Eparch David to take over as Apostolic Administrator until new Bishop consecrated
Marco Levytsky, NP-UN Western Bureau Chief.
Pope Francis on January 15 appointed Bishop Kenneth Anthony Adam Nowakowski, currently Eparch of New Westminster of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) to serve as Bishop of the Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, Great Britain.
The Eparchy of the Holy Family of London serves the faithful of England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland.
Bishop David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton, which serves Alberta and the Northwest Territories, has been appointed Apostolic Administrator for New Westminster, which serves British Columbia and Yukon, until such time as a new bishop is consecrated.
Bishop David will continue to serve as Eparch of Edmonton, becoming the second Canadian UGCC bishop to preform double duty as Bishop of one Eparchy and Apostolic Administrator of another.
Bishop Bryan Bayda, Eparch of Saskatoon, was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Toronto and Eastern Canada, after the retirement of Bishop Stephen Chmiliar on November 9. 2019.
He held his first meeting with the College of Consultors on December 16 and his first conference with the priests of the Eparchy, the following day.
“The role of Apostolic Administrator is to provide spiritual and pastoral accompaniment to the good people of the Eparchy of New Westminster, until such time as a successor to Bishop Ken will be provided,” Bishop David explained to New Pathway – Ukrainian News.
“I will do my best to do ‘double duty,’ caring for both Eparchies. It is quite an honour for me personally as I already know many of the priests, women and men religious, and lay faithful – they are all fine examples of Christian discipleship, who take seriously their call to holiness in the life of the Trinity. I look forward to journeying with all our Ukrainian Catholic faithful in British Columbia and the Yukon. In all humility, I imagine they will have much to teach me about God and the Church, not just the other way around. And I look forward to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation on the other side of the Rocky Mountains,” he added.
Asked about the process to appoint a new bishop for New Westminster, Bishop David explained: “With Bishop Ken’s appointment to the Eparchy of London, the process of choosing his successor will now begin in earnest. Metropolitan Lawrence and the Ukrainian Catholic bishops in Canada will begin their prayerful discussion and reflections on suitable candidates. The fruit of their work will result in a presentation of a ‘terna,’ or three possible candidates, to the upcoming Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, scheduled to take place this September. The Synod, headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav, will then provide further direction in presenting in turn suitable candidates to Pope Francis for his study, reflection and eventual appointment.”
“Although I am a prairie boy, I have come to love the ocean, the mountains and the cities and towns where our parishes are located in British Columbia,” Bishop Ken told NP-UN.
“In my first homily at Holy Eucharist Cathedral as Bishop of the Eparchy, I emphasized that in order for me to serve as bishop of New Westminster I would need help and support from not only the clergy but the lay-faithful as well. I can certainly state that in these last 12 years as bishop of New Westminster, I have enjoyed wonderful assistance and generous support as well as prayers for me and my ministry. The direction that we have taken over the last decade has been to ensure that we are an ever-vibrant Eparchy, with vibrant parishes, dedicated clergy and active lay-faithful. I depart British Columbia with amazing positive memories. Having said that I look forward to encountering the clergy and lay-faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London and working with them and growing together with them on the path of salvation offered to us in Christ Jesus.
“I am glad that Bishop David has been appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of New Westminster. I know that he will care for and work with the clergy and lay-faithful in positive and spiritual beneficial ways until such time as the fourth bishop of New Westminster has been appointed,” he added.
Bishop Ken was born on May 16, 1958 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. After attending local primary and secondary schools, he worked in the private and public sector.
He first trained at the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in Toronto, then at Saint Michael’s College, affiliated to the University of Toronto, where he received his baccalaureate in religious sciences and philosophy. He was awarded a degree in theology in Rome as a student at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
He was ordained a priest on August 19, 1989 for the eparchy of Saskatoon.
He then attended courses in canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, founding and directing at the same time the Ukrainian Catholic Refugee Office, for Italy.
He followed Cardinal Myroslav Lubachivsky, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, as vice-chancellor and secretary.
He served as vice rector of the Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv, and in 1994 he participated in the foundation of Caritas Ukraine, appointed as vice president of the latter.
Returning to Canada, he was rector of the Ukrainian Holy Spirit Seminary in Ottawa, also collaborating in the organization of World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, then chancellor of the Eparchial Curia of Saskatoon.
Elected on June 1, 2007 as third bishop of the eparchy of New Westminster of the Ukrainians, he was consecrated on 24 July 2007.
Also on January 15, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia, presented by Archbishop Peter Stasiuk, C.S.R.
The Holy Father has appointed as bishop the Reverend Mykola Bychok, C.S.R, currently vicar of the Saint John the Baptist parish in Newark, U.S.A., as the new Bishop for Australia.
Rev. Bychok was born on February 13, 1980 in Ternopil, Ukraine. He joined the Order of Redemptorists in July 1997 and was trained in Ukraine and Poland, obtaining a licentiate in pastoral theology.
On August 17, 2003 he gave his religious vows, and on May 3, 2005 he was ordained a priest in Lviv.
He has held the following positions: missionary in the Roman Catholic Mother Church of Perpetual Help in Prokopyevsk in Russia, superior of Saint Joseph’s Monastery and pastor of the Mother Parish of Perpetual Help in Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine, bursar of the Redemptorist Province of Lviv, and since 2015, vicar of the Saint John the Baptist parish in Newark, NJ, Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
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