CANORA - It is a great pleasure to welcome Father Yurii and Dobrodika Ludmilla Obukh to Canora! Father Yurii and Dobrodika Ludmilla came to Canada from the Frankiwsk region in Ukraine.
They previously resided in the town of Kolomyja. Father was a parish priest in Ukraine 15 years, serving at two parishes. As you are all aware, the war on Ukraine still is ongoing. So Father Yurii contacted a friend in Winnipeg to see if he could get a job with them. He got out the very last day that men could leave Ukraine. He was exempt from being called to serve as a solider because he was a priest. So their journey started by going to Poland, then they stopped to visit his father for two weeks. Then it was on to Paris, London and eventually to Montreal.
When they arrived at the Montreal airport, no one would speak English to them. They were quire frustrated trying to get a connecting flight to Toronto and on to Winnipeg. Finally, an English-speaking gentleman told them there were no such flights going that day. But they could take a cab to the train station and perhaps a train would be going.
So they took a taxi to the train station to find out that the train was already boarded.
“This was enough to make you cry, because you couldn't stay at the train station,” Father Yurii said.
Then someone came to him and informed him that the train was delayed. If he was quick, he could purchase tickets. They rushed, purchased tickets and sat on the train for two hours before it departed.
Finally they arrived to Winnipeg. They phoned their friend to pick them up. Unfortunately the friend had to work, but advised them to take a taxi to a hotel. So they took a taxi, but all hotels were booked. The friend suggested Father Yurri try St. Andrews College in Winnipeg for lodging. Father Yurii stated when he saw the Orthodox Cross and heard Ukrainian voices he began to cry.
“This journey to Canada was very overwhelming.”
Father Roman welcomed them in. and in conversation asked Father what he did in Ukraine? He replied that he was a priest.
He asked, “Can you call Ukraine, for your documents. We need priests in Canada.”
So Father Roman received the documents and enrolled Father Yurii into studying the English language.
Dobrodika has a PhD in Music. She teaches piano and voice lessons. She was also teaching kindergarten in Winnipeg.
For 14 months, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canora has been without a full-time priest. I had been calling the Metropolitan every two weeks to see if there is any priest availability. Finally, during the week of Dec. 15, the Metropolitan called to say that I could pick up a priest and his wife off the train on Dec. 17 for a month-long trial. If we approve and Fr. Yurii approves, the Metropolitan will give his Blessing for Father and Dobroikdika to stay and fill our priest vacancy. On Dec. 17, Father Yurii served his first service in Canora. That same week he assisted Father Faryna with his first Canadian funeral.
Father Yurii and I met the following week, and he has agreed to stay. God Bless them, we are really grateful to have them in Canora.
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