Ukrainian monk discusses his unusual past

Former drug dealer testifies to conversion from life of hedonism 

Father Taras Kraychuk talks at the Catholic Family Life Conference at Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., July 1. (Roman Gonzalez / CCN).

The B.C. Catholic has a story from CCN's Ramon Gonzalez on a Ukrainian Catholic monk who has led a fascinating life. He started as a devout child, turned into a law-breaking biker, and eventually returned to the Church to become a man of the cloth.

Father Taras (Terry) Kraychuk, who currently lives in Alberta, was born and raised in Winnipeg. The child of a devout Ukrainian family, he "grew up in the faith but drifted away from those roots. When I was 15 I was into the drug scene; I wanted to experience all the excitement, all the drugs, all the partying.” 

When he was kicked out of high school he left the Church and his family, and then, whole-heartedly embracing his passion to find meaning and happiness in life, he became a biker and travelled throughout much of the U.S. and Canada.

Any time he got in trouble because of his lifestyle he would call on God. He constantly read his Gideon Bible, believing that if he read it often, God would protect him from the police.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.