75th Birthday of Metropolitan Emeritus Stefan Soroka

But later in his life something changed:

I made one decision hastily at the time of grieving my mother's death. Realized poor timing on my part. Later, I returned and never looked back, being so consumed by heartfelt meaning and joy, and the certainty of being who I am supposed to be in life. It has been a pleasant challenge ever since, one constantly stretching me to grow.

After that, Stefan entered St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, DC, and began his studies at the Catholic University of America, where he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1982. Then, on June 13, 1982, at Saints Volodymyr and Olha Cathedral in Winnipeg, the Most Reverend Maxim Hermaniuk, CSsR, Metropolitan for Ukrainians in Canada and Archbishop of Winnipeg, ordained him to the Holy Priesthood. 

Then, after his priestly ordination, Fr. Stefan continued his studies in Washington, DC, for a PhD in social work. In May 1985, he defended his thesis at the Catholic University of America entitled "The Relationship between Organizational Stressors and Priests' Perception of Stress." After completing his studies, Father Stefan returned to Manitoba, where he carried out his priestly ministry.

11 years later, on June 13, 1996, Father Stefan was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, Canada, at the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha in Winnipeg by the Most Reverend Michael Bzdel, CSsR (Metropolitan of Canada and Archbishop of Winnipeg), Most Reverend Cornelius Pasichny (then Bishop of Saskatoon, Canada), and Most Reverend Walter Paska (then Auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia).

Five years later, on February 27, 2001, His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar enthroned Bishop Stefan as Metropolitan of Philadelphia at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia.

The Coat of Arms of Metropolitan Stefan Soroka

The Coat of Arms is surmounted by a bishop’s mitre in the center, flanked by the cross and crozier, all symbols of a Bishop’s pastoral office in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. 

The left side presents the Mother of God with hands raised in prayer, placing the Archeparchy under her protection. The Archbishop thus invokes her maternal love and intercession for himself and his people. The right side depicts a heart, recalling the greatest commandment, “love God with your whole heart... and love one another as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The letters “IC XC, NI KA” within the heart, center Jesus Christ as the conqueror of our hearts, calling the Archbishop and his people to live Christ-centered lives. The flame within the heart recalls a particularly favorite Scriptural passage of the Archbishop, that of Luke 24:32, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He explained to us the Scriptures?” These words encourage our passionate love for the Scriptures. 

The background on the right side depicts the American flag – the domain of the Metropolitan. 

The Ukrainian embroidered towel centered by the maple leaf expresses the Archbishop’s Ukrainian Canadian ancestry. The towel recalls St. Stephen (a towel is draped in his hands on icons of St. Stephen), elected by the early apostles to serve and martyred for his faith. 

The motto, “One Who Serves,” expresses the Archbishop’s role as a successor of the Apostles, called and ordained to serve Christ and His people (Luke 22:27).

17 years of service in Philadelphia

During his years of service in Philadelphia, Metropolitan Stefan organized and initiated numerous impactful events. We would like to remind you of several of them: 

- Women’s Day: Seminars focused on the role of women in the Church and the world. Since 2006, seven such seminars have been held. 

- Hosting the Synod of the UGCC in Philadelphia in 2007, along with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bishop Soter Ortynsky’s service as the first bishop in the United States. 

- Establishment of the Treasury of Faith Museum, under the care of the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God. 

- Inauguration of the Annual Carol Festival at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, held every January since 2007. 

- Renewal of Marital Vows Day: A special day for couples to renew their marriage vows, especially those celebrating milestone anniversaries. 

- Obtaining an authentic copy of the Shroud of Turin in 2010 from the Vatican, allowing the faithful in the United States to venerate this sacred relic. 

- Organizing three archieparchial sobors where clergy, religious, and laity gathered to discuss and plan the future of the Archeparchy. 

These events reflect Metropolitan Stefan Soroka’s dedicated ministry, marked by daily care for the faithful, parish visitations, and strengthening parish life throughout the Archeparchy. 

Another important part of his pastoral activity was ordaining seven new priests. Six of them are currently serving in our Archeparchy. These are Fr. Ivan Turyk, Fr. Mark Fesniak, Fr. Roman Sverdan, Fr. Ruslan Romaniuk, Fr. Walter Pasicznyk, and Fr. Paul Makar. One of them, Fr. Andriy Rabiy, was elected bishop and now serves as an auxiliary bishop in the Winnipeg Archeparchy.