Andrey Sheptytsky
Encyclopedia
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
from 1901 until his death. During his tenure, he led the Church through two world war
s and seven political regimes: Austrian
, Russian
, Ukrainian
, Polish
, Soviet
, German National Socialist
(Nazi), and again Soviet.
According to the historian Jaroslav Pelikan
, "Arguably, Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky was the most influential figure… in the entire history of the Ukrainian Church in the twentieth century." The Lviv National Museum, founded by Sheptytsky in 1905, now bears his name.
called Prylbychi
, Galicia, then a crownland
of Austria-Hungary
and baptized Roman Aleksander Maria. His family was from an aristocratic
Ruthenian
line, which in the nineteenth century had become Polonized
, Roman Catholic, and French speaking. Among his ancestors there were many important church figures, including two metropolitans
of Kiev
, Atanasy and Lev. His maternal grandfather was the Polish writer Aleksander Fredro
. One of his brothers Bl. Klymentiy Sheptytsky became a Studite monk, while another Stanisław Szeptycki became a general in the Polish army.
Sheptytsky received his education first at home and then in Kraków
. After graduating he went to serve in the Austro-Hungarian army but after a few months fell sick and was forced to abandon it. Instead he studied law in Kraków
and Wrocław, receiving his doctorate in 1888. During his studies the future Metropolitan visited Italy
where he was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII
in Rome
and to the Ukrainian heartland of Kiev
, then under Russian rule, where he met some of the most prominent Ukrainian personalities of that time. He also visited Moscow.
monastery
in Dobromyl
, returning to his roots to serve what was regarded as the peasant Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
. That same year took the name Andrew, after the younger brother of Saint Peter
, Saint Andrew the First Called
considered the founder of the Byzantine Church and also specifically of the Ukrainian Church. He then studied at the Jesuit Seminary in Kraków, receiving a doctoral degree in theology in 1894. In 1892 he was ordained a priest in Peremyshl
. He was made rector
of the monastery of St. Onuphrius in Lviv in 1896.
In 1899, following the death of Cardinal Sylvester Sembratovych
, Sheptytsky was nominated by Emperor
Franz Joseph to fill a vacant position as Ukrainian Greek Catholic Bishop of Stanyslaviv, and Pope Leo XIII
concurred. Thus he was consecrated bishop in Lviv on 17 September 1899 by Metropolitan Julian Sas-Kuilovsky
assisted by Bishop Chekhovych and Bishop Weber, the Latin-Rite auxiliary of Lviv.
A year later, on December 12, 1900 and following the death of Sembratovich's successor, Sheptytsky was appointed, at the age of thirty-six, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv
and enthroned on January 17, 1901.
He visited North America in 1910 where he met with Ukrainian Greek Catholic immigrant communities in the United States
; attended the twenty-first International Eucharistic Congress
in Montreal
; and toured Ukrainian communities in Canada
.
After the outbreak of World War I
, Metropolitan Sheptytsky was arrested by the Russians and imprisoned in various places in Ukraine and Russia
. He was released in March 1918 and returned to Lviv from Russia.
As a student he learned Hebrew
in order to better relate to the Jewish community. During pastoral visits to Jewish villages he was sometimes met with the Torah
. During World War II
he harbored hundreds of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries. He also issued the pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill," to protest Nazi atrocities
. During this period he secretly consecrated Josyf Slipyj as his successor.
Sheptytsky was also a patron of artists, students, including many Orthodox Christians, and a pioneer of ecumenism
— he also opposed the Second Polish Republic
policy of forced conversion
of Polish Ukrainians into Latin Rite Catholics. He strove for reconciliation between ethnic groups and wrote frequently on social issues and spirituality. He also founded the Studite and Ukrainian Redemptorist orders, a hospital, the National Museum
, and the Theological Academy. He actively supported various Ukrainian organizations such as the Prosvita
and in particular, the Plast
Ukrainian Scouting Organization, and donated a campsite in the Carpathian Mountains
called Sokil, and became the patron saint of the Plast fraternity Orden Khrestonostsiv.
He died in 1944 and is buried in St. George's Cathedral
in Lviv. In 1958 the process of his beatification
was begun and now is well advanced.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
from 1901 until his death. During his tenure, he led the Church through two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s and seven political regimes: Austrian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
, Polish
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, German National Socialist
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(Nazi), and again Soviet.
According to the historian Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Jan Pelikan was a scholar in the history of Christianity, Christian theology and medieval intellectual history.-Early years:...
, "Arguably, Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky was the most influential figure… in the entire history of the Ukrainian Church in the twentieth century." The Lviv National Museum, founded by Sheptytsky in 1905, now bears his name.
