Archpriest Vasily and Matushka Paraskevia Hochachka

Archpriest Vasily Hochachka 1901-1981

and

Matushka Paraskevia Hochachka (born Karynik) 1899-1997

Vasily may be spelt Wasily, Wasyly, Vasil’, Wasil’, Basil, William, Bill.

Paraskevia may be spelt Paraskeva, Paraska, Pearl.

Early life of Vasily Feodorovich Hochacha

On 9 May, 1901, Vasily Feodorovich Hochacha was born to Theodore (1872-1949) and Martha Hochachka (1874-1941) (they had been married in 1890) in the village of Sinovo in the Volyn Gubernia of the Russian Empire. This region was from time to time in history a part of Poland. It is now in western Ukraine. There, he was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Vasily was the 3rd of 5 sons born into the family of a blacksmith. His father was, as expected, strong and of robust physique. His mother was very diminutive and very intelligent. Although Vasily grew to be diminutive also, he had very great physical strength and mental and spiritual determination. Their second child and only daughter Mary was born and died in 1895. The other siblings of Vasily included Sebastian, Alexei, Yefimy, and Feodor.

The society in which Vasily and his brothers grew up was typical of old Russia. There was a balance of hard work, song and dance, together with regular worship in the Temple of the village. As was customary, Vasily and his brothers were taken to worship services from a very young age, so they were accustomed to the nature of Orthodox worship from the beginning. Once Vasily had learnt to sing, he was included in the boys’ section of the parish choir.

His religious education was an integral part of his school education (before the Bolshevik Revolution), and he naturally also learned to sing the folk-songs which accompanied all the aspects of daily life. Such songs are used not only on various Church festivals, but they also accompany various everyday practical manual tasks such as washing, cleaning, baking, planting, harvesting and more (including blacksmithing).

World War I, Bolshevik Revolution, 1914-1918

His studies were interrupted by World War I. Austrian forces occupied his village, and both he and his older brother Alex were imprisoned in Kovel. Nevertheless, the boys managed to escape after a time, and they lived in hiding until they were recaptured. Because of a sporting display of bravado, the 2 were released, but they were permitted to stay in their home as “servants” of the officer.

With the end of the war, and the consequences of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the region around their home became chaotic. First, the Soviets arrived and overran the village. They were then repelled by the Polish forces. The Polish people were then able to establish their own state, and they ruled this region until World War II.

Marriage, 1919

After the end of World War I, Vasily met Paraskevia Karynik (Yakischik). She had lived in another district of the Sinovo village.

On 19 May, 1919, she and Vasily were married.

Afterwards, they received from the Lord 8 children, Julian (Alec), Ivan (John), Mary, Olga, Stephanie, Fred (Feodor), Peter, Vladimir (Walter).

After this, Vasily began to try to make a living as a farmer ; however, this project was interrupted when he was conscripted into the Polish army. His experience in the army was distasteful to him, so he eventually deserted. He went into hiding, along with his wife and child. However, he later turned himself in. He was sentenced to prison for desertion, but he was soon released in the context of a general amnesty for prisoners of his type.

Emigration to Canada, 1928

In 1928, Vasily, his wife, his parents, his 3 brothers, and their families emigrated to Canada. They sailed to Canada upon the SS Lithuania.

They first settled in the Lake Eliza district south of Saint Paul, Alberta.   When the Great Depression began after 1929, the economic situation was so poor that their original homestead was lost.

In 1931, Fred and Marta moved near their son Vasily, northwest of Therien in the Therien-Glendon district. Vasily farmed there for 16 years.

By this time, his contacts and his life in the Church had opened some new possibilities. His parents had contributed to the construction of the Temple of Saint John the Baptist at Therien, and he attended services in this place.

In 1947, Vasily and his family moved to Edmonton, Alberta (the provincial capital).

There, he worked at odd jobs while he was studying towards the possibility of ordination.

At the same time, he was attending Saint Barbara’s Orthodox Church there.

Saint Barbara’s Orthodox Church, Edmonton

Ordinations, 1949

In 1949, Vasily was ordained to the Holy Diaconate, and then to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov) in Saint Vladimir’s Church, in North Edmonton. Vladyka Joasaph was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).

Pastoral service

The Priest Vasily Hochachka was then assigned to Saint Barbara’s Church in Edmonton, to be the rector of the parish. He remained as the rector for 6 years.

In 1952, Father Vasily Hochachka was the founding pastor of the Temple of Saint John the Baptist at Horen, Alberta. This community is situated about 97 km (60 mi) west of Edmonton, and south of Lake Wabamun and Seba Beach. It was established mostly by people who had immigrated from Volyn in Ukraine, and the place-name was given in memory of the River Horyn in Volyn. He served in this community from 1949 to 1955.

Father Vasily served in the parish of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Nisku, Alberta (southwest of Edmonton). He served regularly in this parish from 1954 to 1962, in addition to his main responsibility at the cathedral in Edmonton. The close relationship between this parish and the cathedral parish has continued until the present, since clergy have continued to be assigned from the cathedral to serve this parish regularly. In particular, the cemetery of this parish steadily became the preferred cemetery of the parishioners of the cathedral, and a section of this cemetery at Nisku eventually was set aside for the cathedral parishioners.

In addition, Father Vasiliy served on particular occasions in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Therien, Alberta ; in Saint John the Baptist Russo Orthodox Church in Vegreville, Alberta ; in Saint John the Baptist Russo Orthodox Church in Chipman, Alberta ; in Archangel Michael Russo Orthodox Church at Sachava (Andrew), Alberta ; and in Dormition of the Theotokos Russo Orthodox Church at Shishkovtsy-Shandro Alberta.

