Symeon Lukach
Symeon Lukatsch (Polish: Symeon Lukacz, Ukrainian: Симеон Лукач, * July 7, 1893 in Star Unia at Stanislawiw, Galicia, † August 22 1964 in Ivano -Frankivsk, Ukraine) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Bishop of Stanislawiw. He was publicly declared in 2001 by Pope John Paul II to the martyrs of the Ukrainian Church and the Blessed.
Life
Lukatsch Symeon was the son of a peasant family and had already indicated in his early youth to become a priest. After high school graduation, he took in the seminary of the Eparchy Stanislawiw to the study. 1919, the exact day has not been established, the Bishop of Stanislawiw Hryhory Khomyshyn ordained him a priest. There followed a short residence in a parish until they picked him as spiritual in the seminary.
Martyrdom
After the Second World War, Soviet troops occupied the western Ukraine, the force the inclusion of Galicia in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic continued to make headway. The Bishop of Stanislawiw recognized in time the danger to his person and the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine. Even before his arrest in mid 1945, he inaugurated in April 1945 Symeon Lukatsch secretly bishop and appointed him as his deputy.
First arrest
1949 Lukatsch was arrested by the Russian secret police, the accusation was: employees in the forbidden from the state church and denial of the merger of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Catholic Church. In December 1949 he was sentenced to ten years in Bishop Lukach years in prison and exiled him to Krasnoyarsk. Until his dismissal in 1956 he had to do many hours daily forest work. After his release, devoted Lukatsch of pastoral care, to disappear the offer for some time in the underground, he refused. He worked in secret on, held church services and continued the training of priests. During this time he wrote the book " False prophets ".
Second arrest
In July 1962 Bishop Lukatsch was imprisoned again, his personal belongings were confiscated and he himself locked up in the prison of Stanislawiw. This time they threw to have made him decomposition writings and distributed and to have strengthened Catholicism. Both allegations were not denied by the bishop, which meant that he was sentenced to five years in prison. During the penalty period, he contracted tuberculosis and was released on medical parole in March 1964 from the detention center. He spent the time until his death on 22 August 1964 in his hometown.
Beatification
On June 27, 2001 Bishop Lukatsch was given together with twenty-four venerable servants and handmaidens of Pope John Paul II, known in Lviv as a martyr and Seliger of the Greek- Catholic Church of the Ukrainians.