Ukrainian American Christmas party is Friday

     The traditional and very popular Christmas party of the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, headed by Daria Tomashosky of North Port, will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as the “Oseredok”), 1400 S. Biscayne Drive, North Port. Christmas party chair Anna Mariani- Kebus of Port Charlotte and members of the committee worked very hard to ensure that this year’s party is as good, if not better, than previous years’.

    In addition to many attractions and surprises, the members will enjoy a delicious potluck dinner consisting of many homemade Ukrainian and American delicacies, including pastries and other desserts.

    Members and guests attending the club’s last monthly membership meeting, held Nov. 20, enjoyed guest speaker Valeriy Palubok, staff biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, and a video presentation about his and Dr. Eugenie Clark’s (founder of Mote Marine) search for traces of a great Ukrainian scientist and explorer Nicholas Miklukho-Maklay who was exploring Papua New Guinea in the 19th century.

    The business portion of the meeting included the customary reports of offi- cers and the presentation of plans for activities and events for the next several weeks; welcoming new members George and Kateryna Steciuk, who moved to our area from New Jersey; and singing “Mnohaya Leeta” (many, many years) for Dr. Michael Yarymovych of Osprey on the occasion of his patron saint holiday, St. Michael the Archangel.

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    The monthly membership meeting of Cpl. Roman G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans will take place at 3 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Oseredok. This is a change from the customary meetings being held on the first Friday of the month due to the other activities in our community, including the aforementioned Christmas party.

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    The community commemoration of the 80th anniversary of “Holodomor,” the genocidal famine in 1932-33 in Ukraine that took the lives of nearly 10 million men, women and children (approximately 25 percent of the population at the time) will be held Sunday, beginning with a “Panakhyda” (requiem service) for the repose of souls of victims, at 4 p.m. at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church at Biscayne Drive and West Price Boulevard, North Port. It will be followed by a special program at the Parish Center next to the church. His Honor Bohdan A. Futey, federal judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, will be the guest speaker.

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    The traditional pre-Christmas Bazaar, chaired by Iwanna Holowaty of Venice, will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Ukrainian Catholic Parish Hall next to St. Mary’s Church. In addition to crafts and many other items that will be available for sale, the popular Ukrainian American dinners will be served from noon to 6 p.m. Takeouts will be available.

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    The Oseredok will celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew, the First Called Apostle, patron saint of the Oseredok, on Dec. 15 with a festive dinner that will be served following the solemn divine liturgy (Mass) and special prayers at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Church, which will begin at 10 a.m.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com.

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

byAtanas Kobryn