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REFLECTING ON A BIT OF EXCESS
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ICBC SEEKS RULING TO BLUNT NT STRIKE
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AN OLD BOAT WITH STORIES TO TELL
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APRIL 27 2012
www.newwestnewsleader.com
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Burnaby and
New Westmin
ster
Pier Park officially opens June 16
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Father Edward Evanko will be presenting his one-man play, Blessed Nykyta: Bishop and Martyr at the Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in New Westminster on Sunday, May 6.
From daytime soaps to the pulpit Priest who once starred on Ryan’s Hope to stage one-many play Mario Bartel photo@newwestnewsleader.com
Edward Evanko the actor doesn’t sweat his reviews. That’s because as a priest in the Ukrainian Catholic Byzantine Church, Father Evanko answers to the ultimate critic. On May 6, Evanko, the actorturned-priest, will present his oneman show, Blessed Nykyta: Bishop and Martyr, at the Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in
New Westminster. The play, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the appointment of Nykyta Budka as Canada’s ¿rst Ukrainian Catholic Bishop, is literally a labour of Evanko’s love for his church and its history. That love hit him like a “bolt out of the blue” when he was well into a long career as an actor and singer. Born in Winnipeg in 1938, as a boy he sang for coins tossed his way at a grocery store in the city’s north end, the heart of the Ukrainian community. He was a member of the Winnipeg Boys Choir. He performed in high
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school musicals and while a student at the University of Manitoba, he appeared in summer theatre. He was good enough to further his studies at the Old Vic theatre school in England which led to roles with the Stratford Festival, the English Opera, the Welsh National Opera and the BBC Singers. For a year, he hosted his own variety show on CBC-TV. He played Broadway, recorded an album, even had a recurring role as Dr. Alex McLean in the TV daytime soap opera, Ryan’s Hope. Along the way, Evanko’s faith always traveled with him. He attended
mass regularly; if there wasn’t an Eastern Catholic church in whichever town his acting had taken him, he’d go to a Roman Catholic church. The lightning bolt that would give new direction to his faith and life struck on Easter Sunday, 2001, during an innocent conversation with a pastor after he’d read the Scriptures at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver. “Say the word, and you could be in Rome studying the priesthood,” said the pastor. The idea, says Evanko, took his breath away. He started to cry. Please see PERFORMED, A4
Although it will be open to the public shortly, the of¿cial opening for Westminster Pier Park will be on Saturday, June 16 at 11 a.m. Representatives from all three levels of government which contributed equally to the $25.1 million cost will be there with plenty of entertainment to follow. “This new park belongs to the whole community and we want everyone to celebrate the opening with us,” said Mayor Wayne Wright. “The opening celebration on June 16 will mark a day to remember as we recapture a signi¿cant part of our waterfront for use by the public now and into the future.”
Van Dop is champion New Westminster art gallery owner Trudy Van Dop has received an arts champion in community award from ArtsBC. Van Dop was recognized for being publisher of the Van Dop Arts and Cultural Guide to British Columbia and for launching the ¿rst B.C. Cultural Crawl in 2002 which has become an annual, month-long event in the province.