Conference's keynote speaker reflects on spiritual legacy for children (03/20/05)

Conference's keynote speaker reflects on spiritual legacy for children

by Anisa Handzia Sawyckyj

STAMFORD, Conn. - If you can remember as if it were yesterday the rich sights and resonant sounds of the Ukrainian Easter celebrations of your childhood, the solemnity of Lent and the joyful church services of Easter morning, then you will agree with Iryna Galadza that one of the most important tasks of Ukrainian families today is to continue to create this powerful and personal spiritual legacy for their children.

A high school religion teacher and the mother of six grown children, Ms. Galadza, whose husband, Father Roman Galadza, is the pastor of St. Elias the Prophet Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton, Ontario, has worked for more than a quarter of a century with children and youth. Currently she is studying for a Certificate in Eastern Christian Studies through the Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa.

She feels that religious celebrations such as Easter, Christmas and Theophany (Yordan), and others which are particularly rich in Church traditions, are important opportunities for the faithful of all age groups, from small children to the elderly, to bond with their Church in special prayers, liturgical singing, religious practices and community experiences.

Ms. Galadza who also has taught catechists both in Toronto and at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming conclave of Ukrainian Catholic women of the Eparchy of Stamford on Sunday, April 10, on the campus of St. Basil College, 195 Glenbrook Road in Stamford.

The goal of the gathering, the third of its kind since 2000 called by Bishop Basil Losten, eparch of Stamford, is to offer the women of the eparchy their own special day of sharing, discovery and spiritual reflection and to let their voices be heard by the Church.

"The memories of spiritual and cultural connection to a vibrant Church tradition, experienced in childhood, can and do last forever," said Ms. Galadza, who grew up near Amsterdam, N.Y., in a parish which belonged to the Eparchy of Stamford.

Who can forget the soft touch of "loza" (pussy willows) on "Kvitna Nedilya" (Palm Sunday), the reverent approach to the "plaschanytsia" (Holy Shroud) on Great Saturday; the inimitable fragrance of "babky" and "pasky" wafting through the family kitchen; the excitement of hundreds of parishioners with their Easter baskets - brimming with colorful "pysanky", "krashanky" and delicious-looking foods - awaiting the priest's blessing with holy water; the joyful singing of the long-awaited melody "Khrystos Voskres" (Christ Is Risen) on Easter morning?

These are images and experiences to last a lifetime, and they are so compelling because they are the result of a powerful marriage of religion and culture. And the key figures in this powerful alliance are none other than women, says Dobrodiika (honorific for 'priest's wife') Iryna.

Women are endowed by nature with the ability simultaneously to embrace the divine and to deal with the practicalities of daily life, she believes. Through their life-giving bodies and nurturing nature, they are always connected to the spiritual aspect of humanity, while at the same time creating the social structures and cultural traditions that enrich our daily lives.

They sing beautiful music in the church choir and then go home and knead the dough for a paska; they gently guide a child in prayer and then head out to a meeting of the board of trustees of their parish; they read the Epistle during the divine liturgy and then spend the evening creating an intricate pysanka for Easter.

Whether old or young, single or married, women have the capacity to be the instruments of God's manifestation on earth, said Dobrodiika Iryna. In their families and in their Church they fulfill important roles as nurturers of the young, teachers of spiritual values, caretakers of the infirm and builders of parish communities.

In her keynote presentation at the April 10 Women's Day event in Stamford, Ms. Galadza will address the theme of the conclave, which is "Ukrainian Catholic Women: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." She will discuss the role of women in the early Church, as well as reflect on the strength of Ukrainian Catholic women of the 20th century, both in North America where as immigrants in difficult economic circumstances, they helped build and preserve their Church, and in Ukraine, where as survivors of a brutal Communist regime, and against all odds, they kept the embers of the Ukrainian Catholic Church alive.

Dobrodiika Iryna's keynote address will also deal with the practical challenges facing the current generation of Ukrainian Catholic women and their Church today. These include such issues as intermarriage, dwindling church attendance in many parishes, language choices, secularism in society, and integration of diverse populations and individuals into existing parishes.

But perhaps the most important aspect of her talk will be her ideas on the future directions for women in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

"While to date women have focused on building and preserving our church communities, in the future they will need to delve deeper into their own spiritual development," said Ms. Galadza. "Women have the ability but not necessarily the self-confidence to learn more about their faith," she added. "They need to support each other as they set off on this quest."

One way to do this on a parish or local level is to start a study group or book club, develop a reading list, or invite a speaker to the group. Consult with your parish priest; ask him to lead you in liturgical prayer before or after the study group meeting, she advised. The experience of gathering together to discuss ideas about your faith also can build parish or inter-parish cohesion. From her own experience, Ms. Galadza said "you would be amazed at the insights and outgrowth a reading group can generate."

The guidelines Dobrodiika Iryna offers to women are: educate yourself, take courses, appreciate and encourage the development of each other's gifts, stay positive, do not be discouraged if it's slow going at first, do not sink into the thought pattern "nema komu, nema dlya koho" (there's no one to do it; there's no one to do it for).

In the 21st century, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian community will need their women more than ever. Just as women of earlier immigrations were instrumental in building up Church institutions and communities of their day, so the women of today will be needed to help the growth and development of the Church of the future. Ukrainian women, with their characteristic resilience, creativity and intelligence, will surely be able to meet the challenge.

The bi-annual Women's Day conclaves of the Eparchy of Stamford, which have seen close to 1,000 participants to date, give Ukrainian Catholic women the opportunity to develop the strength and confidence to meet those challenges together.

In addition to Ms. Galadza's keynote presentation, it is expected that the April 10 gathering will raise a range of topics such as being Byzantine in a Western world, creating caring parish communities, the Church and the Orange Revolution, issues of young families, and the uniqueness of Eastern spiritual traditions. The exchange of ideas should give participants much inspiration and information to take back and share with women in their parishes.

Like many dedicated Ukrainian Catholic women before her, Ms. Galadza is multi-tasking at the moment, busily planning her keynote speech for April 10 while engaged with her family and her parish in the spiritual reflectiveness of the Lenten season and the preparations for a joyful Easter celebration.

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The Stamford Eparchy's Women's Day 2005 will take place on Sunday, April 10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Basil College, 195 Glenbrook Road., Stamford, Conn. The program will be in Ukrainian and English to accommodate all participants. Cost of $15 includes buffet lunch. Participants may pre-register with their pastor or on-site.

For further information call (203) 325-2116, ask for Maryana German or Father Jonathan Morse, or e-mail Maryana at [email protected]. For additional information and directions, visit the Eparchy of Stamford website, www.stamforddio.org.

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