Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada

Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada (Ottawa branch) Annual Report presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, March 2011

We are once again finishing the year on a successful note. The 2010 Christmas Bazaar was success, a new carpet was put on the stairs and in the choir. A beautiful complete set of royal blue vestments were bought and presented to our newly elected Metropolitan Yurij at his elevation in Winnipeg. I would like to thank everyone who has come out to help our cause in working for the church and making sure that we still have a parish to come to. The next project that the ladies are eager is getting an icon or icons in the church.

May God Bless One and All. May He give us good health, happiness and strength to carry on.

Please take note, policy change takes effect March 1, 2011

The Ukrainian Women's Association (UWAC) Ottawa Branch has always taken on responsibility of managing the Church Hall Kitchen in order to assist the church executive in the smooth running of the hall. Over the past year the women have been organizing, counting, and replacing dishes which are available for rent and at church sponsored functions. The rental arrangements which are co-ordinated by Tatiana have worked extremely well. UWAC would like to express its gratitude to Tatiana for notifying us of what dishes are needed for each rental and arranging for a dishwasher to wash the dishes. The rental side works very well.

However, the church sponsored functions needs to be addressed. Fewer and fewer women are able and willing to clean, sort, count, and count the dishes. The task is further complicated for us, with last minute requests. It is not possible for the UWAC members to be present in at all church sponsored events, i.e., pot luck, funeral receptions, Panakydy, concerts, and dinners. We are however more than willing to help with these events.

Effective March 1, 2011 the same procedure which is being used so well on the rental side will be applied to all church sponsored events. One week before the event, UWAC requests in writing the event and what kitchen supplies are needed. It is then the responsibility of UWAC to have the utensils available on that day.

Please note UWAC, is not a cleaning service. If the church kitchen is used for an event the kitchen area and all dishes /utensils used must be left clean. Until now UWAC has paid to have the kitchen cleaned, the dishes washed, the broken and missing dishes replaced. UWAC has paid for the paper plates, plastic cutlery, coffee cups, coffee, tea, milk, bottled water, soft drinks, juice, napkins, etc. AS the cost for all these items is increasing, UWAC is no longer in a position to offer these services for free. A fee structure will be available from the office. This will apply to all events requiring the kitchen and kitchen supplies.

Liza Malarek
President,
Women's Association Ottawa Branch (SOYUZ)
March 6, 2011

The Ottawa branch of the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada (UWAC), or the Women's Association, has been a vital part of parish life from the very beginning. UWAC was founded in 1926 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and its main goal is to support and execute all manner of deeds and acts that contribute to the continual growth of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, and encourage members to practice and live by the Christian principles as enunciated by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.

Origins

The UWAC branch affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ottawa was first organized in February 1952, about two years after the founding of the parish, and was originally known as the St. Sophia Branch. The first executive of this branch consisted of the following: Miroslava Dacour – President; Ivanna Petrivska – Vice President; Iryna Mushka – Secretary; I. Shandro – English Correspondence Secretary; Pearl Krokosh – Treasurer; Pauline Dorofi, Alice Kubishewsky and Tatiana Chala – Audit Comittee; and Pauline Dorofi – Hospitality Manager. After a number of years, the fledgling organization encountered some difficulties and a declining membership. At that time the sisterhood that was also active in the parish assumed the responsibilities and continued the work of the women's group for several years.

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Crucial Role in the Parish

Over time the roles, responsibilities and activities of the Women`s Association expanded. Through the years the members also took part in a variety of other church activities, including the church choir, the parish executives and various event committees. To this day, the Women's Association organizes, prepares and serves three major parish dinners every year – the Eve of the Feast of Jordan (January 18), Spilne Sviachene (the first Sunday after Ukrainian Easter), and Khramove Sviato (Parish Feast Day in early September).

The top priority of the Women's Association is to support the parish in any way that is required, including both financially and physically. From the very beginning, this has included fundraising for the actual construction of the hall and the Cathedral buildings. There have been various fundraising activities such as fashion shows and teas, bingos, and, of course, the always popular bazaars. The Women's Association organizes two bazaars every year, one during the pre-Easter season and a second before Christmas. In 1989, as a result of increased public relations efforts within the local Ottawa community, the bazaar attendance increased significantly. Since then, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church bazaar is eagerly awaited in the Ottawa community with people waiting in lines to enjoy the traditional Ukrainian cuisine and buy savoury and sweet baked goods prepared by the Women's Association with the help of parishioners. Several months of preparation are required for each bazaar, and as a result these bazaars are very successful, consistently attracting both the Ukrainian and local Ottawa communities as a whole.

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Support for Youth Activities

As in many other Canadian cities with a Ukrainian population, a Ukrainian school was established within the parish. In Ottawa, the parish's Saturday morning Ukrainian school was established in 1952. Over the years, members of the Women's Association took on the role of teachers for these classes. The traditional Ukrainian love of song and dance was transferred to the children through organized choirs and dancing groups, and talented individuals stepped in to provide musical accompaniment as the children performed at the annual concerts to celebrate St. Nicholas, Taras Shevchenko and Mother's Day. These schools were a fundamental cornerstone of the parish and the Ukrainian community. The parish's Ukrainian school no longer exists but all former teachers, students and families have fond memories of those special days.

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Participation in other Organizations and Activities

From the very beginning, the Women's Association was active outside the Church both with other Ukrainian activities and organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), as well as with the mainstream community. In the early years, the branch worked with the Canadian Red Cross, the Citizenship Council and the Council of Women where the Ukrainian perspective was presented before other Canadian organizations.

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Members of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch Since 1960

 

Presidents of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch of the Ukrainian
Women's Association of Canada, Ottawa