St. Paraskevia Ukrainian Catholic Parish of Smoky Lake

07/31/2026

Garage Sale abundance !

07/30/2026

05/27/2026

ST. PARASKEVIA PARISH PICNIC
PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE
SUNDAY JUNE 7TH, 2026

My apologies - this year our parish picnic will be held on Sunday June 7 (not Saturday June 6) with Divine Liturgy at 11:30 and picnic to follow at the White Earth Hall.
Our church and cemetery are looking beautiful after our annual clean-up, so come out and enjoy a wonderful day in the countryside with family and friends.

Please RSVP so we know how much food to prepare for the picnic.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me here or at 780-340-7027.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Karen Sochatsky

12/09/2025

https://youtu.be/4OUJLYLtqSs?si=vV5XL3enr1otXjZC

We’re preparing the most beautiful Christmas concerts and really do hope that music will help bring peace into the world this festive season. André Rieu, Ann...

12/07/2025

Ukrainian Christmas folklore is rich with traditions and symbols that reflect the country's cultural heritage. The Christmas Spider, for example, is a beloved custom where families hang spider webs on their Christmas trees, symbolizing the miracle of the first Christmas tree. The legend of the North Star also plays a significant role in Ukrainian folklore, guiding the Magi to Christ's birth. These traditions, along with the Sviata Vechera and the Vertep, create a unique and enchanting atmosphere for the Ukrainian Christmas celebration.

12/06/2025

The Legend of the Christmas Spider is an Eastern European folktale that explains one possible origin of tinsel on Christmas trees. In Western Ukraine, small ornaments in the shape of a spider are traditionally part of Christmas decorations. The story involves a pinecone growing into a pine tree outside the home of a widow and her children, and the spider's gift of a web that turns into silver and gold.
Wikipedia

12/04/2025

Saint Nicholas Day, also called the "Feast of Saint Nicholas", observed on 6 December (or on its eve on 5 December) in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra; it falls within the season of Advent.[3] It is celebrated as a Christian festival with particular regard to Saint Nicholas' reputation as a bringer of gifts, as well as through the attendance of church services.[4][5][6]

In the European countries of Germany and Poland, boys have traditionally dressed as bishops and begged alms for the poor.[7] In the Portuguese city of Guimarães, the Nicolinas, a series of festivities in honor of Saint Nicholas, happen every year.[8] In Poland and Ukraine children wait for St. Nicholas to come and to put a present under their pillows provided that the children were good during the year. Children who behaved badly may expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows. In the Netherlands and Belgium children put out a shoe filled with hay and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse. On Saint Nicholas Day, gifts are tagged with personal humorous rhymes written by the sender.[9] In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their stockings hung up to be filled with mini gifts or leaving their shoes in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will place some coins on the soles.[6]

The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive from Saint Nicholas. "Santa Claus" is itself derived in part from the Dutch Sinterklaas, the saint's name in that language. However, the gift giving associated with these descendant figures has come to be associated with Christmas Day rather than Saint Nicholas Day itself.[5]