New Westminster Eparch Emeritus Yakymyshyn dies at 91

Most Rev. Severian Yakymyshyn, OSBM, who served as Eparch (Bishop) of the Ukrainian Diocese of New Westminster from 1995 to 2007, has died at the age of 91.

His obituary said he died peacefully after a brief stay at St. John Hospice in Vancouver on Monday, Sept. 6.

Bishop Yakymyshyn was born April 22, 1930, in Plain Lake, Alta., and entered the Basilian Noviciate in Mundare, Alta. He made his solemn profession of vows in the Basilian Order of St. Josaphat in 1953 in Rome and was ordained a priest in Rome in 1955. He received a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1958.

He had pastoral appointments in Alberta and Ontario and served in the Basilian Order as Master of Novices, Director of the Basilian Press, Provincial Consultor of the Canadian Province, and as both General Bursar and Consultor for the Basilian Order in Rome. 

He was appointed the second Bishop of the Eparchy of New Westminster on Jan. 5, 1995, and ordained a bishop in Vancouver on March 25, 1995, serving as the Eparch of New Westminster until his retirement on June 1, 2007.

His obituary said during his 16-year residency in Rome (1979- 1995), as Superior of the Basilian Monastery in Rome, he influenced the lives of numerous young Basilians from several Provinces around the world through his fatherly mannerisms.

“Bishop Severian was proud of his involvement as General Bursar with the reconstruction and renovation of several monasteries in the newly independent Ukraine, having provided invaluable practical building and planning advice. Those who knew him personally could count on his simple and direct approach to life, his strong dedication to service within the Basilian Order and the hierarchy of the Church. Having completed his service as Bishop of New Westminster, Bishop Severian returned to the Basilian community, residing at the Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God in Vancouver, where he continued to engage in pastoral work.”

A monastic parastas (prayer service) will be celebrated on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster. A memorial Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Vancouver.

A funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mundare, Alta., with interment to follow in the Basilian Section of Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery in Mundare.

The B.C. Catholic interviewed Bishop Yakymyshyn in 2017 after he marked 60 years since his priestly ordination and his 20th year of ministry as a bishop. We’re reprinting the article here.