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Issue 25, December 2009 UKRAINIAN REDEMPTORISTS OF THE YORKTON PROVINCE FULLY ALIVE A Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr’s Shrine Publication I N H I S H O N O R New Church to honor missions every year. He worked with the lasted for several years. When the trailer Blessed Vasyl university students, with young women could not accommodate all the people, a who came to work in the city, and with nearby old one room school house be- Velychkovsky came the parish church. From the very the poor and abandoned. He endeared himself to the people and is fondly re- beginning, the people were very much The Redemptorists first came to aware that Blessed Vasyl was born in Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk), membered in that city to this day, almost seventy years later. The monastery Stanislaviv, that he served here and had Ukraine in 1920 and worked in the been proclaimed as a Blessed Martyr. parish of St. Joseph’s. In a few years chapel was too small for the needs of all the people that came daily for the Eucha- they built a monastery on Gogol Funds were very limited and it was diffi- Street (now Chornovolya Street) close rist and Confession. Plans were being made to construct a new church. Blessed cult for the Eparchy to build this new to the downtown area and near the church. The old trailer had been con- university. This monastery had a large Vasyl bought the lumber and the materi- als for this new construction. The archi- verted into a museum in honor of chapel, that served not only as the Blessed Vasyl. People had hidden arti- Redemptorist community chapel but tectural plans were made. He only had to wait to obtain a permit from the Polish facts from the old Redemptorist monas- also as a mission church. It soon be- tery chapel in their attics during the So- came a centre of missionary activity government. Western Ukraine was under Poland between the two World Wars. viet occupation. Now they brought these and a very popular place where peo- artifacts to the museum. The Ukrainian ple came to be spiritually fed through The Polish government stalled and re- dynamic sermons and through con- fused to give him permission. World War fessions. On the monastery grounds II broke out and when the war finished, there was a grotto dedicated to our Stanislaviv was under the Soviet Union. Mother of Perpetual Help. Thousands The monastery was closed and disman- would gather at this grotto during tled. Some of the Redemptorists were feast days. Blessed Vasyl Ve- arrested, while the others were dis- lychkovsky was assigned to banded. The property and all the building Stanislaviv, from 1926-28 and 1935- materials were confiscated. On a portion 41. In his second term he was named of the land, a women’s hospital was built. After the fall of the Soviet Union and when Ukraine became independent in 1991, the Redemptorists attempted to New church being built in Ivano Frankivsk in reclaim this land from the government. honor of Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky. Because of the hospital, the city govern- ment would not allow it. Instead, the Re- demptorists were given land on the out- mafia and other business men were very skirts of the city where they built a large interested in this property, because of its church and monastery. The people who prime location. One evening, the mafia lived in the area of the old monastery came and set fire to the trailer. Although and others who remembered the former the trailer was destroyed, miraculously Redemptorist monastery began to insist Site of the former Redemptorist monas- that the land near the hospital was and In This Issue: tery in Stanislaviv where a temporary trailor was converted to a make-shift is holy land and should have a church church. built on its premises. The Eparchial New Church in Ivano Frankivsk - 1 Ukrainian Catholic Bishop, Bishop Sofron Testimony from Ukraine- 2 the superior of the monastery. Mudrij interceded and in 1997 the city Velychkovsky Pilgrimage - 2 government gave them permission to Thanks to Contributors - 3 Blessed Vasyl led a very active minis- build a church on this land. Because of a try from this monastery. It became the lack of funds, they began to gather for Shrine Photos - 4 base from which he gave numerous services in an old portable trailer. This Prayer to Blessed Vasyl - 4 With the help of some donors from our martyr’s honor. America, the construction of a new church began. Blessed Vasyl’s pro- It is with great joy to know that this historic ject was finally realized. Shortly Redemptorist land, where our holy mar- after the initial beginning, a new tyrs worked and prayed (Blessed Nicholas pastor was assigned, who had con- Charnetsky, Blessed Zenon Kowalyk, nections from German financiers. Blessed Ivan Ziatyk and our Blessed The church construction progressed Vasyl Velychkovsky) will now be a place