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Spiritual attendants
Myroslav Balycky
Our Bishops, first His Excellency Isidore Borecky, then Bishop Cornelius Pasichny and now Bishop Stephen Chmilar, cared deeply that the spiritual needs of the large congregation of the Assumption in Rosemount were adequately met. With that in mind, in December 1954 Fr Prof. Stephen Kolyankivsky was appointed as assistant to Fr. Michael Hawryluk. In later years many more priests came to serve the faithful; some stayed for a short period of time, others—longer. Among them were also recently ordained priests who graduated from local Montreal theological colleges: Fr. Yurij Kowalsky and Fr. Edward Yarema. Thus the following priests served this parish: Fr. Prof. Stephen Kolyankivsky, Fr. Nicholas Markiv, Fr. Yurij Kowalsky, Fr. Volodymyr Verbitsky and Fr. Edward Yarema.
On October 10th, 1962, His Excellency Isidore Borecky appointed a second parish pastor: Archpriest Fr. Dr. Michael Zaleski, a professor in the Department of Slavonic Studies at Université de Montréal. He arrived at the parish on November 10th, 1962; Fr. Michael Hawryluk stayed on as assistant.
On Sunday, April 4th, 1965, Bishop Isidore ordained Fr. Vasyl Bryniawsky and appointed him chaplain at our parish. July 1st, 1965 Fr. Dr. Michael Zaleski passed away. The third pastor to join our parish was Archpriest Fr. Anthony Cymbalisty, from Sudbury, Ontario. Fr. Bryniawsky at this point left to take over the duties of pastor at the parish of St. Basil in Lachine and the parish of St. John the Baptist in Park Extension. On May 2nd, 1966, Fr. Michael Hawryluk died. It wasn’t until November of that year, that an assistant priest from the northern Quebec parishes – Val D’Or, Rouyn-Noranda and others – came to join: Fr. Jaroslav Haymanovych.
Father Anthony Cymbalisty served our parish for nine years, until October 1974, when he was transferred to a parish in Hamilton, Ontario by Bishop Isidore (announced on 25th October 1974). In his place, Bishop Isidore appointed pastor, dean syncellus – and deputy bishop – Fr. Councilor Ivan Hawryluk, who served our parish the longest.
In May 1999, Fr. Volodymyr Vitt became the first priest hailing from Ukraine to join our parish, from a country that had only recently emerged from behind the Soviet Iron Curtain. Father Volodymyr’s pastoral ministry continued until 2001, leaving memories of himself as a priest, musician and writer.
In 2001, the Very Reverend Bishop Cornelius Pasichny OSBM appointed Fr. Oleh Koretsky, who before this served the parish of the Holy Spirit in Point-Saint-Charles. The newly appointed pastor fulfilled his priestly ministry for ten years together with assistant priests Fr. Ihor Oshchipko and Fr. Nazar Yuriv, who served in rotation, until his sudden death on June 8 2013. The Late Father Oleh was a good preacher and an outstanding expert in the Scriptures and his extraordinary tenor will remain in the memory of our parishioners.
On November 1st, 2013 His Excellency Stephen Chmilar, present Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada Dioceses, appointed Fr. Ihor Oshchipko, who was ordained in our parish, exactly ten years ago, (November 19th, 2003) during which time he served in our church as assistant-priest (three years) and ministered in our city’s founding parish, St. Michael Archangel on Iberville Street (seven years).
During the past 60 years, our parish in Rosemont has seen many dedicated pastors as well as members of the church council who dedicated themselves in developing a thriving spiritual life in our community while safeguarding its administrative and financial needs. It would be impossible to name the countless individual committee members who selflessly contributed to the cause, but will limit ourselves to remember the chairmen. The first Chairman was Mr Kostya Telishevsky. During his tenure the church was built and developed. Me Basil Danchyshyn came next, the first judge of Ukrainian descent in the province of Quebec, on whose advice additional land was purchased in order to increase the area of the church’s property. Then followed Dr. Roman Struminsky, Mr. Theodore Parhin, Prof. Jaroslav Dvozhak, entrepreneur Wasyl Hladky and last, but not least, Mr Myroslav Balycky. Together with the committee members they faithfully take care of our parish’s administrative and financial affairs, with the full understanding and in coordination with our pastors.
Many religious organizations contribute in keeping the parish vigorous: the Sisterhood Apostleship of Prayer, whose leader from its inception was Mrs. Stephanie Rakush, then later Mrs. Stanislava Hirnyak; the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League (LUKZH), whose long-time head is Mrs. Bohdanna Klecor-Hawryluk; the Young Parishioners Society; the Church Choir under the longstanding artistic direction of Mrs. Maria Czoli; the Ukrainian Catholic Youth; (UCY); the Ukrainian Catholic Young Men Organization(OKYMM); the Altar Boys and the Children of Mary that are overseen by the Venerable Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, and especially Sister Reverend Lawrencia Semyaniv who, for many years, prepares our children for their first sacraments of Confession and solemn Holy Communion.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church 