Toronto,July 24, 2003: The Most Reverend Bishop Isidore Borecky, the former Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada, fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2003, at the Toronto Western Hospital, in his 92nd year of life, having dedicated 65 years of his life as a priest and 55 as a bishop.

Bishop Isidore is survived by his brother Walter (Vladimir) and his wife Helen, his three nephews Richard, Myron, Eugene and their families.

Bishop Isidore Borecky was born in Ostrivets, Terebovlia district, Ternopil region, Ukraine, on 1 October 1911; son of Simeon and Julia (n. Dawosyr) Borecky. He began his elementary schooling in Ostrivets in 1918 and completed his secondary education in Terebovlia in May 1932.

Desiring to serve God and the Ukrainian Church as a priest, Isidore was accepted by the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and studied at the Greek-Catholic Theological Academy in Lviv from 1932 to 1935. He did his higher studies at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, where for three years he was in residence at the Pontifical Seminary of St. Andrew the Apostle (1935 - 1938).

On July 17 1938, Bishop Dionysius Nyaradi of Krizhevci ordained the Deacon Isidore to the priesthood in Munich's St. Michael the Archangel church.

On 26 November 1938, Father Isidore left Germany to serve the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic faithful in Canada under Bishop Basil Ladyka, OSBM.

From 1938 until 1941, Father Isidore served many churches in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In 1941 he was appointed pastor of St. John the Baptist church in Brantford, Ontario, from which he also served mission parishes in Delhi, Grimsby, Niagara Falls, Saint Catharines, Thorold and Welland until 1948.

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On March 3, 1948, Pope Pius XII appointed Father Isidore Apostolic Exarch of Eastern Canada, comprising Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics. The new Bishop Isidore was consecrated in St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto on May 27 1948, and set to work organizing the new exarchate, which was subsequently raised to the status of eparchy on November 3, 1956.

The achievements of Bishop Isidore's lifetime service include fostering religious vocations, and establishing lay or-ganizations, churches, missions, senior citizens homes, Eastern-rite schools, cultural centres, and providing financial help to many institutions, and over the past decade, to the Church in Ukraine.

Details of the funeral are as follows:

A Bishop’s Parastas will be celebrated on Thursday, July 24, 2003, at St. Nicholas Church, (Bellwoods & Queen Sts.) at 7:30 p.m., and on Friday, July 25, 2003, at St. Josaphat’s Cathedral, (Franklin Ave.), at 7:30 p.m..

The Pontifical Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated on Saturday, July 26, 2003 at 10:00 a.m., at the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Holy Dormition, 3625 Cawthra Road, Mississauga, by His Beatitude Patriarch Lubomyr of Ukraine, assisted by bishops and clergy.

The mortal remains of Bishop Isidore Borecky will be laid to rest at Mount Peace Cemetery in the family plot.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary through the Eparchy of Toronto (3100-A Weston Rd., Toronto, Ontario, M9M 2S7)

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Cardinal Funeral Home, Bathurst Chapel, (416) 603-1444.

“Give eternal rest to your servant Bishop Isidore among your saints, O Christ.”

Source: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and All Eastern Canada