Feast of the Parish Sisterhood of the Holy Protection of the Theotokos – October 5, 2025

On Sunday, October 5, 2025, our parish family of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Oshawa joyfully celebrated the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos—the special feast day of our Parish Sisterhood.

This year’s celebration was organized and hosted by the men of our parish, in gratitude for the tireless love, faith, and service of our Sisterhood. Following the Divine Liturgy, a festive meal was held in the parish hall, beautifully prepared and served by the gentlemen of the parish. The warm atmosphere of fellowship, smiles, and laughter reflected the unity and mutual love that strengthen our parish community.

Our Sisterhood has always been the heart of our parish life—dedicated to prayer, hospitality, and service. Through their efforts, our church remains a welcoming home for all who come to worship and to share in fellowship. On this special day, we expressed our heartfelt appreciation and offered prayers that the Most Holy Theotokos continue to protect and bless all the women of our Sisterhood, granting them health, strength, and many blessed years!

May the intercession of the Mother of God always guide our parish family in faith, love, and unity.

(Photos from the celebration are included below.)

On Sunday, August 24th, our parish family gathered for a joyful Parish Picnic and outdoor Divine Liturgy at beautiful Camp Samac. Surrounded by God’s creation, we celebrated the Eucharist under the open sky, prayed together, and enjoyed fellowship, food, and fun activities. It was a day of spiritual renewal, community connection, and gratitude to God for His abundant blessings!

У неділю, 24 серпня, наша парафіяльна родина зібралася на радісний Парафіяльний пікнік та виїзну Божественну Літургію у мальовничому таборі Самак. На лоні Божого творіння ми молилися та звершували Євхаристію під відкритим небом, а після цього насолоджувалися спілкуванням, смачними стравами та веселими розвагами. Це був день духовного оновлення, єдності громади та вдячності Богові за Його щедрі благословення!

Fiesta 2025 – Thank You

Fiesta 2025. We were 1 of 11 eleven pavilions this year.  We participated in the opening concert at Memorial Park, we setup a booth for the street festival, we opened for 3 days during the week.  Our pavilion offered live shows performed by the Odesa Ukrainian Dancers with guest singers, great Ukrainian food, and several vendor tables selling traditional Ukrainian items and keepsakes.  Odesa pavilion donated half of our proceeds to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

Over 1,000 guests visited our pavilion and enjoyed the experience immensely.  Just some comments heard from the guests were:

• Odesa is the best pavilion in Fiesta!
• It’s so good to see kids who perform so well and keep their traditions alive.
• The atmosphere at Odesa is so welcoming, and shows the Ukrainian culture so well.
• More barabolianyky.

Overall, Fiesta was a resounding success for the Odesa pavilion.

It goes without saying that detailed planning paid off for Odesa, and the dedicated volunteers helped to bring the planning to life for Odesa.  This year our volunteers included recent immigrants from Ukraine, and together we stood to show Oshawa how we support our beloved Ukraine.  We would like to thank everyone who offered their time before, during and after Fiesta:

• Miss Odesa 
• Odesa Dancer instructors (Christine Stezik, Anastasiia Galiuk, Dmytro Krylenko, Olha Zaiets, John Stezik), Odesa Dancer parent volunteers
• ‘Head’ cook, food helpers in the kitchen, dishwashers, kitchen runners, food line servers, cashiers
• Bar ticket sellers, Passport sellers, Greeter, show MC
• Odesa pavilion planning committee (Val Barbarik, Carol Shewchuk, Ievgeniia Mangones, John Stezik, Darlene Iwaszko)

We would especially like to thank the young people who make up the Odesa Ukrainian Dancers.  Your dedication through the year clearly showed in your performances, and you delighted the crowds with every step.

It was truly a blessing to see everyone work together harmoniously and make Odesa pavilion the best place to visit during Fiesta. 

Слава Україні – Героям Слава! / Glory to Ukraine – To Heroes Glory!

Val Barbarik and John Stezik, Odesa Pavilion Co-Chairs