Articles by Father Harry Salahub,Michael Oleksyn

Politics

‘That’s what broke the Ukrainian spirit’ Holodomor remembered in Prince Albert

It was a solemn evening of prayer and remembrance at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church on Saturday as Prince Albert residents of Ukrainian decent marked Holodomor. Holodomor was the man-made famine in Ukraine that saw countless Ukrainians perish in 1932-33. Following the prayer meeting, there was an educational portion, along with a moment of silence at 7:32 p.m. at the request of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. New Veselka President Zenik Rabiej said it was an important event to remember. “It was an idea that was created by Stalin and millions of Ukrainians died,” Rebiej said. “There’s a wide range, but they say at minimum five million to up to as high as 10 million. The world didn’t know about it and what they did know, they chose to look the other way, so it’s very important for us, our generation, and generations coming behind us, that they remember this tragedy that happened in Ukraine in 1932 to 1933. “That’s the two years and that’s what broke the Ukrainian spirit. Millions died, millions perished, and it’s very important for us to remember that.” Before the memorial event there was a prayer service in the church led by Father Harry Salahub. The prayer service was called “Sung in Times of War” with a supplicatory prayer “For the Suffering Land of Ukraine and Her Children.” Rabiej said it was important to have the prayers at St. George’s before the program at the Hall. “Religion is a big part of our culture and traditions,” he said. “It doesn’t matter which religion, we’re all Ukrainians.” Veselka member Dennis Ogrodnick gave the educational presentation on Holodomor. His presentation was inspired by his work as a teacher at Ecole St. Mary High School. Saskatchewan first recognized Holodomor as a genocide in 2008, and Ogrodnick began teaching students about it in his History 20 class shortly after. The lecture examined why the famine happened, how it happened, and the aftermath. The Ukrainian famine was part of a larger famine that hit Soviet grain growing regions from 1931 to 1934. However, the Soviet government made the famine worse through a series of political decrees and decisions that were aimed mostly or only at Ukraine. In acknowledgement of its scale, the famine of 1932–33 is often called the Holodomor, a term derived from the Ukrainian words for hunger (holod) and extermination (mor). Ogrodnick draws a distinction between collectivization which was the larger project and Stalin-ization which played a larger role because it was what fuelled the oppression in Ukraine. By early 2019, 16 countries as well as the Vatican had recognized the Holodomor as a genocide, and both houses of the United States Congress had passed resolutions declaring that “Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932–1933.” Rabiej was glad to have Ogrodnick return with his historical presentation. “It’s just super important that we have this Memorial Day … and teach future generations and teach the world,” Rabiej explained. “There’s lots of people out there that really, really don’t knows and Putin and his Kremlin, they’re still denying it.” During his speech to conclude the event, Rabiej alluded to the ongoing Ukrainian invasion by Russia. “It seems that we can’t shake off the yoke of imperial, Russian imperialism,” he said. Rabiej emceed the memorial event. After opening with “O Canada” and the Ukrainian National Anthem, there was another prayer led by Salahub. The event included speeches by Prince Albert Carlton MLA Kevin Kasun, Prince Albert Member of Parliament Randy Hoback and Prince Albert Mayor Bill Powalinsky. Teena Polle and Rabiej read poems, and there was a performance on the Sopika and the Veselka Choir sang a few songs. “(In) 1932 and 1933 Holodomor was a very dark chapter in our history and we had 30 years where we had independence, but the Kremlin and their Putin, they just can’t shake off their imperialism there, so we are at war again, fighting for our survival,” Rabiej said. Saskatchewan also marked Holodomor Awareness Week from Nov. 17 to Nov. 23. Educational resources that have been developed to assist schools in teaching about Holodomor. The education kits were developed by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Saskatchewan’s Holodomor Awareness Committee and have been distributed to schools across Saskatchewan, including both the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and Prince Albert Catholic School Division. Rabiej was pleased to see crowds pack the Parish Hall for the memorial event. He again drew parallels between today and the time of Holodomor. “We have a good turnout, and a lot of the people who did come out, they’re Ukrainians that came here when the war broke out there. They’re like refugees…. The government doesn’t want to call them refugees, but they are because our nation was invaded and they had to, in a lot of cases, come here for safety.” michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca