The year was 988. Prince Volodymyr (Vladimir) of Rus’ (the ancient name for Ukraine) had consolidated his power, and was hoping to make a lasting name for himself by raising his people up to the status of a great nation. Among the obstacles he faced was the fact that all the great nations he knew … [Read more…]
Since the founding of this parish 30 years ago, we have had numerous priests serve as pastors and administrators of St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Catholic Church in Apopka, Florida. Those priests, listed in chronological order, were: 1980-1985 Rev. Andrij Nazarevych о. Андрій Назаревич 1980-1985 Rev. Wasyl Stankaninych (assisted) o. Василь Станканінич (помагав) 1986 Rev. Bohdan … [Read more…]
The first Ukrainian family to settle in Apopka (Kowalchuk) arrived in June of 1972. At that time, probably very few people in this area had heard of Ukrainians or Ukraine. Stephen Kowalchuk was a real estate broker with his own firm, who published notices about Apopka in Ukrainian newspapers (e.g., Svoboda). Thus, with time, more … [Read more…]
