Every year the Redemptorists celebrate the great sacrifice of Ukrainian Redemptorists for their witness to the Catholic faith. May their martyrdom bear the fruits of love, joy, and peace.
Pope John Paul II beatified a group of modern martyrs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church on June 27, 2001. Among them were four Redemptorists: Bishop Mykolay (Nicholas) Charnetsky (1884-1959), Bishop Vasyl (Basil) Vsevolod Velychkovsky (1903-1973), Father Ivan Ziatyk (1899-1952), and Father Zynoviy (Zenon) Kovalyk (1903-1941).
All of these men endured sufferings and torture inflicted either during World War II or after it, during the era of Soviet control prior to the independence of Ukraine in 1991. Bishop Nicholas Charnetsky and his twenty-four companions represent a glorious era of martyrdom for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and their stories give great witness to the strength of their Catholic faith.
Video Link: The Ukrainian Martyrs
Bishop Mykolay (Nicholas) Charnetsky (1884-1959)
Bishop Vasyl (Basil) Vsevolod Velychkovsky (1903-1973)
Father Ivan Ziatyk (1899-1952)
Father Zynoviy (Zenon) Kovalyk (1903-1941)
