Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan set to retire

The metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg has submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV.

In a letter sent in January when he turned 75 — the age when Catholic bishops must retire — Lawrence Huculak asked to be released from his responsibilities as leader of Canada’s 200,000 or so Ukrainian Catholics.

“People keep saying to me, ‘I guess this means you are finished,’” he said, adding he will continue in his duties until the Pope formally accepts his resignation and names a replacement. “Until they act on it, it doesn’t take place right away.”

Huculak, who was born in B.C., completed Grade 12 at St. Vladimir’s College in Roblin before entering the Basilian Order in 1969.

“I felt the stirrings to be a priest as a child,” he said, noting his family was very religious.

Ordained in 1977, Huculak went on to seminary studies in Ottawa and then Rome to finish his theological education. In 1986, he was sent back to Canada to be the parish priest in the small community of Mundare, Alta.

“I went from Rome, a city of almost 3 million, to Mundare which had about 500 people,” he said. “It was quite a change.”

In 1997, Huculak became eparchial, or diocesan, bishop of Edmonton for the province of Alberta and, in 2006, was appointed to his role as Metropolitan — what Roman Catholics call an archbishop — of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada, as well as leader of that church in Manitoba.

As Metropolitan, Huculak co-ordinates the work of bishops in the five eparchies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., and in Toronto and eastern Canada, and administers the Church in the province. This includes providing support to 36 priests who serve 4,000 Ukrainian Catholics in Manitoba — “a shepherd to the shepherds,” as he put it.

Over his 20 years as Metropolitan, Huculak has seen many changes, including a decline in attendance at services. This is pronounced in rural areas, where some churches have closed.

“As people dwindle away off the farms, who keeps up the buildings? It takes so much energy to come to a solution for church buildings in the rural areas that are falling apart, that there’s nobody there,” he said.

But the biggest impact on the archeparchy has been the war in Ukraine, which has found thousands of Ukrainians fleeing that country for safety in Canada.

“The cathedral is full of new people,” he said of the newcomers who are filling the pews and revitalizing congregations in the city.

That has brought its own challenges as the newcomers need help adjusting to their new lives in Winnipeg and to deal with trauma from the war — plus being anxious about family and friends in Ukraine.

“Many of them are suffering the effects of the war in Ukraine,” Huculak said. “They certainly require moral support and spiritual support, as much as we can give them.”

To assist with their material needs, the archeparchy works closely with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which helps with practical needs such as applications for government support, English lessons, and finding jobs and housing.

“We don’t need to duplicate what they’re doing, but just to work together with them,” said Huculak.

One unanticipated blessing from the influx of people from Ukraine is the arrival of several priests from that country who understand what the newcomers are going through.

“They can speak a heart language that I can’t,” he said of these men, who are serving parishes in the province. “They have a better sense of what the newcomers are experiencing.”

Of his work with Huculak, Father Mark Gnutel of St. Michael’s Parish in Transcona said he “is a very kind man, very pastoral and compassionate and attuned to what clergy and the people need.”

Huculak is also a practical leader, able to make hard decisions about the challenges facing the Church. “He is pragmatic, able to face reality head on,” he said, adding he always reminds people that, “God is in charge, so let’s move forward.”

Huculak expects to retire in Winnipeg. “I’m going to stay here because all my doctors are here,” he said, noting he had heart surgery a few years ago and a very serious bout of COVID-19 in 2024. “I’ve got a system set up here. I don’t want to start over again.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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