www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Ukrainian Orthodox Funeral for former Canadian Gov. Gen. Ray Hnatyshyn

We have been asked to post that the funeral of former Gov. Gen. Ray Hnatyshyn will be broadcast on CPAC, Canada's parliamentary channel, from the Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa at noon Monday, December 23rd. It may also be carried on CBC-TV.

For information on Hnatyshyn see www.canada.com [canada.com] and www.cbc.ca [cbc.ca] .

Eternal Memory!

A State Funeral in the full Ukrainian Orthodox tradition will be presented on Canadian national TV (CBC)on Monday afternoon beginning at 1:00 P.M. for the late Governor General of Canada, Ray Hnatyshyn. A link is attached to an Ottawa Citizen story which describes some of the funeral traditions that viewers will see.

http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/story.asp?id={25B449EF-13EC-4730-98B6-3F9BC4198B05}

From this news report, it looks as if the Ukrainian Orthodox aspect of Mr. Hnyatyshyn's funeral will be truncated. Christ Church Cathedral is Anglican, is it not? Is there no large-capacity Orthodox church in Ottawa that could have accomodated the religious rites of the funeral in a more traditional Orthodox manner? I am personally familiar with only two Orthodox churches in Ottawa, one of them being the Holy Trinity Bukovinian Greek Orthodox Cathedral (OCA). Unfortunately, this beautiful church may not have been large enough for a state funeral.

MEMORY ETERNAL to the Servant of God, Raymond!

Don't be surprised if it's fully Orthodox with some "inter-faith" stuff mixed in.

The choir from Toronto is short of singers, so they recruited some of us Ukrainian Catholics. I'll be the one with my nose in the notes trying to figure out that interesting Ukrainian translation.

Daniil

There is no really big Orthodox Church in Ottawa, except for the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The Bukovinian Church is now part of the KP, so who knows what that means really.

It was a nice enough Funeral Service, albeit VERY, VERY abbreviated.

His Grace, Bishop Yurij served with 5 or 6 Priests - No deacons or Archdeacons, though.

The setting [the Anglican Cathedral (low Church)] was a little incongruous. No icons. Not even a portable iconostas.

But the singing was glorious - and, if my guess is correct, our own DANIIL was prominently featured (a lot of camera close ups, etc.)!

My guess being that "Daniil", you where that young gentleman in the front row of the choir beside the guy in the turtleneck? If not,..."never mind" (in the voice of Gilda Radner).

But if correct, then Way to Go, Big Guy!- (no disrespect intended for His reposed Excellency Roman ("Ray") Hnatyshyn - may God grant him remission of every sin voluntary and involuntary)

Herb

Amin !

Vichnaja Pamjat !

Daniil was featured prominently in at least two camera shots which I saw, and that was edifying to see--as was, moreover, the presence of Fr. Ihor Kutash, sometime professor of mine at the Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa and an outstanding pastor (who read the gospel at the funeral).

Having just completed a graduate seminar on translation issues in Byzantine funeral texts, there were several interesting aspects which I noted, perhaps most prominently the use of hieratic English in the translation--that and the use of "all-laudable" instead of "praiseworthy," which the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church uses in its official English translation and which, to my judgment, sounds much better to the English ear.

I was not sure why the bishop was in mantia, klobuk, and large omophorion. Is that standard practice for a "pontifical" funeral (did it meet the definition of a "pontifical?") when priests were in phelons and epitrachils? And I was surprised there was no deacon. Surely the Ottawa parishes have one or two? (Otherwise there are several very good Ukrainian-speaking deacons around the Sheptytsky Institute who could have hidden their horrible Uniate origins, I'm sure!!) And were the vestments dark green because that was the darkest set available in numerous copies? I thought the usual practice was dark red--but don't the Russians also sometimes use purple or black? I must say I have a preference (fetish, according to my fiance!) for purple and wish we could adopt it as a liturgical colour...

The priest's vestments were black, although in the blinding light of the CBC cameras they may have appeared green or purple.

There was a deacon there, but he did not serve for some reason. Perhaps his English was not good. He was the guy in the cassock.

And the English translation was not the only odd thing; the Ukrainian translation was even stranger. The other choir members said themselves that they have a different translation in every parish, each one having tiny differences that can throw the whole thing off when trying to sing it.

Daniil

Mr. DeVille's report of the State Funeral was interesting (thanks). The lack of a deacon was interesting, especially since the Antiochian deacon in Ottawa is a graduate of St. Andrew's (Ukrainian) in Manitoba.

Christ Is Born! Let Us Glorify Him!

Three Cents

Dear Friends,

It was a beautiful service and a fitting tribute to our Ukrainian Canadian Governor General - memory eternal!

I have a framed picture of our Legislative coat of arms here in front of me with his signature which I will always cherish.

While posters here tend to see what was left out of the services etc., those of my colleagues at the Legislature have told me how beautiful the "Eastern Rite" Service was and that it was so much more beautiful than anything in the West etc.

To each his own!

Alex