Slava Bohu za vse! Glory be to God for all His many blessings upon us!

The Holy Fathers and Mothers – that is the Saints who have lived and struggled in this life before us, and who by their examples and teachings have shown us and continue to show us the path and the way forward to the Kingdom of Heaven, have also taught us the following.

God’s Love for us, His creatures, can be likened to the sun (which God created!) shining brightly upon everyone of us. When God’s grace for example flows onto someone else for some specific blessing – all of us who are or may be connected to that person are at one and the same time given the opportunity to partake of that grace and blessing as well.

For this reason, many of us hierarchy, clergy and families, and brothers and sisters, members, supporters and friends of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, and perhaps especially so, in Calgary and southern Alberta, have been rejoicing and giving thanks to God on the occasion of the ordination to the Holy Priesthood of a son of the UOCC, and son of Fr. Taras and Dobr Donna Krochak, namely, the (former) Andriy, and now Fr. Iakovos Krochak.

This blessed event took place on Wed Feb 24th, at the Patriarchal Church of St. George at the Phanar, in Constantinople (Istanbul.) His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew ordained Fr. Iakovos to the Priesthood, and bestowed the title of Grand Syncellus of the Great Church of Christ.

Let us give thanks and glory to God! May otets (Fr.) Iakovos be blessed and strengthened as he continues in his service to God’s Holy Church! Axios! Axios! Axios!