Palos Park parish hosts Telnyuk Sisters at Ukrainian Pride Day (08/07/05)

Palos Park parish hosts Telnyuk Sisters at Ukrainian Pride Day

PALOS PARK, Ill. - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church recently had the honor and privilege of hosting a group of singers from Kyiv. The artists had one performance on the North Side of Chicago but organizers wanted to do one more concert in the suburbs. Since the Palos Park church has a wonderful facility, it was designated to host the second concert on Sunday, May 22.

There were plenty of people involved in the preparations, but in the beginning a small committee was formed by Irene Gajecky, Lydia Macevich, Luba Novak, Louis and Marilyn Meneses, and the pastor. After some brainstorming, a name was given to the event: "Ukrainian Pride Day."

When it was time for the concert, the pastor welcomed the dignitaries and guests of honor, and he introduced the artists from Kyiv simply as "The Telnyuk Sisters." Two young ladies Lesya and Halyna, a guitar player, a base player, a sound engineer and a videographer formed the whole band.

Along with the group, the modern artist Ihor Polishchuk displayed a collection of unique art, which along with the background video made up a visual display of rare music with the synthesis of high poetry in a dramatic performance.

The Telnyuk Sisters use rich Ukrainian poetry as a solid base from which they draw energy and inspiration to reach out to their audience. Most of the words were Halyna's compositions, but they also used other sources, such as Taras Shevchenko, Lesia Ukrainka, Pavlo Tychyna and their own father, Stanislav Telnyuk. The concert, which lasted just over an hour, was titled "Heaven Above."

To make sure everyone understood the program and everything that was happening, simultaneous translation was provided by Ivanka Gajecky for the comments and songs introduced by the artists.

The concert was concluded with a thunderous and lengthy applause. The Telnyuk Sisters truly enjoyed the friendly audience and atmosphere they encountered at the parish.

Just before the last song, Halyna Telnyuk spoke on behalf of the group and thanked all. At that point, the artists were given bouquets of flowers. The Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, one of the main sponsors of the program, made a donation of $500 to the church. Stephanie Moroz, treasurer of Ukrainian National Women's League of America Branch 36, presented the artists with a check, and Father Basil Salkovski, pastor, thanked everyone for their support and attendance.

After the concert, dedicated women of the parish served delicious pastries, coffee and plenty of goodies for everyone to enjoy. People had a chance to meet with the artists, while they talked and savored the food in the midst of cordial and friendly hospitality.

Plenty of factors contributed to Ukrainian Pride Day's success at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church. The community of Palos Park does not get much exposure; only rarely does it get an opportunity to host a bigger Ukrainian event, since most are planned and held on the North Side of Chicago due to its concentrated Ukrainian population.

Nativity parish has a relatively new pastor who took over the parish this past February, and Ukrainian Pride Day was an opportunity to introduce him to the larger Ukrainian community of Chicago.

But the most significant factor in the decision to hold Ukrainian Pride Day at the Nativity church was the newly installed stained-glass windows.

The regular Sunday services were held as always, though a different atmosphere prevailed that day. The Ukrainian Pride Day committee took care of details to ensure a welcoming environment to all. People were greeted at the door of the church and were given a brochure (graciously printed by Semkiw and Semkiw) explaining each and every scene of the 14 stained-glass windows in the church. After the services, people had an opportunity to observe the church and the beautiful windows.

A capacity crowd of approximately 250 people packed the church hall for the concert. Members of Ukrainian organizations - in particular Pavlo Oleksiuk from the Selfreliance credit union and Dr. George Hrycelak, representing the Ukrainian National Museum - were also present. Some clergy from neighboring parishes were in attendance as well; Fathers Mykhailo Kuzma, Ted Wroblicky, John Lucas and Oleh Kryvokulsky, along with their spouses and parishioners attended Ukrainian Pride Day.

Special thanks were given to Mariyka and Mykhailo Klymchak for radio announcements and help provided before and during the concert. The organizers of the whole event were commended for all the planning and effort in making Ukrainian Pride Day a huge success.

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