St Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
3176 St Paul Blvd
Rochester, NY 14617-3433
Fr. Igor's 25th Anniversary of Priesthood


25th Anniversary of Very Rev. Fr.Igor's priesthood - 06/09/2019

V.Rev. Fr. Igor Krekhovetsky’s 25th Ordination Anniversary in Rochester New York.

The objective of the special visit June 8-9 by Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel to St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Rochester, NY, was to join the congregation in the celebration of archpriest Rev. Fr. Igor Krekhovetsky’s 25th anniversary of his ordination as priest.  

Fr. Igor, who came with his family to the USA in 1995 from Ukraine, studied at the Ivano-Frankivsk Spiritual Seminary and was ordained by Bishop Iioan Bondarchuk in the Lutsk Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in 1994. He first came to Detroit and occasionally served in the Ukrainian Orthodox church of St. Mary the Protectress (Pokrova) in Southfield, Michigan. And, in 2002, with the blessing of the-then Bishop Antony, Fr. Igor was assigned to St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Rochester, NY where he continues as rector of the parish.

Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel arrived the evening before in time for the Saturday Vespers. The sisterhood had prepared in advance a tasty supper to serve after Vespers to welcome the Metropolitan and Archbishop and their entourage consisting of Deacon Sviatoslav Hot, Sub-deacons Ihor Protsak and Ivan Venhryn, and Seminarians Pavlo Vysotskyi and Myroslav Mykytyuk.

In the morning, on Sunday, the church council president, Mykola Sztanko, together with sisterhood co-presidents Susan Ost an Maria Ulici, greeted the hierarchs at the church entrance with the traditional bread and salt welcome. Two young ladies, Maria Tebyrtse and Nadia Lyubezna, separately presented each hierarch a bouquet of flowers accompanied by a welcome poem.

The anniversary gift from parishioners of an ornate cross from a Romanian monastery was blessed and given to Fr. Igor during the hierarchal liturgical service. Archbishop Daniel delivered the sermon of the day and Metropolitan Antony gave his final word at the end of the liturgy. The celebration then continued in the parish hall where parishioners were joined by V. Rev. Mykola Andrushkiv from Syracuse NY, V. Rev. Yuriy Kasyanov from Buffalo NY, Rev.Fr. Daniel Ene and Fr. Ioan Ardelean from the local Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox church and Fr. Roman Sydorowycz from the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Epiphany of Rochester. Rev Fr. Mykola Andrushkiv gave Fr. Igor a Service Book and Rev. Fr. Yuriy Kasyanov a hand-held cross as gifts for the occasion. The banquet included a delightful meal cooperatively prepared by the brotherhood and sisterhood. Following the dinner, the parish children recited verses glorifying God. The Dzus sisters, Lydia and Zina, with guitar and mandolin, then entertained the guests with 5 familiar Ukrainian songs. His eminence Metropolitan Antony gave a final address regarding the call to and responsibilities of the priesthood and the need for prayer by both, the priest and the congregation.  Rev. Fr. Igor then came to the podium and thanked those who organized and those who came to honor him on this special occasion and asked for the closing prayer.

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St Mary's Extensive Facebook Photo Album

To take a stroll down Memory Lane click on our church picture to open the door to St. Mary's Photo Album page on Facebook.  We promise it will bring back many, many wonderful memories.

Christmas 2016

Christmas 2016 - 01/07/2016

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 PHOTO ALBUMS  ~  Screenshows contain many pictures

(Click on picture to open the Photo Album)

Photo Album (Screenshows)

Holodomor

Snapshots

2015

Easter Cemetery Visit - Gridley - Dzus - Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Easter Cemetery Visit - Gridley - Dzus - Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Easter Cemetery Visit - Gridley - Dzus - Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Easter Cemetery Visit Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Easter Cemetery Visit Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Easter Cemetery Visit Kuscht - DeBole's - Fr. Igor
Mothers Day 2015
Mothers Day 2015
Mothers Day 2015
SMUOC Priests

Fr. Umanets
Fr. Umanets
Fr. Umanets
Fr. Kudanowicz
Fr. Kudanowicz
Fr. Kudanowicz
Fr. Sytnyk & Metropolitan Constantine
Fr. Sytnyk & Metropolitan Constantine
Fr. Sytnyk & Metropolitan Constantine
Fr. Kulyk
Fr. Kulyk
Fr. Kulyk

Fr. Kowalenko's Birthday
Fr. Kowalenko's Birthday
Fr. Kowalenko's Birthday
His Eminence Metropolitan Antony + Fr. Krekhovetsky + Pani Dobrodiyka Oksana
His Eminence Metropolitan Antony + Fr. Krekhovetsky + Pani Dobrodiyka Oksana
His Eminence Metropolitan Antony + Fr. Krekhovetsky + Pani Dobrodiyka Oksana
Memories

image
Orthodox Sunday

Greeting The Patriarch Mstyslav 1
Greeting The Patriarch Mstyslav 1
Greeting The Patriarch Mstyslav 1
40th Jubilee
40th Jubilee
40th Jubilee
Mothers Day
Mothers Day
Mothers Day
1970s Ridna Shkola
1970s Ridna Shkola
1970s Ridna Shkola

Tuesday Bingo
Tuesday Bingo
Tuesday Bingo
Wednesday Bingo
Wednesday Bingo
Wednesday Bingo

Thank you Pani Pasicznyk for sharing your church pictures. 

Where would we be without these wonderful memories.

(Photos provided by Natalie Pasicznyk from the Peter Pasicznyk photo library)

We also thank Tamara Denysenko for creating St. Mary's Facebook Page.