By Barbara Isbister
The Visit of Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski and The Vivo Quartet
A Friends of Arundel Cathedral event
On the 16th of November 2024, on a perfectly ordinary Saturday afternoon, a most extraordinary event was taking place in Arundel Cathedral.
Organised by The Friends of Arundel Cathedral, with an introduction by Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, the Apostolic Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Great Britain was giving a talk entitled: ‘Culture in Ukraine, Past and Present.’
Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski’s (pronounced No Va Koff ski) talk about culture in Ukraine, included an introduction about himself.
‘Does he speak English? Does he have an Ukrainian accent?’ I asked someone who had met him previously. Indeed, once Bishop Kenneth began to speak,
Lady Georgina thanking the Bishop
Solo Performance by Ihor Tselyp
The Vivo Quartet
it immediately became apparent that not only was he a native speaker of English, but also, much to my surprise, that he spoke with a mixture of a Canadian and a standard British accent.
It was fascinating to learn a little about his life story. He was born in Canada and was in fact a fourth of fifth generation immigrant there; his great-grandfather having emigrated to Saskatchewan in 1896 as a result of Queen Victoria’s plans to settle the fertile land of the Prairies. Incentives were offered to farmers and labourers from European countries who wanted to settle in Canada. Many Ukrainians took up the offer, in search of a better life.
‘You must have only arrived today!’ is what Ukrainians jokingly say to people in Canada who claim to have not met any Ukrainians there. Between 1896 and 1905 the number of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe rose from 16,000 to 140,000 per annum. Since then, many more emigrated to Canada after World War II. By 2016 Canada contained the second largest diaspora of Ukrainians in the world, after Russia.
Bishop Kenneth
Bishop Nowakowski also brought cultural artefacts for us to pass round and see: beautifully embroidered tablecloths and a basket of hand painted wooden ‘pisanki,’ (Easter eggs). He told us about special food, which included ‘borszcz’ (beetroot soup), and everyone’s favourite, ‘pierogi’ (dumplings).
The talk was accompanied by two 30minute musical performances by the Vivo Quartet. For some reason, I had imagined it would be a group of instrumentalists, playing violins, piano and perhaps an accordion. This would, in itself, have been wonderful.
However, what we were to have the privilege of witnessing was to be far, far beyond this. To say the a cappella performance (voices without instrumental accompaniment) by the four young men and women was exquisite and ethereal is no
exaggeration. Not only did the sheer beauty bring tears to my eyes, during the spellbinding music, but also it succeeded in conveying the very heart and soul of Ukraine.
The two separate a cappella phases consisted of two aspects of Ukrainian culture. The first was liturgical. The second, performed in national costume, was traditional music and folk songs. This was followed by the Ukrainian National Anthem and an outstanding solo performance by one of the singers. Altogether heavenly.
A very warm and enthusiastic ‘thank you’ by Georgina, the Duchess of Norfolk followed. Thank you to the Friends of Arundel Cathedral for organising such an inspiring event.
If you missed the event or if you attended and would like to listen to it again, it is available on the following link: https://arundelcathedralfriends.uk/ bishopkennethvisit
The Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral Duke Street, London W1K 5BQ
Closest Underground – Bond Street