ECUMENICAL WORKSHOP — Sister Theodosia Papirnik of the Ukrainian Sisters of St. Joseph of Saskatoon gave a presentation on the Venerable Nun Martyrs Olympia and Laurentia at a spring ecumenical workshop March 20 in Saskatoon. (Nelson photo)

Ecumenical workshop focuses on Ukrainian martyrs

By Desiree Nelson

SASKATOON — The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism held a Spring Ecumenical Contacts Workshop March 20 at the Ukrainian Catholic Shrine of the Venerable Nun Martyrs Olympia and Laurentia in Saskatoon.

Twenty-one men and women from different religious backgrounds gathered to reflect on the theme, “the cost of discipleship in our time.” The Ukrainian Catholic Sisters of St. Joseph welcomed the group into their new shrine and a priest from Prince Albert led a special prayer, Moleben to the Venerable Nun Martyrs Olympia and Laurentia.

Following the prayer at the shrine, guests were invited across the street to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of St. George for a presentation by Sister Theodosia Papirnik of the Ukrainian Sisters of St. Joseph of Saskatoon.

Her talk began with a video presentation on the lives of the martyrs Olympia and Laurentia. Papirnik gave a historical account of their lives, inviting her listeners to recognize that these are saints of our time, dying only in the 1950s.

“They were great teachers and healers. They grew their own herbs and healed people,” Papirnik also talked about returning to Canada with the “crucial elements,” the relics of Sisters Olympia and Laurentia. She, along with one other sister, chose a rib from each of the saints, because ribs “have a biblical meaning and are closest to the heart. And they both had a great heart.” The relics are now housed in the shrine named after the two martyrs.

Papirnik urged the audience to contemplate the word “martyr” and to consider the cost of this discipleship. She explained that martyrs “are prepared to undergo torture and lose their life” in defence of their beliefs.

The shrine is a work in progress, the gathering heard. It is the only one outside Ukraine dedicated to these women. The Sisters of St. Joseph hope to establish it as a pilgrimage site in the future.

Papirnik also stated the importance of enlisting help from saints: “Miracles are happening today, but we often don’t ask for them. We need the intercession of our saints to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

A focus on ecumenism was also present in her words of solidarity, “We have a responsibility and a great job in front of us, no matter what faith we have. We need to work together. We also must assist our young people on the right path, and ensure that our youth are placing their interests and responsibilities in the right thing,” focusing on Jesus Christ, she said.

There are many changes happening in Christian society, so we are called to become true disciples working together on many social justice issues, she added.