Pilgrimage of Hope: Faithful from the Eparchy of Edmonton Journey to Winnipeg for the Jubilee Year
Winnipeg, MB — On May 2–4, 2025, in observance of the Jubilee Year of Hope proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Francis, a group of 40 pilgrims from the Eparchy of Edmonton, under the spiritual guidance of Bishop David Motiuk, made a special pilgrimage to the designated Jubilee Year holy sites within the Archeparchy of Winnipeg.
This was reported by the Communications Department of the Winnipeg Archeparchy.
After having arrived by air from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon, the pilgrimage commenced on Friday morning with a visit to St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (Winnipeg), home to a museum and a chapel housing the sacred relics of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovskyy, a new martyr of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). Following an informative tour and presentation on the life and martyrdom of Blessed Vasyl, conducted by Fr. Ivan Sianchuk, C. Ss. R., pastor, and museum curator, Ms. Lesya Sianchuk, Bishop David celebrated a Divine Liturgy in the church. During the Liturgy, the faithful were provided the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to receive the full jubilee indulgence.
In the afternoon, the pilgrims visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, engaging with key historical narratives and contemporary challenges concerning human freedom, rights and dignity. A documentary film highlighting the Holodomor was also presented for the group.
Saturday morning began with a meeting with Archbishop Lawrence Huculak, Metropolitan of Winnipeg, and Most Rev. Andriy Rabiy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Winnipeg Archeparchy. The pilgrims greeted the hierarchs with traditional Easter songs and well wishes. A cordial meeting ensued, during which a parishioner from St. Stephen’s Church in Calgary presented Metropolitan Lawrence with an original poem.
Metropolitan Lawrence expressed his gratitude to the pilgrims for their visit to Manitoba during the Jubilee Year of Hope, emphasizing the profound spiritual intent behind their journey. “It is commendable that you have come to Winnipeg to pray at the relics of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, to seek the grace of a plenary indulgence, and to take his Christian feat of faith as an example for yourselves,” he remarked.
The Metropolitan also highlighted that the pilgrimage offered participants a connection to the foundational sites of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada, including the chancery built by Bishop Vasyl Ladyka and historic places of the first Ukrainian pioneers. “This pilgrimage is also a journey into your own anscestral history — for many of you,” he added, “because this is where your parents and relatives lived or came from. This is an opportunity to remember your roots.”
“I hope that this pilgrimage will be an enlightenment in God’s grace, a renewal in faith, and an invigoration for a sincere Christian life, as well as to inspire you to preserve our Ukrainian culture, history, and spiritual heritage,” stated Metropolitan Lawrence. He also shared his joy at encountering many familiar faces from his nine years of ministry in the Edmonton Eparchy (1997–2006).
A significant component of the pilgrimage included visits to other sacred sites: the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Cooks Creek, where the pilgrims prayed a Moleben, and the Intercession Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God at Protection of the Mother of God Parish in Rossdale, where they received a hospitable welcome from the Voloshyn family.
On Sunday, the pilgrimage concluded with a visit to the Holy Family Home for the Elderly, ministered to by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. There, the pilgrims and residents participated together in the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated by Metropolitan Lawrence and Bishop David.
Bishop David extended heartfelt thanks to Metropolitan Lawrence for the warm reception accorded to the pilgrims from the Eparchy of Edmonton in Winnipeg, a city recognized for its historical significance to the Ukrainian Church in Canada. Bishop David expressed his hope that the pilgrimage would serve as a source of profound spiritual renewal and strengthening in faith for all participants.
It is noted that the churches designated as indulgence sites within the Winnipeg Archeparchy, where a plenary indulgence may be obtained during the Jubilee Year, are: the chapel of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovskyy at St. Joseph’s Church (Winnipeg), Ss. Volodymyr and Olga Cathedral (Winnipeg), and the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes (Cooks Creek).
UGCC Information Department
