan is located at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 26601 Ryan Road - Suite 5, Warren, MI 48091; telephone: (586) 757-7910; fax, (586) 757-8684.
* * *
Following are excerpts of remarks by Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Honorary Consul Bohdan Fedorak, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow; U.S. Rep. David Bonior; U.S. Rep. Sander Levin and UCCA President Michael Sawkiw Jr.
Ambassador Kostyantyn Hrysh-chenko:
... The United States is an exceptionally important country for Ukraine. It has been a light in the sea of darkness for those Ukrainians who were in Ukraine, who were in the camps created by the Communist regime in Siberia, who were in other places far from Ukraine.
The United States was and remains crucial for guaranteeing and preserving Ukrainian independence. America is a country that is considered by Ukrainians as a symbol of a great spirit of equality, understanding and compassion. It is, therefore, crucial for Ukraine to have not only your support, but also your understanding of what Ukraine is today.
After 10 years of independence nobody doubts that Ukraine will continue to be a European - a truly European - country, with all the values and with all of the achievements that are associated in our imagination of how a European is to be. However, it is only 10 years since Ukraine became a new country and one can hardly expect it to overcome the distance that other countries have taken hundreds of years to travel, sometimes including civil wars, sometimes civil disobedience in a real fight to achieve democracy.
Ukraine has been able to reach the point where it is today without bloodshed, with social cohesiveness and with a stronger and stronger consciousness of where its future lies. It lies in the same space of shared values that you gathered here share. Ukrainians should and will live according to the same standards whether they are American citizens or citizens of Ukraine. This is something that I am working for in my capacity as ambassador.
I am totally convinced that, in reaching these goals, the honorary consul of Ukraine here in Michigan will not fail with the support of all the elected officials of your state and, likewise, with the support of all of you gathered here today. ...
It is not the first time that I am here in the Ukrainian Cultural Center. The first time that I was here, I noticed and I could appreciate what kind of stature Bohdan Fedorak has in the community. His knowledge of the community, of the economic potential of Michigan and of Ukraine made him the only choice that I thought of when I presented my recommendations to Kyiv. He was accepted. But it is not simply an honorary function. What it means is that you can apprise him of all of your needs and we will provide him all of the support he needs to make a difference.
I believe that Ukraine has a great future. We need both attention, but, even more so, understanding of the complexities of this particular juncture in our history: understanding of especially the efforts of those who live in Ukraine, who find themselves not in the same, as yet, conditions as here, but who see their future clearly and who do not hesitate to be competitive in elections, to fight for their rights, to complain to everyone, including to you here. This is a sign of democracy. This is a sign that democracy has its proponents, people who will not let it die. And I am convinced that Ukraine, with such people, has a great future.
Let me conclude by thanking all of those who spoke before me for the kind words directed to me and to the Ukrainian people. Before I present the credentials, I would like to offer a gift that I hope would find a place in the Consulate. It is a portrait of Taras Shevchenko.
I would not be able to complete my talk tonight without conveying to you Mr. Fedorak and to all that are present here the best greetings from the president of Ukraine, from the minister for foreign affairs, who appointed you to this position. Let me once again express my full commitment to making your position, your work, successful and the hope that everyone will support our cause. Thank you.
Honorary Consul Bohdan Fedorak:
"It is with a profound sense of responsibility that I accept the duties and responsibilities of honorary consul of Ukraine that were placed on me by the Ukrainian government and approved by the American government. I am particularly grateful to you, Mr. Consul General, for your initiative to nominate me to this position and to you, Mr. Ambassador, for your support.
When two years ago we met and exchanged views on Ukraine-U.S. relations and their common national interests, we found that we shared the same hopes and aspirations and initiated our cooperative efforts. As a consequence, two conferences were held: "Ukraine's Quest for Mature Nation Statehood - Roundtables I and II: Taking Measure of the U.S./Ukraine Strategic Partnership." In this and in so many other joint endeavors, we highly value your cooperation and your understanding of the potential of the diaspora as a partner in the consolidation and the development of the Independent and United Ukraine.
The responsibilities and duties of the Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan are formidable. Their successful implementation will require the cooperation and mutual understanding of all Ukrainian patriots in our organized community. With God's help we will, together, achieve our goals.
Sen. Carl Levin:
I am honored to join you in this celebration. It is a culmination of a huge amount of work and effort on the part of the Ukrainian American community to establish a consulate here in metropolitan Detroit. I cannot think of any more fitting place for it other than the Ukrainian Cultural Center here. What a victory this is for the Ukrainian American community and what a victory it is for all Americans to have a Consulate here in Warren. I wish Mr. Fedorak well as he takes on his duties. It really is a part of an honorable tradition.
For a millennium, I told the Senate, the Ukrainian people have successfully fought to retain and preserve their unique culture, language, religion and identity. Such resiliency and perseverance stand as an inspiration for free people everywhere and bears witness to the depth, character and vibrancy of Ukrainian culture. During the course of the past 100 years, Michigan has become home to a vibrant Ukrainian community. The Ukrainian people who came to the United States left behind the horrors of tsarist Russia, the Famine of 1932-1933, Nazi encroachment and Communist rule. But they did not leave behind their love for the nation and the culture.
The Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan will enhance and expand the ties that united the United States and Ukraine. It will serve all of the people of Michigan and will lead to an increased social, cultural and economic interaction between our two nations.
I would like to present at this time a special flag, a flag that was flown over the Capitol to honor the opening of the Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan. I would like to present it to the new honorary consul, Mr. Fedorak. This flag symbolizes the ties between our two nations. I give it to you proudly on my own behalf and on behalf of my brother, Sandy, who also is here today, to display at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in the newly opened - and I know will be very busy - Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan. "Mnohaya Lita."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow:
Ambassador Gryshchenko we are honored that your nation has chosen the Ukrainian Cultural Center here in Warren as the site for this new Consulate. Michigan has long been home to Ukrainians seeking freedom. And now we want to make it home for free Ukrainians seeking friendship.
