Hryhorij Lakota, also known as Gregor Lakota (Hryhorij being the Ukrainian spelling for the Russian Grigoriy and the anglicised Gregor, 31 January 1883 – 12 November 1950) was a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church auxiliary bishop who suffered religious persecution and was martyred by the Soviet Government.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 27 June 2001 in Ukraine.[1]
| Blessed Hryhorij Lakota | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 31 January 1883, Holodivka, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 12 November 1950 (aged 67), Abez labour camp, near Vorkuta |
| Martyred by | USSR |
| Means of martyrdom | gulag |
| Venerated in | Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 27 June 2001, Ukraine, by Pope John Paul II |
Biography
Hryhorij Lakota was born 31 January 1883 in Holodivka, in Austrian Galicia, Lviv region.
He studied theology in Lviv. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1908. In 1911, he later received his Ph. D. in Theology in Vienna.[2] He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Przemyśl on 16 May 1926.
On 9 June 1946, he was arrested by the NKVD and sentenced to ten years imprisonment, as part of Joseph Stalin's suppression of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic (Uniate) church.[3] In exile in Vorkuta (Russia), he was recognized for his humaneness and humility as he took on unbearable conditions to make life easier for others. Father Alfonsas Svarinskas recounts Bishop Hryhorij's behavior in camp as reflecting "Christian virtues."[2]
He died at the Abez camp, near Vorkuta on 12 November 1950.
In popular media
Lakota and another Ukrainian Catholic Bishop, Josyf Slipyj, became the inspiration for the character of Kiril Pavlovich Lakota in the novel The Shoes of the Fisherman, which was later made into a film.
References
- ↑ "Beatifications during the Pastoral Visit of His Holiness John Paul II in Ukraine (23-27 June 2001)"
- 1 2 Church of the Martyrs: The New Saints of Ukraine. Turiĭ, Oleh., Lʹvivsʹka bohoslovsʹka akademii︠a︡. Instytut istoriï T︠S︡erkvy., Lʹvivsʹka bohoslovsʹka akademii︠a︡. Lviv, Ukraine: St. John's Monastery, Pub. Division Svichado. 2004. pp. \. ISBN 966-561-345-6. OCLC 55854194.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Dunn, Dennis J. (October 1973). "Stalinism and the Catholic Church during the Era of World War II". Catholic Historical Review. American Catholic Historical Association. 59 (3): 404–428. ISSN 0008-8080.
