The episcopal ordination of Fr. Michael Smolinski and his enthronement as the ruling bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy of the UGCC will take place on January 19–21, 2024, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The services will be led by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak of Winnipeg, the current Apostolic Administrator of the Saskatoon Eparchy, and Bishop Bryan Bayda of Toronto, the eparchy’s previous ruling bishop, will serve as the co-consecrators.
The Rite of Episcopal Nomination and Great Vespers, led by Bishop-nominee Michael, will begin on Friday, January 19, at 6:30 PM at the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Saskatoon.
The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with the Episcopal Ordination of Fr. Michael will be held on Saturday, January 20, at 10:00 AM at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, where the future bishop served as a parish priest for eight years.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav will then perform the enthronement and installation of the sixth bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy during the Divine Liturgy at St. George’s Cathedral on Sunday, January 21, at 10:00 AM. We ask the faithful to accompany Fr. Michael with prayer as he prepares for his episcopal ordination and begins his new ministry in the Church.
On November 30, 2023, the Vatican announced that His Holiness Pope Francis, having blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, appointed the Very Reverend Father Michael Smolinski—formerly the Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in Canada—as the ruling bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy.
Biographical Note
Bishop-nominee Michael Smolinski was born on September 10, 1972, in Saskatoon, Canada. He entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) on September 1, 1997, and professed perpetual vows on August 15, 2002. He studied at the University of Saskatchewan, where he received a Bachelor of Education degree, and earned a Master of Divinity from the Faculty of Theology at St. Michael’s College in Toronto. He also completed a course in Eastern Christian Studies at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute at St. Paul University in Ottawa.
He was ordained to the priesthood on July 5, 2003, at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Saskatoon by the then-Bishop of Saskatoon, Michael Wiwchar. Throughout his priesthood, he has served in the following ministries:
Associate Pastor: St. Joseph Parish, Winnipeg (2003–05)
Director: The Welcome Home inner-city ministry, Winnipeg (2005–2015)
Extraordinary Member: Provincial Council of Redemptorists (since 2008)
Pastor: Saints Peter and Paul, Saskatoon (2015–2019)
Associate Pastor: Saints Peter and Paul, Saskatoon (2019–22)
Provincial Superior: Redemptorist Congregation in Canada (Since January 17, 2023)
