Our Clergy

Associate Parish Priest

Rev. Fr. Stephen Keaschuk

Fr. Stephen J. Keaschuk is retired from the active pastorate, but is attached to St. Anthony's Parish where he currently serves in an auxiliary capacity. He is a small-town native Albertan who ironically did both under-graduate and graduate studies in urban planning and research. He has intermittently been employed as a planner with the City of Edmonton.

Having been raised in the Church with a love for its services, at one point he felt a calling from Christ to missionary work in East Africa. In order to prepare for this ministry he attended St Vladimir's Seminary in New York and was blessed to study under some eminent theologians including Frs Schmemann, Meyendorff and Hopko. While at a Saturday Night Vigil at the seminary he fell in love with and subsequently married Pres. Evanthia (nee Vali) in May 1978. Together they carried out basic preparatory mission work in Kenya at a time when the Orthodox Church was just beginning to emerge into the dynamic entity it is now. Their fondest memory from their time in Africa was the training of four catechists who were eventually ordained to the priesthood for the Kenyan Orthodox Church.

Back in North America, Fr. Stephen was ordained to the diaconate and sent back to Edmonton to assist in the establishment of the mission of St. Herman in the city. In 1980 he was ordained as priest and served it, and a number of rural parishes near Andrew, for nearly two decades. After his retirement, he and Evanthia started to attend St. Anthony's. In 2010 Fr. Stephen transferred into the UOCC with the blessing of Metropolitan John.

Protodeacon Anton Lakusta was born on January 2, 1975, to his parents Father Victor Lakusta and Dobrodyka Marusia. Deacon Anton grew up primarily in Edmonton, Alberta, where his family attended church at St. John's Cathedral and Saint Anthony's parish. In 1988 his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where they spent seven years. During those years, Deacon Anton always had a close attachment to the church and often contemplated the possibility of entering the priesthood . In 1995, the Lakusta family moved back to Edmonton, Alberta, and Deacon Anton attended the University of Alberta where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, minoring in Ukrainian Language. Through years of teaching Ukrainian dancing and working with youth, Deacon Anton decided to enter the Faculty of Education at the King's University in Edmonton. He completed his Bachelor of Education degree in April 2001 and was hired by Edmonton Public Schools in the fall of 2001.

Protodeacon Anton and his wife Andrea were married on October 7, 2001, by Metropolitan Emeritus John, his Godfather Fr. Stephan Semotiuk and uncle Fr. Henry Lakusta. Over the years, Anton has worked in Edmonton Public Schools as a classroom teacher, Educational Consultant, Assistant Principal and currently in the position of Principal. As much as Fr. Protodeacon has enjoyed working in Education, he continued to experience a constant pull to the church and knew that this calling was something that he must answer. He entered into the Faculty of Theology at St. Andrew's College as a distance learner and would travel periodically to Winnipeg to attend weekend workshops and lectures. In 2009 by the blessing of the Hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, Anton was to be ordained. On Sunday July 26, 2009, by the hand of His Grace Bishop Ilarion, Anton was ordained a deacon in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. Protodeacon Anton was originally assigned to St. John's Cathedral where he served for several years and gained a great deal of experience. In 2017 he was assigned to St. Anthony's, his childhood church.

Protodeacon Anton is also involved in youth programming at Camp Bar-v-nok Ukrainian Orthodox Youth camp where he has made it his passion to help develop programming that ignites a desire in our youth to live a strong and connected life in the church. As Director of Programming on the Camp Bar-v-nok Society board, he has been dedicated in his pursuit to help develop a place where our youth and greater community can live Orthodoxy. Deacon Anton is also an Advisor for Alberta Provincial CYMK - Ukrainian Orthodox Youth Executive Board.

As a young boy, Protodeacon Anton joined his father in the altar as an altar server and dreamed of the day when our faith community of St Anthony's would have its own house of worship. Today, with his wife Andrea and 3 sons, they feel blessed to be part of St. Anthony's community and look forward to many more years of spiritual growth.

Parish Deacon

 Protodeacon Anton Lakusta