Michael Kwiatkowski (bishop)

Michael Kwiatkowski
Eparchial Bishop of Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster
Church	Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Appointed	24 August 2023
Predecessor	David Motiuk (Ap. Administrator)
Previous post(s)	Chancellor of Archeparchy of Winnipeg (2014–2023)
Orders
Ordination	28 July 1986 (Priest) by Maxim Hermaniuk
Consecration	8 November 2023 (Bishop) by Lawrence Huculak
Personal details
Born	Michael Kwiatkowski (1961-11-21) 21 November 1961 Hamiota, Manitoba, Canada
Denomination	Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Coat of arms

Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski (Ukrainian: Михайло Квятковський; born 21 November 1961) is a Canadian Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch, who is serving as the fourth Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster since 24 August 2023.

Early life and education

Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski was born on 21 November 1961 in Hamiota, Manitoba as the third of seven children in the family of Edward Kwiatkowski and Phyllis Zemliak. Later, his father Edward (1929–2021) become a priest. He received an incomplete secondary education at a school in Brandon, Manitoba and completed secondary education at Saint Vladimir's College and the Minor Seminary in Roblin, Manitoba.

After starting his studies at the university and working at the same time, he joined the seminary in 1980. In Rome, he resided at the Ukrainian Pontifical College of Saint Josaphat and studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), where he obtained bachelor's degrees in philosophy (1980–1982) and theology (1982–1985). He was ordained as a deacon on 14 September 1985 and as a priest on 28 July 1986. Both ordinations were made by Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg.

After served as an assistant priest at the parish of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Winnipeg, he returned to Rome to study the Eastern Catholic canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute with the Doctorate in Canon Law degree.

Pastoral and educational career

From 1996 to 2006, during the period when the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church was strengthening after many years of the Communist persecutions, Father Kwiatkowski resided in Ukraine. Served as chancellor of the Patriarchal Curia and judge and chairman of the Major Archbishop's Tribunal. He was also vice-rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, where he taught canon law and headed the pastoral department for 6 years.

After returning to Canada, he was appointed priest of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Seminary of the Holy Spirit in Ottawa (2006–2010). From 2010 to 2021, he served as a parish priest of the Holy Eucharist, and from 2021 to 2023, he was the parish priest of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God in Winnipeg. During 2014–2023 Father Kwiatkowski served as chancellor of his native Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg, and was the representative of this circumscription in the Pastoral Council of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church since its foundation in 2019.

Bishop

On 24 August 2023 he was appointed by Pope Francis as the forth Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster. He was consecrated as a bishop by archbishop Lawrence Huculak and co-consecrators: archbishop Borys Gudziak and bishop David Motiuk in the Cathedral of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha in Winnipeg on 8 November 2023.