By Greg Barrett
Part 2 of 5
Last month we left off here . . .
. . . . . the period of the Second World War, Ukraine became the principal battleground on the Eastern Front. Yet despite these conditions of war in the midst of killings, atrocities, hunger and exploitation, Father Vasyl continued to carry out his ministry of serving anyone who needed his help.
By then the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church throughout Ukraine had been truly martyred and crucified and had gone underground and was seen as living its spiritual life in the catacombs. Vasyl recognized the continuing needs of his people living in the spiritual shadows and without hesitation continued his work as a shepherd in the new reality of this underground Church.
The very fact that the Ukrainian Catholic church went underground was a calculated strategy and was in itself an act of resistance against the repressive soviet regime that went on for decades. He knew that being “in the midst of wolves” he would have to pay heroic attention to the instructions of Jesus to “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”. He knew also that this would be secretive and dangerous work – but he could do no other.
Father Vasyl took charge of the situation and began to pump life back into this hidden church. He reasoned that if we can celebrate the Divine Liturgy in mine shafts and prison barracks, why can’t we do this in our homes? Over these years he so conducted himself that he became known as the Father of the underground church. Years later when the Church was allowed to exercise its faith in public it did not have to start from scratch.
Thanks in large part to the work of Blessed Vasyl there was an energetic group of the faithful upon which to build the future.
Rome was acutely aware of his ministry and the conditions under which he worked. Accordingly, in 1959 Rome appointed him as Bishop of this underground church but there were no bishops left in Ukraine to consecrate him.
As Blessed Vasyl carried out his duties, other events were taking place in other parts of the world that would have a major impact on his life. At the initiative of Pope John XXIII and with the help of U.S. President Kennedy, aided by the work of Monsignor Johannes Willebrands in the Vatican, negotiations were taking place with Nikita Kruschev of the USSR with the goal of effecting the release of Metropolitan Josyf Slipyi from his incarceration in the Gulag.
An agreement was finally reached between the parties and on January 12, 1963 after 18 years of imprisonment, the Metropolitan was released. Under the conditions of his release, he was forbidden to return to Lviv and was exiled. On his way to Rome, he stopped in Moscow. Monsignor John Willebrands was sent by the Vatican to Moscow to meet Metropolitan Slipyi at the Moskva Hotel and he describes their first meeting as follows:
“Upon my arrival in Moskwa Hotel, sixth floor, I identified Slipyi, who was coming from the opposite corridor, by his stature, the look of his eyes. I went to meet him and said: “Are you Archbishop Slipyi? He answered: ‘Are you coming from Rome? I said yes. He continued: ‘I waited eighteen years for you.’
In the meantime, Metropolitan Slipyi had asked Father Vasyl Velychkovsky to join him in Moscow and under conditions of extreme secrecy he consecrated Father Vasyl as Bishop. This event was reported by Giampaolo Mattei of L’Osservatore Romano as follows:
“But in Moscow, before leaving for Rome, he was able to confer episcopal ordination on the
Redemptorist Vasyl Velychkovsky. Mons., now Cardinal, Johannes Willebrands was present.”
Metropolitan Slipyi then continued on his exile journey to Rome while Bishop Velychkovsky returned to the underground church in Lviv and Ukraine. While acknowledging the honor of being consecrated Bishop, Vasyl Velychkovsky knew and embraced the fact that he was going back into harm’s way.
On his journey home from Moscow, he stored up in his heart and mind the words of Metropolitan Slipyi that “During times of persecution consecration is not an honor but first and foremost a burden.” From the time he returned to Lviv as Bishop in 1963 until 1972, Bishop Vasyl Velychkovsky was recognized as the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Galicia – a church of the catacombs.
Once again picking up the cross of his ministry, Bishop Vasyl went to work as priest and bishop – hearing confessions, giving encouragement and consolation to his people, organizing underground seminaries, ordaining priests and with any eye to the future consecrated Fr. Volodymyr Sterniuk as bishop.
Bishop Sterniuk was asked to keep a low profile and only to act as bishop if and when something happened to Bishop Velychkovsky.
Blessed Vasyl carried out his work under conditions of intense risk knowing all the time that he was being watched on a 24-hour basis.
At any time, as he traveled in and around Lviv, he was likely to be picked up and arrested by the KGB.
Inevitably, on January 27, 1969, after 6 years of constant pressure, his time ran out and he was again arrested. He received another prison sentence – this time, however, he was not sent to the Gulag but given a 3-year sentence in Komunarsk (now known as Alchevsk in the Donbas Region). He was taken to a hospital for the mentally ill and over the next three years Bishop Velychkovsky was subjected to harsh, physical, psychological and chemical torture.
To be continued next month . . .
