Great Blessing of Water Ceremony
January 9, 2007 |
Great Blessing of Water Ceremony
Gatineau, Quebec, January 9, 2007 – Celebrate the Great Blessing of Water Ceremony in traditional Ukrainian-Catholic style on Thursday, January 18 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. At 6:30 p.m., Reverend Andrew T. Onuferko, Acting Director of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University, will meet participants outside and lead the procession to the banks of the Ottawa River, where local clergy will celebrate a Great Blessing of Water service under an ice cross. This is the fifth celebration of this feast at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.The Canadian Museum of Civilization houses St. Onuphrius Church, the former home of the Ukrainian-Catholic parish in Smoky Lake, Alberta. Parishioners regularly congregated in the twelve-by-seven metre building from 1915 until 1963 and maintained it until the 1990s. Community members then disassembled it piece by piece and helped in its meticulous reconstruction inside the Museum’s Canada Hall.
Over the years, the St. Onuphrius parish community celebrated Theophany many times. In June 2005, a number of former parishioners came to Gatineau to celebrate the Feast of St. Onuphrius in their old parish building.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
6:30 p.m.
Waterfall Court (Outside)
Free
In Partnership with Sheptytsky Institute, Saint Paul University
More information is available by calling 819 776-7000 or 1 800 555-5621.
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: 819 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: 819 776-7169
Fax: 819 776-7187
2007-01-09 00:00:00.000
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