Blessed Olha Bida
Blessed Olha Bida (born 1903 AD in Tsebliv, Ukraine; died January 28, 1952 AD in Tomsk Oblast, Russia) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, a superior who died a martyr in Soviet exile for her fidelity to the Catholic Church. Known in religion as Sister Olympia (Olimpia), she is venerated as a Blessed and martyr of the Church. Her feast day is January 28.
Refusing to abandon her consecration when the Soviet regime suppressed the Greek Catholic Church, Sister Olympia Bida cared for the faithful and her fellow sisters until she was deported to Siberia, where she died. She was beatified in 2001 among the Ukrainian martyrs.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Olha Bida
| Blessed Olha Bida | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | January 28 |
| Profession | Religious sister; superior; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Sisters of Saint Joseph; Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Patronage | Those persecuted for the faith; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Attributes | Religious habit; palm of martyrdom |
| Birthplace | Tsebliv, Ukraine |
| Death Place | Tomsk Oblast, Russia |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; died in Soviet exile in Siberia for fidelity to the Catholic Church |
| Primary Shrine | Ukraine |
Biography
Olha Bida was born in 1903 at Tsebliv in Galicia, in the western part of present-day Ukraine. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, taking the religious name Olympia, and gave herself to the works of the community—teaching, care of children, and service of the faithful—becoming a superior among her sisters.
After the Second World War, the Soviet regime outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, seizing its institutions and persecuting its clergy and religious. Sister Olympia refused to renounce her vows or her communion with the Catholic Church. She continued to keep religious life alive in secret and to support the underground Church and its people, sustaining faith and hope under persecution.
For this fidelity she was arrested and, in 1950, deported into exile in Siberia, in the region of Tomsk, together with a younger sister of her community. There, worn down by the hardships of exile, she died on January 28, 1952, a martyr. She was beatified on June 27, 2001, by Pope John Paul II at Lviv, among the Blessed martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Her feast is kept on January 28.
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 Olha Bida 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
January 28
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.