Blessed John Sleziuk
Blessed John Sleziuk (Ukrainian: Ivan Sleziuk; born January 14, 1896 AD in Zhyvachiv, Galicia, Ukraine; died December 2, 1973 AD in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine) was a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church who suffered years of imprisonment and persecution under the Soviet regime and is honored as one of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic martyrs of the twentieth century. His feast day is observed with the Ukrainian martyrs.
Consecrated a bishop clandestinely during the Soviet suppression of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Ivan Sleziuk spent many years in prisons and labor camps and continued to be harassed by the authorities until his death, which followed a final interrogation by the KGB. He was beatified in 2001.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed John Sleziuk
| Blessed John Sleziuk | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 27 |
| Profession | Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Rel. Affiliation | Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Catholic Church; Ukrainian martyrs of the 20th century |
| Patronage | Persecuted Christians; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; prisoners of conscience |
| Attributes | Eastern episcopal vestments; palm of martyrdom; prison chains |
| Birthplace | Zhyvachiv, Galicia, Ukraine |
| Death Place | Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; died as a result of imprisonment and persecution of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church under the Soviet regime; clandestine bishop |
| Primary Shrine | Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine |
Biography
Ivan Sleziuk was born on January 14, 1896, at Zhyvachiv in Galicia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later of Ukraine. He was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and served in the eparchy of Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk).
After the Second World War, the Soviet regime moved to liquidate the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, forcibly "reuniting" it with the Russian Orthodox Church and imprisoning its bishops, clergy, and faithful who remained loyal to Rome. In 1945 Sleziuk was consecrated a bishop in secret, to help sustain the underground Church, and he became the clandestine leader of the eparchy of Stanislaviv.
He was soon arrested and sentenced to years of hard labor in Soviet prisons and camps. Released and re-arrested, he endured repeated imprisonment and constant surveillance and harassment by the authorities, yet continued to minister to the persecuted Church in secret. His health was broken by his sufferings; his death in 1973 came shortly after a final interrogation by the KGB.
John (Ivan) Sleziuk was beatified on June 27, 2001, by Pope John Paul II at Lviv, among the martyrs and confessors of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church who suffered under the totalitarian regime. His feast is kept with the Ukrainian martyrs.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: None
Death location: None
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to John Sleziuk have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Feast day
June 27
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.