Blessed Symeon Lukach (Ukrainian: Симеон Лукач; 7 July 1893 - 22 August 1964) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop and martyr.
Lukach was born in the village of Starunya, Stanislaviv Region. His parents were peasant farmers.[1] He entered the seminary in 1913. His studies were interrupted for two years during World War I, he finished in 1919.[2] In that year he was ordained a priest by Bishop Hryhory Khomyshyn.[1] He taught moral theology at the seminary in Stanislaviv until April 1945 when Khomyshyn ordained him a bishop. [1][2]
He was first arrested on 26 October 1949 by the NKVD and deported to Siberia for ten years hard labor.[2][3] After serving half his sentence, he was released on 11 February 1955.[3] After this, he served as an underground member of the clergy.[1] In July 1962 he was arrested for a second time. He appeared in court with Bishop Ivan Sleziuk who was also an underground bishop.[1] He was sentenced to five more years of labor. While he was in prison, he developed tuberculosis.[2] He was released back to his village where he died on 22 August 1964.[3]
He was beatified on 27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Biographies of twenty five Greek-Catholic Servants of God at the website of the Vatican
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 'Beatification of the Servants of God on June 27, 2001 at the website of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Alan Butler, Paul Burns. Butler's lives of the saints. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. p80
uk:Лукач Симеон