Late 1800s
Ukrainian immigrants begin arriving in Western Canada, bringing with them the Byzantine Catholic faith, family traditions, language, and prayer.
Faith Carried Across Generations
The history of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton is a story of faith carried across oceans, planted on the prairies, and passed from one generation to the next.
Ukrainian Catholic families came to Alberta with little certainty, but they brought what mattered most: faith in Christ, love for the Divine Liturgy, prayer before icons, Ukrainian language and song, and a deep commitment to family and parish life.
Today, that same faith continues to live in parishes and missions across Alberta.
A Faith That Came With the People
When Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Canada in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they carried more than personal belongings. They carried a way of life shaped by the Gospel, the Byzantine tradition, the Divine Liturgy, feast days, fasting seasons, icons, family prayer, and the memory of the Church in Ukraine.
In Alberta, faith quickly became the centre of community life. Families gathered for prayer. Priests travelled long distances to serve the faithful. Parishes were built by sacrifice, often with the hands and gifts of the people themselves.
The parish became more than a place of worship. It became home: a place to pray, teach children, preserve language, support neighbours, mourn losses, celebrate weddings and baptisms, and remain Ukrainian Catholic in a new land.
Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations.
Deuteronomy 32:7
From Parish Roots to an Eparchy
As Ukrainian Catholic communities grew across Alberta, the need for organized pastoral care also grew. The faithful needed priests, parishes, catechism, sacramental care, schools, religious communities, and leadership rooted in their own Byzantine Catholic tradition.
The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton was formally founded on November 3, 1957. Its mission was, and remains, to care for Ukrainian Catholic faithful throughout Alberta and to help them know God, love God, and serve God.
The Eparchy now serves parish communities across the province, from large urban centres to rural communities where generations of families have kept the faith alive.
Blessed Bishop Nykyta Budka: Our First Bishop in Canada
No history of Ukrainian Catholic life in Canada is complete without Blessed Bishop Nykyta Budka.
In 1912, Bishop Budka was appointed the first Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada. His appointment was historic: it was the first time Rome appointed an Eastern Catholic Bishop with full jurisdiction outside Europe and Asia.
Bishop Budka travelled widely to serve Ukrainian Catholic communities scattered across Canada. He visited settlements, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, preached, taught, comforted the faithful, encouraged vocations, and worked to secure legal recognition for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada.
His connection to Alberta is part of our story. In 1913, Bishop Budka visited Edmonton and celebrated a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Josaphat Parish. His ministry helped strengthen Ukrainian Catholic identity at a time when immigrant families were working to preserve their faith, language, and spiritual heritage in a new country.
Later, after returning to Ukraine, Bishop Budka suffered under Soviet persecution. He died in a prison camp in Kazakhstan in 1949 and was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
His life reminds us that Ukrainian Catholic history is marked by missionary courage, pastoral sacrifice, and faithfulness to Christ.
St. Josaphat Cathedral: A Spiritual Centre
At the heart of the Eparchy stands St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Edmonton. The Cathedral is a spiritual centre for the Eparchy and a visible sign of Byzantine Catholic worship, beauty, and community.
For generations, the Cathedral has gathered the faithful for the Divine Liturgy, major feast days, episcopal celebrations, pastoral moments, and prayer for the needs of the Church and the world.
Its sacred space reminds us that our history is not only written in documents. It is sung, prayed, painted, built, and received in the life of the Church.
A Living Timeline
1897
Rev. Nestor Dmytriw, one of the earliest Ukrainian Catholic priests to serve Ukrainian settlers in Western Canada, is remembered in connection with early pastoral care for Ukrainian communities in Alberta.
Early 1900s
Ukrainian Catholic communities grow across Alberta. Priests travel to serve scattered families, and parish life begins to take root in homes, small communities, and newly built churches.
1902
The first permanent Ukrainian Catholic missionaries arrive in Edmonton, including Basilian Fathers and Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. On November 9, the first official Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy in Edmonton is celebrated at St. Joachim Church.
1904
St. Josaphat Parish is established in Edmonton and becomes a central spiritual home for Ukrainian Catholics in the city.
1910
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky visits Edmonton and celebrates a Pontifical Divine Liturgy at St. Josaphat Parish, strengthening the connection between Alberta's Ukrainian Catholics and the wider Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
1912
Nykyta Budka is appointed the first Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada and becomes the first Eastern Catholic Bishop with full jurisdiction appointed outside Europe and Asia.
1913
Bishop Nykyta Budka visits Edmonton and celebrates a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Josaphat Parish.
1916
The first Convention of Ukrainian Catholics of Alberta is held, reflecting the growth of organized Ukrainian Catholic life in the province.
1917
Bishop Budka blesses the cornerstone for the Ukrainian National Hall in Edmonton, a sign of the close relationship between parish life, faith, culture, and community organization.
First half of the 20th century
Parishes, schools, religious communities, and lay organizations help Ukrainian Catholics preserve faith, language, culture, and community life in Alberta.
1948
The Apostolic Exarchate of Western Canada is established, an important step toward more local pastoral care for Ukrainian Catholics in the West.
1951
The Exarchate is identified with Edmonton, reflecting the city's growing importance as a centre of Ukrainian Catholic life in Alberta.
1957
The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton is formally founded, giving Ukrainian Catholics in Alberta their own Eparchial structure and pastoral leadership.
1974
Bishop Demetrius Martin Greschuk is appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Edmonton Eparchy, later becoming Eparch of Edmonton.
Late 20th century
The Eparchy continues to grow through parish ministry, catechism, youth and family formation, religious education, vocations, and service to communities across Alberta.
2001
Bishop Nykyta Budka is beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II.
2007
Bishop David Motiuk is appointed and enthroned as Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton.
Today
The Eparchy serves faithful across Alberta through the Divine Liturgy, sacraments, pastoral care, faith formation, social mission, support for newcomers, and the passing on of Ukrainian Catholic tradition.
Shepherds of the Edmonton Eparchy
The history of the Eparchy is also the history of its Bishops, who have guided the faithful through growth, change, challenge, and renewal. Each Bishop has served as a shepherd of the local Church: strengthening parish life, supporting clergy, teaching the faith, encouraging vocations, and helping the Eparchy remain faithful to Christ and to the Ukrainian Catholic tradition.
Most Rev. Neil Nicholas Savaryn, OSBM
Most Rev. Demetrius Martin Greschuk
Most Rev. Myron Michael Daciuk, OSBM
Most Rev. Lawrence Huculak, OSBM
Most Rev. David Motiuk
History Lives in Our Parishes
Every parish has its own story: families who built it, priests who served it, children who were baptized there, couples who were crowned in marriage, loved ones who were buried from its doors, and faithful people who kept returning to pray.
The history of the Eparchy is not only one central story. It is the shared story of many communities across Alberta.
To understand our history, visit a parish. Stand before the icons. Listen to the chant. Speak with the people. There, the past and present meet in prayer.
One generation shall commend your works to another.
Psalm 145:4
Carry the Faith Forward
We are grateful for those who came before us: the families, priests, religious communities, Bishops, catechists, donors, volunteers, and parishioners who built and sustained Ukrainian Catholic life in Alberta.
Their work now belongs to us.
We invite you to learn our history, pray with our parishes, teach the next generation, and help carry this living tradition forward.