Eternal Memory! Father Achiel Delaere (1868-1939): The First Eastern Rite Redemptorist and Canada's Ukrainian Catholic Church (review)

In 2006, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) celebrates the centenary of its Eastern Rite branch. This is due almost single-handedly to the tenacity of Achiel Delaere, who was born in Belgium in 1868, professed his vows in the Redemptorist Congregation in 1889, and was ordained a priest in 1896. Desirous of being a missionary in Western Canada, he began studies of Slovak and later Polish to equip himself to serve the many immigrants. Soon after his arrival in 1899, he realized that the Ukrainian immigrants were in greater need of spiritual support and pastoral care than the Polish.

His pastoral zeal led him to seek special dispensation to study and work in the Ukrainian-Slavonic rite, celebrating his first divine liturgy in 1906. Realizing his inadequacy in caring for these members of the Church, he encouraged his Congregation to send more missionaries who could assist in the work and eventually petitioned Rome for the establishment of a Ukrainian eparchy in Canada.

All the while he battled with Orthodox priests, false priests, and strident Protestants intent on winning the hearts and minds of these Catholics in order to break their ties with Rome. In this tense climate, he suffered abuse from the detractors, misunderstanding from the people he attempted to serve, as well as difficulties within the Congregation that had him move in and out of positions of responsibility, often to his chagrin and disappointment. In the end, the eparchy grew and prevailed, the Orthodox returned to their own flocks, the "sheep-stealing" renegades and Protestants faded away, and Delaere's work prospered. Delaere died a much-beloved and appreciated priest, working to the end, in 1939.

It is to the credit of another Redemptorist from Belgium, Jozef De Vocht, that this story has seen the light of day. A contemporary of Delaere, De Vocht wished to show the decisive influence that Delaere had on the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada (p.xxi). De Vocht leaves an edifying testimonial to Delaere's courage and fidelity, and to the many faithful and priests who worked with him allowing this rite to thrive outside Ukraine. De Vocht lavishes praise on these pioneers and, when heaping scorn on those who were hostile to Delaere, he does not mince words.

This current translation is very readable, making a wonderful story but also giving insight into the history of the Church in Western Canada. There are an overview of Delaere's life, an index and fifty illustrations, mostly photographs of the main characters in the story. If there is any problem for a historian, it is the lack of notes or citations of any primary documents. De Vocht quotes extensively from letters and reports (nicely shaded in the current edition) found in the archives of the Flemish Redemptorists; so it would not be impossible to find the actual sources—perhaps a future project for a student to research and record. The publisher does provide a list of sources for further reading on the subject, but none less than fifty years old. The publisher has done a great service to make this volume possible.