‘This awful war’: Ukrainians find reprieve far from home at Edmonton church

Archpriest Cornell Zubritsky is pictured in the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Edmonton, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Archpriest Cornell Zubritsky sometimes hears the loud wailing of air raids thousands of kilometres away in Ukraine.

The sirens screech from the cellphones of congregants at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Edmonton.

“A lot of them have the air raid siren app on their phones here in Canada, and it will go off. They do that so that if it’s their city, they get on the phone immediately to see if their relatives are OK,” Zubritsky said in a recent interview.

“For them, this is real. And then it makes it real for me because they’re connected. They are fighting the war every day.”

Zubritsky said most of his 150-person congregation are immigrants from Ukraine. The church’s membership declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but has grown again with families from Ukraine.

Monday marks three years since the Russian invasion. Tens of thousands have been killed.

About 300,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada on emergency visas since 2022.

Zubritsky said some who attend his weekly church service have been losing hope, and they don’t want to hear him talk about what’s happening in their homeland.

“For a few hours at least, they can come ... and have a little bit of reprieve of the daily stresses of having your country torn apart,” he said.

“They don’t need reminders. They’re reminded every day. They get texts, they get phone calls.”

Sitting in the church, Snizhana Kshetska said she hasn’t given much thought to the anniversary.

She and her three children, ages 10, 14 and 18, have been in Canada since the war started. Her husband had been in the Ukrainian army but was released last year and joined the family in Edmonton.

“I don’t measure my life like I’m here in Canada one year or three years. For me, it’s awful every day, not like a third anniversary of the starting of this awful war,” she said.

“I think every day it is hard to realize that this happened with us, and nobody helps us to stop this.”

Kshetska said she would like to return to Ukraine someday and be with the friends and family she left behind.

“From my kids, I am not sure,” she said. “I think I will ask them and it will be their choice.”

Zubritsky said he no longer provides just tissues and emotional support for those from Ukraine. He helps them find jobs, deal with landlords and sort immigration issues.

“As if they didn’t have enough to deal with, with a reduced amount of immigration allowed this year, they’re all panicking that Canada is going to kick them out,” he said.

“I come home some days and I have a good cry over the day that I have over just the general plight of all of these people who are here.”

-- Bill Graveland

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2025.