Klymentij Scheptyzkyj

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Blessed monk- martyr

Klymentij Scheptyzkyj, MSU

Archimandrite Klymentij Scheptyzkyj
Archimandrite Klymentij Scheptyzkyj
Born November 17, 1869 ( Prylbytschi , Lviv Oblast , Galicia , Austria-Hungary )
Deceased May 1, 1951 (aged 81) ( Vladimir Central Prison , Vladimir , Russian Soviet Socialist Federative Republic , Soviet Union )
beatification June 27, 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Holiday 1st of May

The blessed monk martyrs Klymentij Scheptyzkyj, MSU ( Ukrainian Климентій Шептицький , Polish Klemens Szeptycki ; born November 17 1869 in Prylbytschi , Austria-Hungary , † May 1, 1951 in Vladimir , Soviet Union ), was a Ukrainian Archimandrite of Studi tenor dens of Greek Ukrainian Catholic Church . Klymentij was beatified by the Catholic Church and received the title Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel because he saved many Jews. As the archimandrite of an important order, he was captured and died in Soviet custody.

Early life

Maria Kasymyr Scheptyzkyj was born in Prylbytschi near Lviv ( Galicia ) in 1869 into an old Polish - Ruthenian noble family. The Scheptyzkyj family lived in Labunie's palace in the eastern part of Poland near Zamość . At that time Labunie was part of Austria-Hungary. Klymentij was the younger brother of the future Venerable Servant of God , Metropolitan Andrej Scheptyzkyj and Stanisław Szeptycki , a Polish officer and politician.

He was tutored first at home and from 1882 in Krakow . Scheptyzkyj later studied in Munich and Paris . In 1892 he received his doctorate in law from Jagiellonian University . After completing his studies, he returned home to take care of his elderly parents and family goods. In 1900 Kasymyr Scheptyzkyj was elected to the Austrian parliament, after his replacement (1907) he decided to leave politics.

In 1911 Scheptyzkyj entered the Benedictine (Latin Rite) Archabbey of Beuron in Germany as a monk . After a year he decided to do the same as his older brother, to return to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and to join the St. Theodor Studites monastery in Bosnia. As a religious name he chose Klymentij , after the holy Pope Clement of Rome , who suffered his martyr's death in Chersonese and, together with St. Andrew, is regarded as the founder of Christianity in the Slavic region . In 1913 he started his theological studies in Innsbruck and on 28 August 1915 he was appointed (monks) priest from the Bishop of Križevci (Croatia) Dionisije Njaradi ordained while he was studying. In 1919 he finished his studies and returned to Ukraine to spend his monastic life in the Uniw'ska Lavra ( Assumption Monastery in Uniw ).

Sheptytskyj's family coat of arms

In 1926, Father Klymentij was appointed hegumen of the Univ'ska Lavra. In 1937 he went to Lviv to help his suffering brother Andrei . In 1939 the region was occupied by the communists and the Soviet "liberators" immediately devised a plan to eliminate the Ukrainian intellectual elite and the Church . At that time they did not want to arrest the Metropolitan himself because he was so popular with the whole people, but tried to arrest Klymentij and kill her brother Leon. At that time, Andrei Sheptytskyi divided the Soviet Union into four exarchates and appointed Klymentij the exarch of Russia .

Second World War

Dormition Monastery in Uniw

In 1941 the persecution of Christians was interrupted by the German-Soviet war and the occupation of Ukraine by German troops. Nevertheless, the situation did not improve noticeably. At that time, Klymentij helped his brother Andrei Sheptyzkyj to save Jews, to hide them in monasteries of the Order of the Studite Order and to organize groups to help them escape to the Hungarian- controlled Carpathian Ukraine .

From 1941 to 1944, when the region was occupied by the Nazi German Reich , Jewish boys were hidden in the Uniw'ska Lawra. Uniw was extremely important because it was the main Studite monastery and in the large community of monks younger men were not noticed by the government. Together with a handful of men who looked after the boys, three people were very important for their safety: Metropolitan Andrei Sheptyzkyj, head of the UGCC , his brother Klymentij and Omeljan Kovch , a priest from neighboring Peremyshlyany . Kurt I. Levin, whose father was the last rabbi of Lviv and who later became a renowned businessman, and David Kahane, later chief rabbi of the Israelite Air Force , were both hidden by Andrei Sheptytskyi in Lviv. Later in life, both Lewin wrote about their experiences in "A Journey Through Illusions" and Kahane in "Lwow Ghetto Diary".

