Ukrainian church in Sudbury sees influx of parishioners from Ukraine, launches renovation effort
St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Baker Street is seeing an influx of new parishioners as more families from Ukraine settle in Sudbury.
The people running the Sudbury landmark are launching fundraising efforts to bring the church back to its original glory.
"We have been very blessed that some of them have come to Sudbury," said Peter Zloczewski, president of St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“We are hoping to have a spiritual restoration here within the church to allow these people to have a community where they can share their language, where they can join in with others to worship.”
The church is a unique landmark in Sudbury. Domes adorn the rooftop and inside there are brightly painted biblical figures and stained glass windows.
"Church populations have been decreasing but we have the opportunity now to increase our population at the church due to the Ukrainian immigrants that are coming in because of the war," said Terry Martyn, the choir director at the church.
“They are looking for churches to attend to this is the perfect opportunity to try to revitalize the church.”
Church officials said the building, which dates to the late 1930s, needs structural repairs, from a leaky roof to water damage.
Right now a priest from Toronto travels to Sudbury once every six weeks for divine liturgy. As part of the restoration effort, the church hopes to increase services and obtain a full-time priest.
"Our church is now 85 years young and the rejuvenation that we are experiencing with the recently arrived Ukrainians has brought their families, it's brought children to a church where there was an aging population," said Zloczewski.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent right to your inbox
To help raise the $200,000 needed for the restoration the church is planning upcoming fundraisers. Right now it's holding book sales every Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 1:30-4 p.m. at the church.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.