Blessed Oleksa Zaryckyj
Blessed Oleksa Zaryckyj (born October 17, 1912 AD in Bilche, Ukraine; died October 30, 1963 AD in Dolinka, Kazakhstan) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and a martyr who died in the Soviet gulag for his fidelity to the Catholic Church. Also written Oleksa Zarytskyi, he is venerated as a Blessed and martyr of the Church. His feast day is October 30.
A zealous pastor who continued to minister to the persecuted underground Church, Oleksa Zaryckyj was repeatedly imprisoned and finally died in a labor camp in Kazakhstan. He was beatified in 2001 among the Ukrainian martyrs.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Oleksa Zaryckyj
| Blessed Oleksa Zaryckyj | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 30 |
| Profession | Priest; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Patronage | Those persecuted for the faith; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Attributes | Byzantine priestly vesture; palm of martyrdom |
| Birthplace | Bilche, Ukraine |
| Death Place | Dolinka, Kazakhstan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; died in a Soviet labor camp in Kazakhstan |
| Primary Shrine | Ukraine |
Biography
Oleksa Zaryckyj was born on October 17, 1912, at Bilche in Galicia, in the western part of present-day Ukraine. He studied for the priesthood and was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, taking up the pastoral care of his people.
After the Second World War, the Soviet regime outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, forcing it underground and persecuting its clergy and faithful. Father Zaryckyj refused to abandon his ministry or his communion with Rome, and he continued to serve the scattered believers in secret. For this he was arrested and condemned to imprisonment, and he passed through the Soviet camp system. Released for a time, he did not cease his priestly work, ministering to Catholics over a wide area, and so he was arrested again.
Sentenced anew, he was sent to a labor camp at Dolinka in the region of Karaganda in Kazakhstan, where he endured the harsh conditions of the gulag. He died there on October 30, 1963, a martyr for his fidelity to the Church. He was beatified on June 27, 2001, by Pope John Paul II at Lviv, among the Blessed martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. His feast is kept on October 30.
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Feast day
October 30
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