Klemyntij Scheptyzkyj was recognized by Israel in 1995 as Righteous Among the Nations .

Soviet oppression

With the return of the Soviets in 1944 a coordinated action was started to destroy the church and incorporate it into the Moscow Patriarchate . After the death of the Metropolitan, his successor , Yossyf Slipyj , appointed Klymentij archimandrite of the Order of Studites . This meant that during the time of the mass arrests of church officials by the Soviet secret police in 1945, Klymentiy became one of the highest church officials who remained. As such, he became the informal leader of the Church, meeting with monks and priests and strengthening their resolve. On June 5, 1947, he was arrested during evening prayers , first in Lviv Secret Police Prison, then in Kiev, and after his unwavering refusal to give up his belief and serve the Moscow Patriarchate, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Klymentij Scheptyzkyj, preliminary proceedings 1947 in Lviv

Ivan Kryvytskyi remembered him as a tall, rather thin man with a long white beard, a slightly stooped posture and a stick. His arms were loose and calm, his face and eyes friendly. “He reminded me of St. Nicholas ... Some sisters gave him three apples ... And he gave one to Roman Novosad, who had stomach problems. He said: 'You have to take care of your belly' and he distributed the rest among us. ”He died on May 1, 1951 in the Vladimir Central Prison in Russia.

Adoration

Scheptyzkyj was on 27 June 2001 by Pope . John Paul II during his apostolic trip in Ukraine, along with 27 other members of the UGCC beatified .

On July 29, 2011, a memorial was erected to him and his brother Andrej Scheptyzkyj in their hometown of Prylbytschi.

legacy

In November 2011, James Temerty, chairman of the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter Initiative, donated $ 1.2 million to establish three endowed chairs in Jewish studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.

The human rights activist myroslav marynovych said:

We always wanted to delve deeper into the legacy of previous generations of ethnic Ukrainians and Jews who lived in the historic lands of Ukraine. This legacy knows not only pain and injustice, but also the experience of tolerant coexistence and mutual help. In order to ensure that the future is shaped in a humane manner, we must not forget the former and actively experience the latter. For example, the spiritual inheritance of the Scheptyzkyj brothers, Andrej and Klymentij, alone is sufficient to reveal the full beauty of love for humanity to today's man.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Feduschak, Natalia A., "Greek Catholic monastery recalls saving Jews in war," Kyiv Post , November 10, 2011
  2. ^ "Righteous among the Nations", Jewish Biography
  3. ^ Fr Michael Winn: The New Martyrs of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church. In: Royal Doors. August 5, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ a b Климентій Шептицький. Retrieved July 23, 2020 (Ukrainian).
  5. ↑ a b c Новини Львова: Климентій Шептицький - аристократ і монах. Повчання. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Rev Dr Athanasius D. Mcvay Hed: Annales Ecclesiae Ucrainae: A Vatican memo Sheptytsky, and the Holocaust. In: Annales Ecclesiae Ucrainae. May 3, 2020, accessed July 24, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Uniate 'extraordinary faculties' do NOT provide jurisdiction | Betrayed Catholics. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
  8. ^ A b What the life of the Sheptytsky brothers means for contemporary Ukraine. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
  9. ↑ THE PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE / Church in Ukraine - Greek Catholic beatifications (June 27, 2001): Short biographies. Retrieved July 26, 2020 .
  10. ↑ New saints and blessed in the pontificate of John Paul II - Kathpedia. Retrieved July 26, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Syrtsov, Oleksandr, "Ukrainian Week", October 11, 2011
  12. ↑ "Canadian Philanthropist Donates $ 1.2 million to UCU", Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, November 14, 2011

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Scheptyzkyj, Klymentij
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Scheptyzkyj, Klymentij (full name); Шептицький, Климентій (Ukrainian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ukrainian Archimandrite, Blessed Martyr
DATE OF BIRTH November 17, 1869
PLACE OF BIRTH Prylbytschi , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH May 1, 1951
Place of death Vladimir Central Prison