Father Vasily Hochachka (1954 newspaper) (during a visit of Archbishop Adam (Philipovsky))

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 1955

In 1955, the Priest Vasily Hochachka left Saint Barbara’s Church because of certain disagreements, and he formed Holy Trinity Church on 96th Street in Edmonton. This community remained within the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America (“Metropolia”), whereas Saint Barbara’s Church had decided to move to the Russian Exarchate of North America. This was before autocephaly was given by the Moscow Patriarchate to the “Metropolia”.

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Edmonton

In 1959, Archbishop Panteleimon (Rudyk) invited the parish and Father Vasily to join with him in the Russian Exarchate under the Patriarchate of Moscow. Father Vasily was favourable to the proposal, but he could not persuade the parish council to make the change, despite his reminders about how difficult it had been to find pastoral help when he had been ill. He pointed out that now, there was a bishop in this very same city, whereas the “Metropolia” bishop was in Eastern Canada. The council would not agree.

In April, 1960, Father Vasily raised the matter again, and asked for a “better decision” regarding a local bishop. Instead, the parish preferred to move to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), which they later did.

Injury, 1961

In May, 1963, there was a severe automobile accident in which Mr. Steve Pooke was killed and Father Vasily Hochachka was severely injured. The parish council of Holy Trinity parish gave Father Vasily financial support for 6 months.

In addition, another division developed when Father Michael Andruchow and his followers formed the new community of All Saints in northeast Edmonton. This group did not wish to transfer to the ROCOR, nor did they wish to enter the Russian Exarchate of North America, so they established a distinct community that remained with the “Metropolia”.

Archpriest Vasily Hochachka, at Horen, 1956

Retirement, transfer to the Russian Exarchate, 1963

Father Vasily could not continue in active service, and he retired. In the same year, he finally made the transfer to the Russian Exarchate, along with Matushka Paraskevia.

In 1964, Father Vasily was transferred by Archbishop John Wendland (of New York and the Aleutians) to the USA, where he served in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania for 3 years.

In 1967, Father Vasily again retired. His retirement coincided with the recalling of Archbishop John to the Soviet Union. Father Vasily and Matushka Paraskeva returned to Edmonton, where they led a quiet life in retirement. There, Father Vasily served at Saint Barbara’s Cathedral as a retired priest (when his health permitted).

Some years later, their son Fred (Feodor, Theodore) Hochachka returned to Saint Barbara’s Cathedral. There, he succeeded William Holden (a grandson of Theodore and Anna Fuhr) who had served as the choir director at Saint Barbara’s Cathedral for many years. Fred likewise served as a long-term director of the choir of Saint Barbara’s Cathedral.

Their son Peter Hochachka eventually received a Ph.D. in Science, and he taught Zoology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Repose of Father Vasily, 1981

On 28 July, 1981, the Archpriest Vasily Hochachka fell asleep in the Lord, following a brief illness.

On 4 August, 1981, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Priest were held at Saint Barbara’s Cathedral in Edmonton. Metropolitan Vladimir (Nagosky) travelled from Winnipeg’s Holy Trinity Cathedral to lead the services on behalf of Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) of Montréal and Canada.

The funeral services were led by Metropolitan Vladimir, and assisted by the Archpriest John Margitich, the Priest J Stephen Keaschuk, and by other clergy from Edmonton and the nearby region.

On 4 August, 1981, the body of the Archpriest Vasily Hochachka was interred at Saint Michael’s Cemetery in Edmonton.

Repose of Matushka Paraskevia, 1997

Matushka Paraskevia Hochachka fell asleep in the Lord some time later, on 24 December, 1997.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-person were offered for her likewise at Saint Barbara’s Cathedral. The Archpriest John Margitich, the Priest Stephen J Keaschuk, and other clergy participated in the services.

After the funeral services, her body was interred in Saint Michael’s Cemetery.

Reflections

At the meal after the funeral of Father Vasily, Father Stephen Keaschuk accurately outlined 3 outstanding characteristics of Father Vasily :

 his seemingly endless ability to narrate a short story, real or fictional, to make a philosophical or moral 
 point ; his great love of both church and secular singing ; and the intensity with which he always did and 
 felt things – his reactions were either hot or cold, never merely lukewarm.

Because of their love for the Church, Father Vasily and Matushka Paraskevia directed in their will that a portion of their estate be given to the Archdiocese of Canada of The Orthodox Church in America, to which they had initially belonged.

Saint Barbara’s Cathedral after 2000

References

Archdiocese of Canada – Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

‘In Memoriam Reverend Vasily Hochachka (1901-1981)’, in “Canadian Orthodox Messenger”, no. 1-2 (1981), pp. 32-33. [This “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” is a journal that was formerly published in Edmonton, Alberta, by the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Canada.]

Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Canada, “100 Years of Orthodoxy in Canada 1897-1997 : Pictorial Memories” (Edmonton : Patriarchal Parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Canada, 1997).

Russian Orthodox Church History Book Committee, “Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Canada, Millennium of the Baptism of Rus” (Edmonton : Russian Orthodox Church History Book Committee, 1988). ISBN: 0-88925-830-9.

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Additional information :

Findagrave listing for Saint Michael’s Cemetery, Edmonton, Alberta

[Findagrave reference for Archpriest Vasily Hochachka

[Findagrave reference for Matushka Paraskevia Hochachka

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Archbishop John Wendland (of New York and the Aleutians)

Archbishop (Saint) Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov)

Archbishop Panteleimon (Rudyk)

Archbishop Nikon (de Grève)