CYM Hamilton’s 75th anniversary celebrations took place on Saturday evening, April 6 in the Holy Spirit church hall in Hamilton with the participation of almost 200 guests. The program began with a short performance and a ceremonial entrance of CYM Hamilton’s youth members entering the hall with flags to the anthem “Vhoru Prapory”. Hanya Ostapiuk, President of the Hamilton Branch opened the celebration by welcoming everyone present and asked CYM Canada President, Tamara Tataryn to give greetings. Tamara Tataryn, in her short speech, noted the most important achievements in the history of the Hamilton Branch and wished it continued success.
The opening prayer was led by CYM Canada’s chaplain, Fr. Andrij Figol, followed by a photo presentation highlighting CYM Hamilton’s 75 year long multifaceted history.
During the dinner, the host of the evening, Ivanka Baran-Purkiss, greeted all present, in particular, the Branch Presidents, the clergy, representatives and heads of Ukrainian organizations as well as all the delegates and Leadership Seminar participants, who had gathered from all corners of Canada in connection with the CYM’s Annual General Meeting.
The highlight of the evening was the performance of the Ukrainian drama theater ZAHRAVA titled “In our hands lies the fate of Ukraine” – which connected the historical struggle for independence during the time of Hetman Ivan Mazepa with today’s merciless war for the preservation of independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine against the Moscow aggressor.
The silence in the hall during the entire performance and the thunderous applause after its conclusion was evidence of the audience’s admiration of ZAHRAVA’S performance. The National Executive, would like to congratulate ZAHRAVA for a great performance and wishes the group continued success.
At the conclusion of the festive program, the host of the evening, Ivanka Baran-Purkiss thanked all present for their kind greetings and participation in the celebrations and the numerous sponsors for their financial support. The festivities concluded with the singing of the national anthem.
Additional photos can be viewed in the photo album: Plenum 2024.
