FATHER JOHN SHOLDAK

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FATHER JOHN SHOLDAK It is with deep sorrow and with great hope in the promises of Christ that we announce the sudden passing of Rev. John Sholdak on Friday, January 30, 2004 at his residence. Fr. Sholdak was born in Portage la Prairie, MB on August 13, 1928, the youngest child of Stefan and Varvara (Woloshyn) Sholdak. He was baptized by Fr. Philip Ruh in Cooks Creek on the great Marian feast of the Dormition on August 28. From his youngest boyhood, Father always wanted to serve God as a priest. At 18, after finishing high school in Portage, he was sent by Bishop Basil Ladyka, OSBM to St. Augustines Seminary in Toronto, ON, where he completed his philosophical and theological studies. He was ordained a deacon in 1952, and then ordained to the priesthood to serve his beloved Ukrainian Catholic Church on June 14, 1953 by Metropolitan Maksym Hermaniuk in Portage la Prairie. Pastoral assignments have included: St. John the Baptist, Neepawa (1953 to 1955 and 1989 to 1994) Holy Eucharist, Winnipeg (1956 to 1957) Sts. Peter and Paul, Rorketon, MB (1957 to 1965) Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Winnipeg (1965 to 1989) and Cooks Creek (1978 to 1989) Holy Ghost, Beausejour (1994 to 2001) Holy Ghost, Winnipeg (2001 to present). In addition to these were numerous outlying missions. Fr. Sholdak served also as secretary to the Archbishop from 1965 to 1976, and was Chancellor of the archeparchy from 1976 to 1985. He was one of the founding members of Rorketon Credit Union. Under his pastorship was undertaken the construction of the new church in Neepawa in the mid-50s, and the interior renovation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Winnipeg. He helped organize and support various prayer groups, especially the Neepawa Padre Pio group. Fr. Sholdak had deep devotion to the Mother of God, especially under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In Cooks Creek, he established the present icon in that Prairie Cathedral in 1981, so proud that the icon had been touched to the original miraculous icon in Rome. In Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Winnipeg he again installed a new Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon, this time commissioning Canadian iconographer and church painter Theodore Baran. Wherever he went, Father encouraged this devotion to Our Lady and St. Joseph by word, and by distributing prayer cards and other materials. In the fall of 2001, at the same time he became pastor of Holy Ghost parish, he took up residence with the Sisters of St. Joseph (Ukr.) of Winnipeg. Again, he added an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to their chapel, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy daily in this chapel, including the day of his death. Father John will be remembered as well for his great joy, the great respect with which he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, his short but direct sermons, his love of the rosary, his wonderful repertoire of songs, his good nature, his humility, and his patience during suffering. He was predeceased by his mother who died while he was still in the seminary, his father, and his older brother Michael (1978). Left to mourn his passing are his older sister Marie Hines (Raymond) of Waterloo, ON, his niece Sharon (Ken) and two grandnephews, Trevor and Jason of Mississauga, ON; sister-in-law Mary of Portage and several cousins and their families. Father John will also be sorrowfully missed by Metropolitan Michael, Bishop David, his brother priests and the deacons, sisters and his many friends and parishioners whom he served so faithfully during the nearly 51 years of his priesthood. Priestly Parastas will be served Tuesday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ada at Logan Avenue. Divine Liturgy for the repose of the soul of Fr. John will be celebrated at Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, 965 Boyd Ave., on Wednesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m. His Excellency Most Rev. David Motiuk and the clergy of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg will officiate at all services. Interment will be at Holy Family Cemetery, north Main Street. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Fr. John may be made to the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, 235 Scotia St., Winnipeg, R2V 1V7 or to the Brazilian Sadochok Building Fund, in care of Srs. of St. Joseph, 929 College Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 1B2. "Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us!" May his memory be eternal! Vichnaya Pamyat! CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 03, 2004