Mother testifies that Saskatoon priest showed her daughter ‘too much attention’

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During her cross-examination in Saskatoon provincial court, a teen girl said a Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholic priest was “acting normal as always” the day he hugged and kissed her while she was cleaning the St. George Cathedral last year.

Until that point, she hadn’t told anyone that Father Janko Kolosnjaji’s hugs made her uncomfortable because she didn’t see a need, the girl testified on Tuesday through a translator.

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“Because you just viewed this as a stupid tradition that old Ukrainian people do with people, correct?” defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle asked.

“I didn’t see the need because I knew it was a priest and nothing bad could come of it and it was just a greeting,” she replied, agreeing that she had seen priests greet people like this before.

Kolosnjaji, 70, is on trial, accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in a cleaning supplies room on March 11, 2023. Her identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

She began testifying on Monday through a Ukrainian translator. Court heard she went to the church to help her mom clean when Kolosnjaji came into the room while she was alone, getting a vacuum.

She said he told her to give him a hug. The hug lasted for about 15 to 20 seconds before he raised her chin with one hand and kissed her on the lips, she said.

The kiss didn’t last long, she told court. Pfefferle asked if it was to the side of her lips.

“No, it was a kiss on the lips themselves,” the girl replied.

Pfefferle then asked her if, after the kiss, the priest told her, “You’re a beautiful girl for helping your family and the community”?

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“No, he did not say that after the kiss. He said, ‘You have very beautiful eyes,’ ” she said.

The girl said it was the first time Kolosnjaji had given her a compliment. He later waved at her as she went to put the vacuum away, she said. She agreed with Pfefferle that he was interacting normally with her and her mom, who was speaking with Kolosnjaji moments before the alleged offence. 

The girl said the priest would hug her in different rooms when she was alone, and never touched her anywhere other than by putting his hands on her back. Sometimes the hugs lasted so long that she would start pushing herself away from him, she testified during cross-examination.

On Monday, court heard a recording of the girl’s police statement, given on March 17, 2023. In it, she said she hugged the priest because it was “a silly habit” or tradition. The girl said she kept her head down because the hug made her uncomfortable.

Prosecutor Sheryl Fillo closed the Crown’s case after calling the girl’s mother to testify on Tuesday. The woman told court that Kolosnjaji greeted her verbally when they would arrive at the church to clean, but would put his hands on her daughter’s shoulders.

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She testified that the priest was always excited to see her daughter. She said she told her boyfriend that she thought Kolosnjaji was paying “too much attention to her” and she didn’t like it.

However, she never saw them hug facing each other, the woman told court.

On the day of the alleged offence, she said she saw the priest follow her daughter into the cleaning supplies room. Under cross-examination, she told the defence that they were in the room together for about five minutes, but she couldn’t be sure. 

She said her daughter told her what had happened as they walked to the basement, about 10 minutes later. 

“She was scared,” she said.

They left and filed a police report the next day, court heard. Kolosnjaji was charged on April 19, 2023 and released on a recognizance. He was suspended shortly after.

Under cross-examination, the girl’s mother told the defence that her daughter had not complained about the priest until the March 11, 2023 incident.

Pfefferle asked her if it was common for Ukrainian people to kiss each other three times on the cheek. The woman said it wasn’t a common practice in her region, even among friends and relatives. She told court she had never witnessed Kolosnjaji greet people with a hug or a kiss, or seen others kiss his hand.

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On re-examination, Fillo asked the woman if she had any knowledge of why the priest would go into a room alone with her daughter. She said she thought he might be giving her cleaning suggestions, but admitted this was just an assumption.

Pfefferle said the defence plans to call witnesses, including Kolosnjaji, when the trial resumes. Since the trial was scheduled for two days, a new date for continuation will be chosen on Sept. 12.

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