Chicago's St. Nicholas Cathedral opens celebrations of centennial (03/12/06)

Chicago's St. Nicholas Cathedral opens celebrations of centennial

by Maria Kulczycky

CHICAGO - On February 4, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Chicago opened its calendar of centennial events on February 4 with a day of renewal and reflection for men and women. The day anchored a weekend of spiritual activities led by Father Peter Galadza and his wife, Olenka.

On Friday, February 3 Father Galadza met with the young people of the parish, and on Sunday, February 5, he preached at each divine liturgy.

Father Galadza is Kule Family Professor of Liturgy at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies in the Faculty of Theology, St. Paul University, in Ottawa. He is also editor-in-chief of the recently published "pew book," "The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship."

Mrs. Galadza currently teaches history, religion and English at Immaculate High School in Ottawa and conducts catechesis in many Ukrainian Catholic parishes.

The day of recollection was funded by the Ukrainian National Association in honor of two of its branches: Branch 106, the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas, and Branch 108, the Brotherhood of St. Stephen. The branches were established by St. Nicholas parishioners in 1906 and 1908, respectively.

At the Saturday retreat, Father Galadza spoke about the importance of parish life. "God expects his Church not to be redundant," Father Galadza noted. "Christ came to establish an alternative society." The day of renewal was attended by representatives of six Chicago-area parishes, as well as parishes in Wisconsin and Indiana. Father Galadza and Mrs. Galadza shared stories of pioneers and heroes in the Ukrainian Church who have made great sacrifices to preserve and sustain it. Mrs. Galadza movingly related the story of her grandfather, a priest who would not leave Ukraine at the end of World War II, and the story of his deportation with his family to Siberia.

Among the audience members sharing stories was Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, honorary member of the UNA General Assembly and son of a parish pioneer, who recalled the founders of St. Nicholas Cathedral who helped launch the parish in early 1906.

Father Galadza then demonstrated, in a systematic analysis of the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, how "our liturgy enacts an alternative society." He noted that the liturgy promotes imaging, much as athletes today imagine a goal as part of their training in achieving it. Understanding the liturgy helps develop the imaging that demonstrates our power to act.

Separate discussions by men and women concluded the session. Participants suggested several future activities that were needed in the parish, including Bible study for adults, catechism sessions for youth and adults, more programs in English, eparchy-wide committees or councils to help coordinate additional parish programs and program sharing on the Internet to help resource-starved parishes. The day ended with evening vespers.

The day of reflection was organized by the Parish Centennial Committee, which is hosting a series of events for parishioners, members of the neighboring community, graduates of the Cathedral School, and families and friends who have marked many important events at St. Nicholas Cathedral. The founding of St. Nicholas also marks the birth of the community that has grown into the flourishing Ukrainian Village in Chicago.

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