Dear Editor:
I am profoundly grateful to The Ukrainian Weekly for spotlighting the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies in Mariana Karapinka’s fine article “Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Receives Ukrainian Church’s Highest Award” (December 15, 2019).
However, I was saddened by Ms. Karapinka’s mischaracterization of the role played in the institute by the Very Rev. Dr. Andriy Onuferko. He is listed simply as a “staff member.” This grossly underestimates his actual contribution. As the founder of the Sheptytsky Institute, it’s longest-serving director and the person who invited Father Onuferko, his wife, Mariyka, and three children to move to Ottawa from Belgium because I desperately needed his help and expertise as the institute was rapidly expanding, please allow me to correct the record.
These are the actual key positions held by Father Onuferko over the years: 1996-2002: administrative, information and publications officer for the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, St. Paul University, Ottawa; 1998-2002, assistant director, administration (without his deft leadership, I don’t know how we could have weathered the 1997-1998 academic year, when I was on medical disability); 2002-2007, acting director of the Sheptytsky Institute. After this, he continued in various other roles, teaching at the institute until its move to the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto in 2017.
Thus, calling him a simple staff member is an injustice to the dedicated service he rendered to the Sheptytsky Institute over 20 years. I write this to correct the historical record.
The Rt. Rev. Andriy Chirovsky
Tucson, Ariz.