On November 30, 2023, the Vatican announced that His Holiness Pope Francis, having blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, appointed the Most Reverend Father Mykhailo Smolinsky, formerly the Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in Canada, as the ruling bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy of the UGCC in Canada, as it was reported by the press service of the Holy See.
Since April 28, 2022, the Apostolic Administrator of the vacant seat of the Saskatoon Eparchy has been Bishop Lawrence Huculiak, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Winnipeg.
The nominee, Bishop Mykhailo Smolinsky, will become the sixth ruling bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy since its foundation in 1956.
The first bishop was Bishop Andriy Roboretsky, and Bishops Vasyl Filevych, Cornelius Pasichny, Mykhailo Vivchar, and Brian Baida led the diocese.
Biographical note
The Nominee Bishop Mykhailo Smolinsky was born on September 10, 1972 in Saskatoon, Canada.
He entered the novitiate of the Redemptorists on September 1, 1997, and professed his Perpetual Vows on August 15, 2002. He studied at the University of Saskatchewan, obtaining a Licentiate in Education and a Master of Divinity degree from St. Michael’s University in Toronto.
He also completed a course in Christian Oriental Studies at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa.
He was ordained a priest on July 5, 2003, at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Saskatoon by the then Bishop of the Saskatoon Eparchy, Mykhailo Vivchar.
He performed the following church ministries: rector of the house of reception (2005–2015); extraordinary member of the Provincial Council of Redemptorists (since 2008); rector of the parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Saskatoon (2015–2019).
Since August 1, 2019, he has served as Canada’s Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists.