St. Paul University awards honorary doctorates to Kules (07/12/98)

St. Paul University awards honorary doctorates to Kules

OTTAWA - Over 300 people gathered in Ottawa's Church of the Sacred Heart as Peter and Doris Kule of Edmonton received honorary doctorates from St. Paul University. The conferral of the honorary degree was the highlight of this year's closing ceremonies on April 19, which included recognition of graduates from the university's four faculties and bestowal of awards for excellence in the form of scholarships from the university, the students' association, alumni and the alumni association.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Kule, Vice-Rector Achiel Peelman remarked, "The two persons we want to honor today are unique in their own way. They are, above all, community builders who are profoundly committed to the future of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church in Canada."

Recognizing their special relationship with St. Paul University and its Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, Prof. Peelman spoke of the institute's "commitment to advanced academic research and ecumenical dialogue, as well as the support it offers to the Church in Ukraine ... - a mission made possible by the generosity of Ukrainian Canadians themselves."

In this, he continued, "Peter and Doris Kule truly stand out as living examples of deep commitment to their people, their Church and to this university." The honorary doctorates were conferred by the chancellor of the university, Archbishop Marcel Gervais of Ottawa.

During their shared acceptance address, Mr. Kule remarked, "We are not scholars, but we are lovers of learning, and the greatest lesson we have learned in life is that it is better to give than to receive ... We are proud to receive these honorary doctorates from St. Paul University, because there are so many institutions today, which are training people to take. ... St. Paul University's programs - all of them - teach people to give of themselves and to be humble."

Mrs. Kule remarked, "Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (patron of the University's Eastern Christian Studies program) asked his scattered flock throughout the world to pray for the gift of God's wisdom. When we pray for the Sheptytsky Institute and the whole St. Paul University, now our common alma mater, we pray that God shower wisdom upon you, so that the priests, religious and lay leaders who graduate from this university may feed the hungry world and, in imparting wisdom, be enlightened and transfigured by this wisdom at the very same time."

Noting that this is the first time a married couple had received an honorary doctorate together, Mr. Kule continued, "It is the clergy and religious who most often receive recognition. And rightly so! But in recognizing a married couple through this bestowal of honorary doctorates, St. Paul University is thus at the very forefront of the renewal of respect for family life, and it is in this spirit that we accept these doctorates in the name of countless married couples who deserve such recognition from the Church and its institutions of higher learning, for it is families where all the groundwork for learning is laid."

The following evening a vespers service was followed by a reception to honor the doctorate recipients. The Rev. Prof. Peter Galadza, Kule Family Professor of Eastern Christian Liturgy, led the brief program.

Written greetings were received from the Vatican, from the acting head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Bishop Lubomyr Husar, from the governor general and the prime minister of Canada, as well as various organizations. The reception also featured an international Easter egg display.

For information on Eastern Christian Studies Programs at St. Paul University, contact: The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, St. Paul University, 223 Main St. Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1C4; telephone (613) 2361393 ext. 2332; fax, (613) 782-3026; e-mail: sheptytsky@ustpaul.uottawa.ca