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On January 25, 2007, it was informed at the Apostolic See that the Holy Father Benedict XVI, Pope of Rome, blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to appoint His Excellency Bishop David Motiuk as eparchial bishop of Edmonton eparchy for Greek Catholics (Canada). Before this appointment, Bishop David served as an auxiliary bishop of the Winnipeg Archeparchy.

Biography of Bishop David

Bishop David was born on Jan uary 13, 1962 in Vegreville, Al berta, to the family of Ivan and Olha Motiuk. In 1980 he entered the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and in 1982 he transferred to the program in business studies. From 1984 to 1987 he studied at Saint Paul University in Ottawa where he obtained a BA in theology and a BA in Canon law a year later.

Bishop Dymytriy Greschuk ordained him to the priesthood on Aug ust 21, 1988, for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton.

He served in several parishes in Alberta following his ordination and was associate rector of the Cathedral of St. Josaphat in Edmonton.

Bishop David completed a licentiate in canon law at Saint Paul University in Ottawa and obtained a Master's degree in canon law from St. Paul University in Ottawa .

From 1989 to 1993 he was administrator at the parishes of Holy Spirit in Darling, Sts. Peter and Paul in Drayton Valley , and Holy Spirit in Edison . He held positions of chancellor and judicial vicar of the eparchy of Edmonton , and he also was a member of the College of Consultors (until 1996). In 1993-1996, Bishop David served as an assistant of the judicial vicar, and the finance officer of the eparchy of Edmonton. In 1994-1996 he served as a priest at St. Josaphat's Cathedral in Edmonton.

In 1996 Bishop David obtained a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome and taught theology and canon law at St. Paul University and at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa . He was Rector of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Ottawa from 1996 to 2001.

From 1997 to 2002 Bishop David was consultor to the Episcopal Commission for Canon Law and Inter-rite of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Canada. In 1998 he worked as a judge of the Canadian appellation tribunal, and in 2002 he was canon law consultor.

In 2002 he was appointed pastor of St. Sophia church at Sherwood Park.

On June 11, 2002 in Edmonton, Bishop David was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg and Titular Bishop of Mathara in Numidia. The rite of consecration was celebrated in St. Basil Church of the Basilian Fathers in Edmonton (principal consecrator His Beatitude Lubomyr, consecrators Metropolitan Mykhail Bzdel and Bishop Lawrence Huculak).

Information Department of the UGCC