CALGARY – ST. STEPHEN Parish – Парафія св. Первомученика Стефана
St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Parish is the second established Parish in Calgary. To accommodate the growing population of the city it became evident that a second church had to be built. In May 1967, Bishop Neil Savaryn assigned Father Philip Shinduke to look after St. Stephen’s Mission which was located on the premises of St. James Knights of Columbus Hall.
In 1968 Fr. Demetrius Martin Greschuk was appointed parish priest, and the membership continued to grow. A serious effort was made to find a permanent home to serve the needs of the young parish. St. Stephen Parish Centre became a reality in July 1972, when the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated. In October of the same year Bishop Neil Savaryn blessed and dedicated the building.
On June 27, 1974, Fr. Demetrius Greschuk was appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of the Ukrainian Edmonton Eparchy and with his leaving Fr. Andrew Muzyka from Saskatchewan, a good friend of Fr. Demetrius, was appointed pastor. The parish continued to grow. The mortgage was paid and plans for a church were researched. Radislav Zuk, world famous for his Byzantine architecture, was given a commission to draw up plans for a church to reflect our roots, tradition and rite in a modern, twentieth century Calgary, with it’s foothills and alpine background. This became a reality in 1982. In 1982 the Parish had 210 families.
Clergy that served the community: Fr. Philip Shinduke (1967-1968), Fr. Demetrius Greschuk (1968-1974), Fr. Andrew Muzyka (1975-1986), Fr. William Hupalo (1987-1991), Fr. Myron Pyszcz (1991-1992), Fr. Rendall Yackimec (1993-2008), Fr. Mark Bayrock (2008- ), Fr. Peter Babej (2008- ).