Also, Mr. Ambassador, your nation made an excellent choice in the appointment of the honorary consul. We are proud of Mr. Fedorak and so pleased to have him here serving as honorary consul. His long history of promoting economic and cultural ties between Michigan and Ukraine means you have a man who is ready to go to work yesterday.
In March 1789, the first Congress, under the newly ratified Constitution of the United States, was seated in New York and the world saw the first constitutional republic since the Roman republic more that 2,000 years ago. However, March is also special, as you know, in Ukrainian history. Freedom-loving people all over the world know and honor the memory of the great Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko, who as you may know was born March 9, 1814, and died March 10, 1861. Shevchenko was a tireless voice for Ukrainian freedom and his writings speak to us, all of us, more than a century later. I would like to quote from his poem "My Testament": "Oh bury me then rise yea up, And break your heavy chains, And Bless with the tyrants' blood the freedom you have gained, And in the great family, the new family of the free, With softly spoken kindly words remember also me."
Those words are very beautiful, but they are beautiful because they are universal. And I want to prove that, if you will indulge me with another piece of history, and that is to juxtapose the words of Shevchenko with the great American writer and patriot Patrick Henry, who, on this very day in 1775, rose before the Virginia Convention and said: "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. Forbid it, almighty God. I know not what course others may take. But as for me. Give me liberty or give me death."
Can you hear it? Different men, different times, different languages - and still the voice of freedom. And it doesn't come in a whisper. It's a thunder whose rumble transcends time and speaks loudly to the hearts and minds of all of us.
Sadly, Shevchenko never got to see his free Ukraine, a dream of all Ukrainians for more than a thousand years. But, in 1991 it finally happened, the fall of the former Soviet Union. And, as you know, millions of Ukrainians formed a human chain to dramatize their cause to the world and then voted 91 percent for freedom. Now a new democracy appears. And this year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine. Those relationships have grown deeper and deeper every year. So that is why I am so proud to be here, to join with you.
I am so pleased that this Ukrainian Cultural Center has been chosen. It goes without saying that all of us here this evening look forward to establishing even better ties of commerce and culture with Ukraine. And even more, I know that each and every one of the Ukrainian Americans who live here will look upon this Consulate with great pride.
Rep. David Bonior:
"Dobryi Vechir." The establishment of the Consulate of Ukraine in Michigan is a source of enormous pride for all of us. I am deeply honored to be at the Ukrainian Cultural Center for the official opening ceremonies. This is a very special community and encompasses all of the wonderful things that make a community: church, education, finance, commercial interests and, of course, this great Cultural Center and the Ukrainian Village that wraps it all together. It is a very unique and a very special place.
I want to extend my congratulations to Mr. Fedorak. You have worked so hard, for so long and for so many people in this community, that I could not think of and I do not think that anyone else here could think of a better person to represent the community. So we congratulate you, and I am proud to be here with Debbie Stabenow, Carl Levin and Sandy Levin. I look forward to working and expanding our ties, as well as financial, cultural and academic exchanges between our great state and Ukraine. Such undertakings are important for Michigan and immeasurable for Ukraine.
Before I sit down let me say this about the question of democratization and independence. Having gained its independence in 1991, Ukraine is now working hard to realize its democratic potential. I was in Kyiv in 1993 and I felt the exhilaration of being in a place where my ancestors grew up, where they lived; and I felt the potential of Ukraine. My colleagues and I in the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus have worked over the last decade to give U.S.-Ukrainian bilateral trade the attention that it so deservedly warrants. Just this week the House of Representatives passed the resolutions which I sponsored that express support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to promote democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights in Ukraine.
Just because we are of Ukrainian American ancestors doesn't mean that we shouldn't push to make sure that democracy flourishes and rises to the great value that it has in Ukraine. It is our obligation to push for democracy in Ukraine. Many observers are focused on the March 31 parliamentary elections because they are an important benchmark of Ukraine's path to democracy. The discussions about our efforts to continue foreign assistance to provide assistance to educational and judicial and police systems are all critical parts of making sure that Ukraine becomes a thriving democracy. So it works hand in hand. The more democracy there is in Ukraine the easier it is for us to make the case to our colleagues in the United States Congress for assistance in the areas that help bolster democracy even further.
Rep. Sander Levin:
What a wonderful occasion at which to see my colleagues from the House and form the Senate. And I am glad to see Mike (Sawkiw) who spends, maybe, more time in my office than he does in his own and I am always glad to see him.
I was reading some of the materials on the plane, and there was a reference to Bohdan now joining the large diplomatic corps in Michigan, numbering 38 Consulates. I smiled, because my dad was a member of the Michigan Consular Corps of Michigan. He was an honorary consul and then consul general of a very small republic, the Republic of Honduras. So I was thinking, as I read this, why my beloved father, for 40 some years represented, in this state, a republic of Central America, and it is only now that there is an honorary consul of Ukraine in Michigan. The answer is clear - Honduras was a republic and Ukraine was under Soviet domination. It is now a free and democratic country and it has a consular representative here in Michigan.
It is a real privilege for me to be here. It has been my honor to represent this community in the Congress with my colleagues in the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus. I very much, as my whole family does, feel your pride here today. ...
Bohdan, we are so proud of you... your acceptance of this position symbolizes so much. However, it is more than an honor. It is more than a symbol. It is an embodiment of the strength of this community that has served this nation and now today it is serving Ukrainian American relations. This is an important day, and I am proud to be here with you."
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, April 28, 2002, No. 17, Vol. LXX
| Home Page |