Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe Volume 34 Issue 4 Article 3 9-2014 Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, C.SS.R. “Father of the Underground Church in Ukraine” John Sianchuk C.Ss.R. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Eastern European Studies Commons Recommended Citation Sianchuk, John C.Ss.R. (2014) "Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, C.SS.R. “Father of the Underground Church in Ukraine”," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 34 : Iss. 4 , Article 3. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol34/iss4/3 This Article, Exploration, or Report is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BLESSED VASYL VELYCHKOVSKY, C.SS.R. “FATHER OF THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH IN UKRAINE” By John Sianchuk, C.Ss.R. Fr. John Sianchuk, C.Ss.R., an Ukrainian Catholic Redemptorist, is director of the Blessed Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr’s Shrine, which he established. He received a Licentiate in Eastern Theology and taught at St. Vladimir's College. He is also a vocation director for the Yorkton Province of the Ukrainian Catholic Redemptorists. Over twenty years have passed since the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been able to practice its faith freely and openly. In 1946, this Church had been declared an illegal body by the Soviet Union. Its hierarchy was arrested.