General Information

Baptisms

Parents must contact the church office to make arrangements with a priest. Godparents must be practicing Orthodox Christians. Baptising a child in the Orthodox Church presupposes that the child will be raised as an Orthodox Christian.

Weddings

Couples must contact the church office to arrange a personal meeting with the priest. If one of the parties is not of the Orthodox faith then certain conditions may apply. A special request can be made for our church choir to sing the wedding service.

Memorial Service (Panakhyda)

When you wish a Memorial Service to be served for the repose of departed family member or friend, please contact our parish priest, Fr. Taras Kinash (Tel: 613-295-5283, email: priestkinash@yahoo.com) a few weeks before the date you wish to have the service.

What should one bring for the Memorial Service?

The following provides a list of recommended items, remembering that our prayers are the primary purpose of the service.

  • Kolach (1, 2 or 3)
  • Koliva – a dish of honey-sweetened boiled wheat kernels with raisins and/or chopped nuts
  • Grapes and other fruits or sweets
  • Purchase candles – one for the kolach, the remaining for the family members in attendance
  • Red sweet wine, which will be used at a later date for Holy Communion

Typically, after the Memorial Service, the family hosts a small reception in the church hall inviting parishioners to join in remembering the departed.

When do we pray for the departed?
  • On specially designated days:
    • on Saturdays during Great Lent (before Easter)
    • Meatfare Saturday
    • Saturday before the Pentecost
    • Saturday before Feast Day of St. Demetrius (in November)
  • During Liturgy - Write their name(s) on the special form provided on the tall stand near the candle table at the entry to the church and pass along to Fr. Ihor before the Liturgy or leave in the basket by the icon on the Tetrapod (the table at the front of the church)
  • On the anniversary of their passing

Ukrainian Boutique

Ukrainian greeting cards, Easter egg making supplies, CDs, Ukrainian embroidery patterned tablecloths, and much more. Open by appointment, email: pysanka.ottawa@gmail.com

House blessings

On request – To make arrangements, please contact the church office (613-728-0856).

Learn about preparing for a house blessing

Blessing of the home with Holy Water is a yearly tradition that happens in the weeks following Theophany and ends before the start of Great Lent; however, blessing can be performed any time during the year.

To prepare for this blessing, ensure that the house is clean and tidy, with the lights on in every room.  Select a location in the home that will be the centre of the blessing, typically the dining room or kitchen table. The priest starts the service by reading a prayer and commemorates the living and departed members of the family.  He will then walk through the house, sprinkling the four corners of each room with the Holy Water and blessing the home with the grace of the Holy Spirit which also protects the family from evil spirits.  Although ideal, all family members do not need to be present for the blessing of the home. The items needed for a home blessing are as follows:

  1. Prepare a list of the first names of those family members for whom you wish to pray when the priest arrives, with the living and the deceased listed in separate columns.
  2. On the dining room or kitchen table, place a lighted candle, an icon of Christ or a Theophany icon, and the prepared lists of names.
  3. Turn on a light in each room so that the priest can see where he is going.
  4. Turn off all TVs, computers and tablets, radios and music.
  5. Do not use your cell phones (turn off or place on vibration mode).
  6. Secure all pets to ensure that they do not get underfoot as the priest walks from room to room.  You may ask the priest to bless your pets too.
  7. When the priest arrives, everyone in the house should gather around the table and join in the singing of the litany responses and troparion.
  8. The children may lead the priest around the house, from room to room, holding a lit candle, if parents permit.

Join our Parish Family

To inquire about becoming a member of our Cathedral and of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada please see the information about Membership in the Our Parish section.

Church choir

If you are interested to join the choir, or for any other questions, please contact Oxana Genina (the Choir Committee Director) via the church administration at ukrorthodoxottawa@gmail.com.

Question & Request Box

Our Question & Request Box is located at the entrance to our Church by the candle table. Please use this box to submit questions to the parish priest or parish council.

Vespers

5:00 P.M. usually every Saturday of the month. Vespers are served predominantly in the Ukrainian language, and last approximately 50 minutes. Please see the Schedule of Church Services.

Divine Liturgy

Please see the Schedule of Church Services.

Reading of the Hours

Thirty minutes before Liturgy, fifteen minutes before Vespers.

Confession

On Sunday morning 30 minutes before the start of the Liturgy.

Pastoral Care

If you know of anyone in the hospital or at home who would like a pastoral visit, please contact our parish priest, Fr. Taras Kinash (Tel: 613-295-5283, email: priestkinash@yahoo.com)

Prayers for health and for repose

At any time you can request the priest to say prayers for the health of family members and friends and/or for the repose of the departed. Please write their first names on the specially provided lists found at the candle table in the church hall lobby and pass along the list(s) to one of the Altar Servers before the Liturgy or place the list(s) in the basket beside the icon on the Tetrapod (centre table) in front of the Altar.

The Hall Rental

For information about renting the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall, please email: rentals1000byron@gmail.com or phone 613-722-1372.

The Hall Rental Office is open on Monday, Wednesday from 4pm to 7pm and on Saturday from 12pm to 3pm. To view the hall, please make an appointment with our office. Please note that every effort will be made to respond to emails and voice messages within 3-5 business days.

Information about the hall is available on our website at www.1000byron.org

Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada – Lesia Ukrainka-Ottawa branch

For information, please phone 613-410-2535

Sunday School

Sunday morning, 10am - 11am, for children aged 4-12 years. For more information, please see the Activities for Youth page.


To receive our E-Newsletter, please email our Communications Director at uoc.ottawa@gmail.com. The E-newsletter contains about church services, Ukrainian community events and interesting topics.