quickly. Building this church was where people can again come and pray. essential, because with a church on Blessed Vasyl will be honored in this new this property, no one else would be church. His holy relics will be enshrined able to claim this piece of real es- and venerated in this place. tate for themselves. This church is now in its final stages of Fr. Michael Krotkiv, the pastor and builder The new Church will be dedicated construction. It will be officially blessed of the new church in Ivano Frankivsk, and consecrated on its feast day, Septem- along with Fr. John Sianchuk. to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, since that was the original ber 21, 2010. most of the artifacts survived the fire as intention of Blessed Vasyl. An altar if protected by some invisible force. and a museum will be dedicated in T E S T I M O N Y F R O M U K R A I N E This testimony from Ukraine was dia” for no one had knowledge of cretly he would confess the prison- passed on to us by a priest who is general interest like he had. Prison- ers. Because of his high stature and doing research on the underground ers would turn to him with different authority, Bishop Velychkovsky had church. religious, political, and historical an easier work detail. He did not questions. He gave explanations and work in the coalmine shaft extracting “In 1953, Ihor Andriyovych Olesh- coal. The coalmine had two tunnels, chuk, as an enemy of the nation, was an upper and lower one. Bishop Ve- exiled to Siberia to Vorkuta and was lychkovsky was the “gate-keeper”. placed into the “remote laager When an electric coal car would camp”. He was working at the coal- come and give the signal, he would mine # 9-10. Among the five thou- open the door by pulling a rope. Also sand prisoners, there were priests. he looked after the alarm lamps that Ihor Andriyovych does not remember indicated the level of methane gas in them. One could not keep a diary, for the coalmine. When the lamps went paper was forbidden for the prison- out, he would exchange them with ers. Every day when they were taken new ones that were kept in reserve. to work and when they returned, they Coal mines and prison barracks in Vorkuta. After the death of Stalin, in 1955 the had to undress and were checked for elaborations about various Ukrainian process to grant amnesty began. various items. Also, once or twice a writers, historians and religious fig- The first amnesty was given to the week they would have a search in ures. Prisoners had great respect for young, those under 18 years old. the barracks. It was prohibited to Bishop Velychkovsky. On the other Ihor Oleshchuk returned to Ternopil have anything. However, Ihor Andriy- hand, the guards and wardens and did not see Bishop Velychkovsky ovych did remember one priest who treated him harshly, for they consid- again.” was etched into his memory for the ered him to be very dangerous. Be- rest of life. That was Bishop Vasyl fore the great feast days, he was Ihor Oleshchuk was interviewed in Velychkovsky. Everyone knew him in locked up and isolated somewhere, Ternopil by Andriy Kosiak the camp. Bishop Velychkovsky was so that he would not be able to cele- Date: 12. 07. 02 not only a priest for the prisoners, but brate Divine Liturgies. However, se- Translated by Kseniya Kavats also he was as a “walking encyclope- VELYCHKOVSKY PILGRIMAGE TO UKRAINE 2010 July 5 to July 27, 2010 Visit the cities and villages where Blessed Martyr Vasyl lived, worked and suffered . Some of the places we will be visit- ing are: Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kovel, Kamianetz Podilsk, Kyiv, the Carpathian Mountains, Zarvanytsia, Pochaiv, etc. On this pilgrimage we will have prayer services and hear stories of Blessed Vasyl’s life as well as sight- seeing throughout Ukraine. Cost is $3950 CDN which includes: flights from Winnipeg to Kyiv and back, bus travel in Ukraine, accommodations, meals and attractions. Travel/medical insurance not included. For more information contact by e-mail: [email protected] or phone 204-338-7321. Book as soon as possible as space is limited to 16 pilgrims. 2 THANK YOU!!! Your generous donations make it possible for us to conduct our ministry at the Shrine and to promote the knowl- edge of Blessed Vasyl throughout the world. Thank you to all the contributors to the Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr’s Shrine. May Blessed Vasyl bless each one of you. Contributions listed below are from September 1st until November 15th, 2009 +1000 Fred Pawliw The estate of Katherine Dankiewich William & Mary Zaporzan Maurice & Jean Mcken In memory of Edna & Joseph Kondra Alex & Mary Zimrose John Romanik Kondra Family Marjorie Romanik Raymond & Beverly Rawluk Kay Sawychyn Sharron McKenzie In memory of Marion & Nick Slinowsky +100 Harry & Dora, John & Tena Pat MacDonald Blessed Bishop Velychkovsky Prayer Chuckry, John & Mary Hykaway Anton & Donia Smysniuk Group Fr.