Pope names Canadian to head Ukrainian diocese in western provinces

Published: 2007-06-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI named Father Kenneth Nowakowski, rector of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Ottawa, to be the new bishop of the Ukrainian Diocese of New Westminster, British Columbia. Bishop-designate Nowakowski, 49, was finishing his term as rector when the pope named him a bishop June 1. He already had moved back to his native Saskatchewan after 21 years away, he said in a written statement. "I was looking forward to moving into a parish and reconnecting with my roots. Now I have learned that my parish will be huge, comprising all of British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and part of the Northwest Territories," he said. He succeeds Bishop Severian Yakymyshyn, who retired June 1 after heading the diocese since 1995.

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