by Alex Pankiw
On Saturday, December 30, 2017, Ukrainian Catholic Youth and Young Adults of the
Archeparchy of Winnipeg came together to extend a bittersweet farewell to Tamara Lisowski,
the Youth Director for the Archeparchy of Winnipeg.
Tamara served the Archeparchy of Winnipeg’s Youth and Young Adults for 17 years, touching
many lives throughout the tenure of her ministry. With a résumé of accomplishments too vast to
acknowledge within the scope of this article, Tamara’s dedication to her ministry bore numerous
retreats, annual Christmas carolling excursions, and service initiatives for the less fortunate in
Winnipeg to name just a few. She was also integral in the planning of Ukrainian Catholics in
Canada attending several World Youth Days. She will also be remembered ecumenically for her
work with fellow Christian youth ministers across Canada.
Many young adults came forward to share their memories of the profound impression Tamara’s
ministry left upon them, and how formative her friendship has been as they continue to explore
and grow into their Ukrainian Catholic faith. As a token of her years of service, the Ukrainian
Catholic Youth and Young Adults gifted Tamara an engraved cross with the inscription:
Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and
steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:3
In her retirement speech, she thanked those who were able to come to her farewell party, and
those who shared in the 17 years of her life spent in youth ministry. She welcomed guests from
out of town, as far as Saskatoon, Toronto, and Ottawa. She extended a special thank you to her
husband, David Lisowski, for his constant support throughout the years in her role as Youth
Director. She concluded by offering a toast, saying, “Here’s to many more years for the next
person in this role – may it continue and prosper.”
Please remember Tamara and her family in your prayers, in thanksgiving for the years of
service she gave to our Church, and that the Youth Ministry within the Archeparchy may
continue to grow.
