Official Opening of the
On Sunday, November 20, 2008, the parish
faithful of St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Hamilton along with
their parish priest Rt. Rev. Mitred Archpriest
Wasyl’ Makarenko in the presence of survivors of the Holdomor Famine
Genocide in Ukraine 1932-33, recognized the official opening of the first
Holodomor Museum in Canada. Located in the Metropolitan Wasyly Learning Centre
adjacent to the parish, participants were joined by Hamilton Mayor Fred
Eizenberger, M.P. David Christopherson, Citizenship Judge and former Mayor of
Hamilton Robert Morrow, members of the community at large and local media.
Following the Divine
Liturgy that morning, a tearful Memorial Service was held in remembrance of the
victims of the Holodomor. Following the
Panachyda, the attendees gathered in the Church Auditorium for a solemn
commemorative programme led by Orysia Sushko, chair of the Holodomor Museum
Committee, and acting president of the parish council in the absence of
President John Jurychuk. To begin the
program, Oleksij Ohienko, one of the witnesses of the Holodomor, silently went
around to each of the 17 tables in the room, and lit the candle in the centre
of each table. The Church Choir, under
the direction of Bohdan Radesch, sang The Lord’s Prayer, after which Fr.
Wasyl’ blessed the symbolic lunch of broth and a small piece of bread. Following this, Orysia Sushko briefly and
emphatically re-stated some of the horrifying facts about the Holodomor, and
the rationale behind establishing the Museum.
She then invited Anastasia Uhreniuk, a student of the
Mayor Fred Eizenberger
welcomed all and congratulated the parish on the establishment of the Museum,
underlining the importance of remembering these past crimes against
Mankind. In his comments, MP David
Christopherson also highlighted the importance of the Museum as a vital
educational tool, not only for our children but for all Canadian citizens. Final comments were offered by former
Hamilton Mayor Robert Morrow who stressed the importance of informing the world
of this horrific time in history, and the importance of the Museum for future
generations. Following these remarks, Fr. Wasyl’ presented his vision of the
newly established
The programme concluded
with expressions of gratitude to all who assisted in the establishment of the
Museum. Special thanks were expressed to
Marcello Perri and Maria Ramirez, of Italian and Spanish heritage, who, having
understood the importance of the Museum, donated the professional design
services of their firm MDR Design Consultants.
In the same spirit, Joe Kubina of Athens Printing was thanked for his
contribution of printing the 34 large colour panels that comprise the
exhibit. Following the concluding
prayer, the congregation made their way over to the Metropolitan Wasyly
Learning Centre where Holodomor witness Halyna Krupicki and Mayor Eizenberger
cut the ribbon to the entrance of the Museum.
They were the first to enter, followed by the other Holodomor witnesses,
and finally, by members of the congregation who were participants of this
commemoration and official opening.
This first in
May Their Memory Be
Eternal!