Our Pastor
Bohdan Winnicki was born in Szczecinek, Poland on July 18, 1962 and was raised in the small village of Bielica, Poland. Bohdan was entrusted by God to Roman and Anastazja Stefania Winnicki (Lajkosz). He was the third of five children raised in a traditional Ukrainian Catholic household. As a young boy he attended Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Elementary School in the nearby town of Bialy Bor where he enjoyed music lessons as well as playing numerous sports. He would then attend High School (Technikum Kolejowe) in Szczecin, Poland and he pursued studies at the Catholic University of Lublin and Warsaw Theological Academy, Poland. In 1985 he took the opportunity to immigrate to Canada.
While in Canada he would further his education which included a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario in 1992 and Pastoral Counselling Education at Toronto School of Theology, Toronto Institute for Pastoral Education (2003). He would go on to complete his Master of Theological Studies at University of Toronto, Trinity College in 2010. Fr. Bohdan has also completed various certificates including: Crisis Responses Certificate (2005), Adult Mental Health Certificate (2011), End of Life Decisions Certificate (2012), Solution-Focus Therapy Certificate (2013).
On November 15th, 1987, Most Reverend Bishop Basil Filevich ordained Bohdan Winnicki to the diaconate at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of St. George in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He would then be raised to The Holy Order of Priesthood on August 26th, 1992, in the domestic chapel of Archdiocese in L’viv, Ukraine by Archbishop and Metropolitan Volodymyr Sterniuk, Archbishop of L’viv, Ukraine, in the presence of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Winnipeg and All Canada Maxym Hermaniuk and on the presentation of the Most Reverend Bishop Isidore Borecky of Toronto and Eastern Canada.
Father Bohdan Winnicki accepted various assignments serving as parish priest at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto, Sts. Volodymyr & Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perkinsfield, Exaltation of the Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Barrie, St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Guelph, St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto, and since 2014 St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Sarnia. Father Bohdan Winnicki would also teach religion at Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic Elementary School in Toronto for several years. As well as providing emotional and spiritual support for over 20 years while he served as a Priest Chaplain at St. Joseph’s Health Care Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
Father Bohdan Winnicki raised two daughters Daria and Lydia. And has two beautiful grandchildren Ophelia and Damiano. He enjoys spending time traveling and visiting his family in Winnipeg, New York, and Europe.