Ukrainian Greek Catholic Martyrs

[smad0142]

Any good books on the persecutions that happened during the Soviet era? Thanks!!

 

[KyivAndrew]

A good scholarly book on the Soviet Communist repression and liquidation of the Ukrainian Catholic Church is this book by the late Bohdan Bociurkiw entitled The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Soviet State (1939–1950):

ciuspress.com/catalogue/religion-and-theology/120/the-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-and-the-soviet-state-%281939-1950%29

A short bio of some of the Ukrainian Catholic martyrs, beatified last decade by Pope JPII during his visit to Ukraine, is provided in this list:

ugcc.org.ua/35.0.html?&L=2

Much of the published works (or articles, even video documentaries) on the repression of the Church still remain in the Ukrainian language and have not been translated into English yet, what with the Ukrainian Catholic Church basically still trying to focus on its development and health after being illegal for so many decades in the Soviet Union.

Bociurkiw’s book came out last decade; since then some new declassified documents on the persecution of Ukrainian Catholics have come to light, though today’s Kremlin run by Putin has basically kept a tight lid preventing the disclosure of further historical information on what his predecessors in the Kremlin or the Soviet Secret Services did during Soviet times. Here is one recently-found document shedding some light on the persecution of Ukrainian Catholics from Radio Free Europe:

rferl.org/content/SovietEra_Documents_Shed_Light_On_Suppression_Of_Ukrainian_Catholic_Church/1795023.html

General histories of Ukraine by Orest Subtelny or Paul Robert Magocsi deal with the suppression of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. It, however, still remains for someone to come out with a new book in English on this very subject.

 

[mdgspencer]

A very readable and fascinating book was written by a leader of the underground Catholic Church in the Ukrane under Communism. This is Josyp Terelya’s autobiography, “Witness to Apparitions and Persecution in the USSR.” Eastern rite Catholicism was illegal under the Communists, and religious activity could result in imprisonment. His parents were Communist leaders, but he became religious by the influence of his grandmother. He was a leader right in the middle of the persecution by the Communists, and even spent years in the gulag prison for his religious leadership.,

 

[KyivAndrew]

Just some further short articles on Ukrainian Catholic martyrs and servants:

Blessed Emilian Kowcz, here: baran.ca/kowcz.html

Blessed Mykolaj Charnetsky, here: redemptorists-cebu.com/blessed_mykolay_charnetskyi_.html

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, here: bvmartyrshrine.com/his%20life.htm

Pictures of some of the martyrs here: ichistory.org/ltaex/english/section26.html

Prayers for canonizations here, along with bio of Metropolitan Sheptytsky: skeparchy.com/introduction_metropolitan_sheptytsky.html

 

[Aramis]

Any good books on the persecutions that happened during the Soviet era? Thanks!!

Rev. Fr. Chris Zugger wrote an excellent book on it: A Hidden Church.

Specific for the Ruthenian Martyrs, but addresses some of the UGCC as well.

 

[Vico]

Any good books on the persecutions that happened during the Soviet era? Thanks!!

An interesting website:

newsaints.faithweb.com/index.htm

 

[Stephentlig]

Not an absolute answer to your post but I have a blog with many Greek Martyrs of that era on my blog: www.thebloodofthemartyrs.blogspot.com and on my more updated blog ( www.loyaltothemagisterium.wordpress.com ) I have an Icon of Blessed Nicholas Chartnetsky who came to Ireland and started the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish here after the Eucharistic congress here.

Our Parish is named after him in clonliffe Dublin. In our Parish we pray the Gospels in both Irish and Ukrainian . I’m Irish but have little understanding of my native language lol.

God bless
Stephen