Obituary of Reverend Mykola Komar

Reverend (Protopresbyter) Mykola Komar S.T.D. passed peacefully on June 24, 2011 at St. Catharines General Hospital, in his 96th year. Rector of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church from 1962 to 1999, Father Komar will be lovingly missed by his wife Maria. Predeceased by his son John, he leaves behind a large family; sons Roman, George (Mary Ellen), Andrei (Nadia), Nestor (Vicky), grandchildren Christopher, Michael, Johanna, Lara (Nick), Tamara, Nikolai, Alexandra (Damien) and Adrianne. Father Komar was born in Cineva in Western Ukraine on June 22, 1916, was ordained on May 9, 1943 by Archbishop Josyf Slipyj to the newly created Exarchate of Kyiv. He completed his doctorate studies in Theology in Salzburg in 1947. Father Komar arrived in Canada in 1949 to serve in many parishes across Ontario; among them Welland, Thorold, and Niagara Falls before finally settling in St. Catharines. In his care, Sts. Cyril and Methodius was transformed into a Byzantine gem with traditional Iconography. From 1971 to 1981, he was the head of the Priestly Society of St. Andrew. For his service to the Church, he was given the title of Protopresbyter of the Archeparchy of Lviv by Patriarch Josyf. Father Komar published a translation of Nikolai Gogol's Meditations on the Divine Liturgy in 2003 as well as a new translation of the Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy in 2009. He continued to be active in parish life until his death. Visitations from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church followed by Parastas at 7 p.m. Divine Liturgy will be served on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Internment will follow at Victoria Lawn Cemetery. Donations will gratefully be accepted for the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kyiv or Sts. Cyril and Methodius Building Fund.