Turning the pages back...
June 22, 1968
On June 22, 1968, The Ukrainian Weekly reported on the trip of Archbishop-Major Josyf Cardinal Slipyj, primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, to Toronto. It was the cardinal's first-ever visit to North America.
A crowd of 2,000 awaited the cardinal at the airport when he arrived on June 14. As people tried to reach out to him and kiss his hands, Cardinal Slipyj, who had spent 18 years in Soviet prisons for his refusal to renounce his faith, tearfully remarked, "They beat these very hands, and now you want to kiss them."
When he addressed the crowd, the cardinal said, "Nearly a century has elapsed since the motherland bade you farewell with great expectations for your adventures on the other side of the ocean. ... You have achieved all your hopes, but do not forget about your less fortunate brethren."
Cardinal Slipyj celebrated liturgy before thousands of faithful at St. Nicholas Church on Saturday morning, May 15, the day after his arrival.
A crowd of more than 50,000 filled the Canadian National Exhibition grounds for a pontifical divine liturgy on Sunday, May 16.
There was a parade in his honor also on Sunday with participants including members of Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization and the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM), as well as Ukrainian choirs and dance troupes. The performers included the SUM Prometheus Choir, the Dibrova Choir, the Vesnivka girls' choir and the Kalyna dance ensemble of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation.
After Sunday's parade, Cardinal Slipyj was a guest at a UNA reception in his honor, where he thanked the Ukrainian National Association for its service to the community.
During the trip, the mayor of Toronto presented the cardinal with a gold key to the city of Toronto, making him the first person to receive such an honor.
After the visit to Toronto, Cardinal Josyf set off to visit other Canadian cities including Winnipeg, Edmonton and Saskatoon, and American cities including Philadelphia, Stamford and Chicago.
Source: "Thousands of Ukrainians Greet Archbishop-Major Josyf Cardinal Slipyj on Historic Visit to North America," The Ukrainian Weekly, June 22, 1968.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 22, 2003, No. 25, Vol. LXXI
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