Ukrainian Catholic nuns dedicate their lives to service

Retired Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate still host a meal every month for their neighbours
By Josh Tng
The B.C. Catholic

Two Ukrainian Catholic nuns have lived a life of faith as Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.

Sister Daria Sportak, SSMI, and Sister Angelica Hodowansky, SSMI, were both introduced to the Ukrainian Catholic order, founded in Ukraine in 1892, when their families moved to bigger cities.

“I came from a family of 10, and I grew up in Caliento, Man.,” said Sister Sportak. Her father passed away when she was 11. “It was a very small community, close to Vita.”

Sister Sportak did not think she was called to the religious life at first. She encountered the Sisters Servants when she moved to Winnipeg.

“I was scared of nuns. I had never met any sisters until a year before I entered the covenant,” recounted Sister Sportak. “I saw them for the first time, and I was scared because they looked so solemn.”

Against her initial reaction, Sister Sportak approached them. They invited her to visit the convent, and she agreed.

“The first thing to catch my eye was the chapel. When I visited, they all started smiling and laughing! I was surprised everyone was so happy.”

She decided to give the life a try. “My family was shocked at first,” she said. “My mother cried, but nothing was going to hold me back. My mother told me, ‘You can always come back if things don’t work out.'”

Though the lifestyle made her happy, she still felt burdened. “My mother was happy with me, but her sisters and brothers gave her a hard time. They didn’t understand why she let me become a nun.”

After spending two and a half years preparing with the sisters, Sister Sportak went to an orphanage in Alberta, where she worked for 20 years. “I became a nurse, and worked with young children in hospitals.”

Now Sister Sportak lives in New Westminster with Sister Hodowansky. “I’m retired, not tired,” she laughed. “I still do odds and ends around the church. The need for consecrated people is still there, as they are dedicated to community and the Church.”

Sister Hodowansky grew up in a small community outside Vernon called Lavington, but moved when she was 12 to Toronto, where she encountered the Sisters Servants. She instantly knew religious life was something she wanted.

“I said I was going to (become a nun), and I did it,” said Sister Hodowansky. “I wanted to become a nun because I heard the Gospel say, ‘If you want to be perfect, go ahead and follow Me.'”

As a nun, Sister Hodowansky has travelled extensively. She lived in Rome and the Holy Land for some time, and “I’ve missioned in Manitoba, Alberta, and finally, B.C.”

She taught as a high school teacher, and at St. Joseph’s College in Edmonton.

Both Sister Hodowansky and Sister Sportak have much to do, even while retired. “We visit our Ukrainian Catholic parishes, visit the sick, and we also work at a drop-in centre where people come in and chat with us,” Sister Hodowansky said.

“It’s very busy,” she laughed. “It’s amazing to see how many people come in to chat or ask for prayers. It’s the little everyday experiences that keep us happy.”

“We have excellent neighbours,” Sister Hodowansky said. “We hold a perogy supper once a month for the neighbourhood.”

The routine of their daily lives was recently shaken up when their basement flooded. “God’s surprises keep us busy.”

Despite that, Sister Hodowansky is content with her life. “It’s a wonderful life, and if it’s what the Lord is calling you to, don’t be afraid, and just go for it.”

Sister Sportak agreed. “With the grace of God, the religious life works out,” she said.

Eparch (Bishop) Ken Nowakowski of New Westminster is grateful for the work these two sisters and many others in their order over many years have provided in his Ukrainian eparchy (diocese).

“The Ukrainian Catholic Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate have had a very long and enduring relationship with the Ukrainian Catholic Church in British Columbia. Their service in our parishes began even before the eparchy of New Westminster was established in 1974.

“Since that time the sisters have provided religious educational programs, catechetical lessons, assisted at our summer eparchial youth camps, and have been active in our eparchial Generations of Faith sessions, both in the planning states and in the presentation.

“Today our eparchy has but two elderly sisters. Their prayerful presence at our cathedral and their active involvement in caring for the many little things that often go unnoticed is a true blessing to me personally and to our cathedral parish.”