Patriarch Cardinal Josyf I Slipyj Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church
The International Who’s Who sketches the background of Patriarch Cardinal Josyf I Slipyj, born February 17, 1892 in Zazdrist, Western Ukraine, son of Ivan Kobernyckyj Slipyj and Anastasia (nee) Dychkowska. His schooling at the University of Innsbruck in Austria and at the Gregorianum University, the Angelicum University and the Oriental Institute, all in Rome, coupled with his mastery of several languages, presenting one doctoral thesis in Latin and a second one in German, makes Patriarch Cardinal Slipyj a Renaissance man.
His publication of 70 volumes since 1963 in philosophy, history and theology, his editing of the Monumenta Ucrainae Historica and Blahovistnik; his founding of the theological journal Bohoslovia; his writings on the difficult subject of the Holy trinity, stemming from what has been called “miraculous vision” and used as fundamental doctrines by theologians; his recent election to the prestigious Academy of St. Thomas, which is restricted to 40 outstanding Thomistic theologians; coupled with recognition from numerous universities by honorary degrees makes Patriarch Cardinal Slipyj a prolific writer and editor and an unusual scholar and theologian.
His service as Professor of Dogmatic Theology, Rector of the Ukrainian Theological Seminary and Academy, President of the Theological Scientific Society, Archbishop of Lviv, Metropolitan of Halyc, and Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the world; his founding of the Ukrainian Catholic University of St. Clement, building of the Church of St. Sophia, repurchasing and restoring the Church of SS Sergius & Baccus which is the Ukrainian patriarchal seat in Rome, and restoring the ancient Ukrainian monastic order of Studites, all based in Rome, makes Patriarch Cardinal Slipyj an extraordinary Christian hierarch.
His great service to the Christian world, mentioned in the notation which reads “arrested and deported to Siberia in 1945; released to Vatican City 1963”, whereby he refused to sell out the Ukrainian Catholic Church to the Trojan Horse of the Moscow Patriarchate and was forced to pay the sacrificial price of 18 years of slave labor in the Russian concentration camps, the highest hierarch ever to do so, makes Patriarch Cardinal Slipyj a person dear to God, as he was described by the Capucin stigmatist, Father Pio.
As Ukrainians from all parts of the world will gather in Rome in mid-February to be with Patriarch Cardinal Slipyj to celebrate his 90th birthday, they ask that the entire Christian world join with them and their Patriarch in prayers for the Ukrainian bishops, priests, monks, nuns and faithful who must serve, in the underground, the religious needs of Ukrainians in Ukraine, a nation under terroristic Russian Communist military and civilian occupation since World War ll.
In 1988, Ukrainians will celebrate the millennium of the official proclamation of Ukraine as a Christian nation by the Ukrainian king, Saint Wolodymyr, in the year 988. They also ask that all those millions of Ukrainians, which included scores of metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, and thousands of priests, monks and nuns, both Catholic and Orthodox, who have exterminated by the atheistic Russian occupation over the past several decades be remembered in the prayers of Christians so that this 20 century Church of the catacombs, its people and their nation, Ukraine, having paid the supreme sacrifice, be set free.
Antonina Matkowski
