MSGR. THE REVEREND DR. ALEXANDER BARAN,

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MSGR. THE REVEREND DR. ALEXANDER BARAN, Ph.D. The reposed Msgr. Rev. Dr. Alexander Baran was born on March 28, 1928, in Koncove, a suburb of Uzhorod in Transcarpathian Ukraine. His mother came from a priestly family and his father was secretary to the last three prime ministers of pre-war Czechoslovakia. Fr. Baran completed his primary and secondary education in Uzhorod. He went on to study at universities in both Prague and Rome. In Rome he completed two doctoral degrees, one in Theology from Urbanianum and the other in History from the Pontifical Oriental Institute. He was ordained to the holy priesthood in Rome by Archbishop IVAN (Buchko) in 1954 and ministered among the Ukrainian immigrants in both the United Kingdom and Belgium. In August of 1961, he arrived in Canada and settled in Winnipeg where he ministered in many of the parishes in the Archeparchy, viz. Holy Eucharist, Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Josaphat, Christ the King, Sts. Peter and Paul, and of course, the Cathedral of St. Vladimir and Olga. Even after his retirement from active ministry, Fr. Baran helped out as needed in various parishes. After having arrived in Canada, Fr. Baran received a Masters degree in Philology from the University of Ottawa. In 1964, he became the chaplain of Obnova, the Ukrainian Catholic Students Organization at the University of Manitoba. In 1966 he became a full-time professor of history at the University of Manitoba (St. Pauls College) and taught there until he retired in 1991. In addition to history, he taught courses in religion and Byzantine art. He was the author of many scholarly works on e.g.: the history of the Ukrainian Church, the Cossacks, and the Church in Transcarpathia. His articles have appeared in theological and historical periodicals. He was also president of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences (UVAN) in Canada for 10 years. He has been a full member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh) and served as vice-president of the Ukrainian Historical Society. Msgr. the Rev. Dr. Baran was a member of the Consistory of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg and worked as a vicar of the Archeparchial Marriage Tribunal. He conducted many retreats and missions across Canada. He also assisted Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in editing scholarly publications of St. Clements Ukrainian Catholic University. In 2004, at the request of the Most Reverend MICHAEL (Bzdel, CSsR), Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of all Canada, the "Papal Honour of Chaplain to His Holiness" was granted by Pope John Paul II in favour of the now Msgr. the Reverend Dr. Alexander Baran, in recognition of his distinguished services and dedication to the mission of the Church and to the Archeparchy of Winnipeg. Fr. Baran reposed peacefully in the Lord; death was pronounced at 11:38 Tuesday, October 12. Funeral services at St. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral, 115 McGregor St., Winnipeg, MB. Parastas: 7:30 p.m. Friday October 15. Funeral Divine Liturgy: 9:00 a.m. Saturday October 16. May God grant him Eternal Memory. Vichnaya Pamyat. CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 15, 2004