Guests attending the annual Lenten Fish Dinner fundraising event in Rosa were treated to an excellent meal, warm hospitality and a fun and fast-paced lottery.

 

Every year at the Shevchenko Ukrainian Centre in Rosa, Manitoba the Ukrainian parishes of the whole south-east district of the province hold a joint major fundraising event. At the heart of the experience is a fantastic fresh baked fish dinner with an amazing array of desserts – truly all you could eat. Then there was the 50/50 draw, plus some twenty impressive silent auction combination prizes.

 

A number of people came from Winnipeg as well, especially those that have roots in the district and may still have relatives and friends in the area. Among the crowd were members of the clergy, cantors and parish council executive members and many faithful from the nine parishes and their friends. The crowd was large and everyone was obviously enjoying themselves.

 

The Parishes of the South East district have shifted over the years and there used to be a few priests serving the area. However, presently they have been amalgamated into one major district and the parishes that are served as best as possible are: the two parishes of Caliento - St. John the Baptist and the Nativity of the BVM; then Blessed Virgin Mary the Protectress church in Lonesand; Holy Eucharist in Rosa; St. Michael in Sarto; Holy Trinity in Stuartburn; The Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ in Sundown; Sacred Heart in Tolstoi; St. Demetrius in Vita and The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Z’hoda.

 

The crowd was friendly and welcoming and so everyone felt right at home. The conversations were easy and a lot of stories were shared. It was especially heartwarming the way people from the district remembered their parish priests from yesteryear, like Fr. Eugene Rudachek and Fr. Marion Dawydko, and are happy with their present pastor Fr. Djura. Fr. Djura Maljik was given the task of drawing the first of many raffle tickets. With a bit of comedic drama that elicited cheers and laughter from the crowd, he drew winning ticket for the 50/50. Everybody applauded the winner and everyone seemed authentically pleased that it was him who won. That was the spirit of goodwill that pervaded the evening. That is the spirit of South-East…