{"id":13333,"date":"2023-01-06T18:30:46","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T23:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/?p=13333"},"modified":"2025-12-15T09:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:30:08","slug":"great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Water Blessing Shows Solidarity With Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, the Canadian office of Catholic Near East Welfare Association partnered with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sheptytskyinstitute.ca\/\">Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute for Eastern Christian Studies<\/a>&nbsp;at the University of Toronto to host an outdoor celebration for the feast of Theophany, also known as the Baptism of Jesus, in Montreal on 5 January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bishop Bryan J. Bayda, CSsR, Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop of Toronto and all Eastern Canada,&nbsp;led the traditional Great Water Blessing associated with the feast at the city\u2019s Old Port. The event included what organizers believe to be the first public Great Water Blessing of the St. Lawrence River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 30 people braved the snow and freezing temperatures to gather at the Congregation of Notre Dame\u2019s historic&nbsp;Bon-Secours Chapel for a brief prayer, before processing less than a mile&nbsp;to the Clock Tower, another city landmark on the river\u2019s shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There, Bishop Bayda led the hourlong service and blessed the St. Lawrence, which he noted connects his entire eparchy, from Central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor me, the significance of today is layered,\u201d he said in an interview.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, the feast commemorates God\u2019s love made manifest to the world, to which all are called to witness, he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe witness to all of us, in fact, are Ukrainians, who, despite the unthinkable, horrible aggression they\u2019re experiencing, are still able to love, still able to forgive,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat a powerful witness to the presence of God in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn turn, we are welcoming those Ukrainians who can come to Canada,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe\u2019re all challenged to witness, to welcome. This is a humanitarian effort to witness the love of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bishop Bayda recognized the ongoing need to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine, coming to its one-year mark on 24 February, and the humanitarian crisis it has created.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_3335_Compressed2.mov\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(video: Laura Ieraci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvents like this try to bring attention to that,\u201d he said, \u201cand bring it to the attention of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/video\/9390814\/ukrainian-bishop-blesses-st-lawrence-river-in-montreal-water-blessing-ceremony\">the press<\/a>, who can get it into the homes and minds of the people, notwithstanding so many other tragedies around the globe right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Pascal Bastien, president of the Sheptytsky Institute Foundation and main organizer of the event, noted the Baptism of Jesus is among the most important feasts for Byzantine Christians, celebrated on 6 January each year. As part of the celebration, Byzantine Christians traditionally bless a major body of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHowever, this year, these prayers are made painfully concrete by the fact that this same feast and these same prayers are being prayed by our suffering brothers and sisters in war-torn Ukraine,\u201d said Dr. Bastien.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are not separate from this suffering,\u201d he said, \u201cand in fact we can find fruitful ways, through prayer and action, to work toward peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/20230105_151341-com.mov\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(video: Anna Dombrovska)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Adriana Bara, director of CNEWA Canada, remarked on the solidarity, prayer and fellowship that characterized the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople in difficult situations need our material support, but also spiritual support,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and all people who are suffering, persecuted, displaced, and those who live in poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CNEWA has been working in Ukraine for decades, supporting the humanitarian and pastoral efforts of the church. Since war broke on 24 February 2022, CNEWA has issued about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/cnewa-releases-2-8-million-to-support-ukrainians-impacted-by-war\/?highlight=ukraine%20donations\">$6 million<\/a>&nbsp;to support humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine, she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a natural pairing,\u201d Dr. Bastien added about the collaboration between CNEWA and Sheptytsky Institute. \u201cCNEWA is on the ground and in regular contact with the very same Eastern Christian churches whose traditions we work to uphold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To support CNEWA\u2019s emergency relief work, go to:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/donate\/\">https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/donate\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped is-style-lightbox wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"17306\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_151237.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Jean-Nicolas Desjeunes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"17307\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_152214.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Jean-Nicolas Desjeunes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"695\" data-id=\"17308\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_160219.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_160219.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_160219-300x204.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_160219-768x521.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Anna Dombrovska)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"17309\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289-1600x2133.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3289.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Laura Ieraci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"17310\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295-1600x1200.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/IMG_3295.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Laura Ieraci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"17305\" src=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20230105_145924.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(photo: Anna Dombrovska)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">The Great Water Blessing for the feast of Theophany in Montreal included the blessing of the St. Lawrence River by Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and all Eastern Canada. The public event was co-organized by the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute at the University of Toronto and CNEWA\u2019s office in Canada in solidarity with the suffering people of Ukraine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Laura Ieraci is assistant editor of ONE<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, the Canadian office of Catholic Near East Welfare Association partnered with the&nbsp;Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute for Eastern Christian Studies&nbsp;at the University of Toronto to host an outdoor celebration for the feast of Theophany, also known as the Baptism of Jesus, in Montreal on 5 January. Bishop Bryan J. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70080,"featured_media":13334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"class_list":["post-13333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Great Water Blessing Shows Solidarity With Ukraine | CNEWA Canada<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Great Water Blessing Shows Solidarity With Ukraine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, the Canadian office of Catholic Near East Welfare Association partnered with the&nbsp;Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute for Eastern Christian Studies&nbsp;at the University of Toronto to host an outdoor celebration for the feast of Theophany, also known as the Baptism of Jesus, in Montreal on 5 January. Bishop Bryan J. &hellip; Continued\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CNEWA Canada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cnewacanada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-06T23:30:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T14:30:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/58F36DBB-83A5-441A-A40F-43C47D2C505D_1_201_a-scaled-e1673037406384.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1222\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Ieraci\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cnewac\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cnewac\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Ieraci\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Laura Ieraci\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/929839c5dd14a349dc51af681d8cf7ae\"},\"headline\":\"Great Water Blessing Shows Solidarity With Ukraine\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-06T23:30:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T14:30:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":721,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/58F36DBB-83A5-441A-A40F-43C47D2C505D_1_201_a-scaled-e1673037406384.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/\",\"name\":\"Great Water Blessing Shows Solidarity With Ukraine | CNEWA Canada\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/58F36DBB-83A5-441A-A40F-43C47D2C505D_1_201_a-scaled-e1673037406384.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-06T23:30:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T14:30:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/great-water-blessing-shows-solidarity-with-ukraine\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/58F36DBB-83A5-441A-A40F-43C47D2C505D_1_201_a-scaled-e1673037406384.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cnewa.org\\\/ca\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/58F36DBB-83A5-441A-A40F-43C47D2C505D_1_201_a-scaled-e1673037406384.jpeg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1222,\"caption\":\"Bishop Bryan J. Bayda of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and all Eastern Canada blesses the faithful with holy water on 5 January at the Old Port of Montreal after the celebration of the Great Water Blessing. 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Bayda of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and all Eastern Canada blesses the faithful with holy water on 5 January at the Old Port of Montreal after the celebration of the Great Water Blessing. 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