Life
He was born in a village northeast of LvivLviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
called Prylbychi
Yavoriv Raion
Yavoriv Raion is a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Yavoriv. It has a population of 122 200.It was established in 1939.-External links:*...
, Galicia, then a crownland
Cisleithania
Cisleithania was a name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. The name was used by politicians and bureaucrats, but it had no official status...
of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and baptized Roman Aleksander Maria. His family was from an aristocratic
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
Ruthenian
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
line, which in the nineteenth century had become Polonized
Polonization
Polonization was the acquisition or imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular, Polish language, as experienced in some historic periods by non-Polish populations of territories controlled or substantially influenced by Poland...
, Roman Catholic, and French speaking. Among his ancestors there were many important church figures, including two metropolitans
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Atanasy and Lev. His maternal grandfather was the Polish writer Aleksander Fredro
Aleksander Fredro
Aleksander Fredro was a Polish poet, playwright and author.-Life:Count Aleksander Fredro, of the Bończa coat of arms, was born in the village of Surochów near Jarosław, then a crown territory of Austria. A landowner's son, he was educated at home. He entered the Polish army at age 16 and saw...
. One of his brothers Bl. Klymentiy Sheptytsky became a Studite monk, while another Stanisław Szeptycki became a general in the Polish army.
Sheptytsky received his education first at home and then in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. After graduating he went to serve in the Austro-Hungarian army but after a few months fell sick and was forced to abandon it. Instead he studied law in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Wrocław, receiving his doctorate in 1888. During his studies the future Metropolitan visited Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where he was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and to the Ukrainian heartland of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, then under Russian rule, where he met some of the most prominent Ukrainian personalities of that time. He also visited Moscow.
Religious life
Despite his father's opposition, he entered a BasilianOrder of Saint Basil the Great
The Order of St. Basil the Great also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat is an monastic religious order of the Greek Catholic Churches that is present in many countries and that has its Mother House in Rome. The order received approbation on August 20, 1631...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Dobromyl
Dobromyl
Dobromyl is a city in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located at around , some 5 kilometers to the border with Poland. Population: 5,000 ....
, returning to his roots to serve what was regarded as the peasant Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
. That same year took the name Andrew, after the younger brother of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, Saint Andrew the First Called
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
considered the founder of the Byzantine Church and also specifically of the Ukrainian Church. He then studied at the Jesuit Seminary in Kraków, receiving a doctoral degree in theology in 1894. In 1892 he was ordained a priest in Peremyshl
Peremyshl
Peremyshl may refer to:*Peremyshl, Russia, a village in Kaluga Oblast, Russia*Peremyshl, a Cyrillic alphabet transliteration of the city of Przemyśl...
. He was made rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the monastery of St. Onuphrius in Lviv in 1896.
Sylvester Sembratovych
Sylvester Sembratovych was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1885 until his death in 1898 and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church.-Life:...
, Sheptytsky was nominated by Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Franz Joseph to fill a vacant position as Ukrainian Greek Catholic Bishop of Stanyslaviv, and Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
concurred. Thus he was consecrated bishop in Lviv on 17 September 1899 by Metropolitan Julian Sas-Kuilovsky
Julian Sas-Kuilovsky
Julian Sas-Kuilovsky was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1899 until his death in 1900.-Life:Julian Sas-Kuilovsky was born on May 1, 1826, in the village of Koniushky-Royal, in Sambir Raion, Ukraine to a family of nobles...
assisted by Bishop Chekhovych and Bishop Weber, the Latin-Rite auxiliary of Lviv.
A year later, on December 12, 1900 and following the death of Sembratovich's successor, Sheptytsky was appointed, at the age of thirty-six, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
and enthroned on January 17, 1901.
He visited North America in 1910 where he met with Ukrainian Greek Catholic immigrant communities in the United States
Religion in the United States
Religion in the United States is characterized by both a wide diversity in religious beliefs and practices, and by a high adherence level. According to recent surveys, 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination, 40 percent claim to attend services nearly every week or...
; attended the twenty-first International Eucharistic Congress
International Eucharistic Congress
In the Roman Catholic church, a Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Roman Catholic doctrine...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
; and toured Ukrainian communities in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
After the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Metropolitan Sheptytsky was arrested by the Russians and imprisoned in various places in Ukraine and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. He was released in March 1918 and returned to Lviv from Russia.
As a student he learned Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
in order to better relate to the Jewish community. During pastoral visits to Jewish villages he was sometimes met with the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he harbored hundreds of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries. He also issued the pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill," to protest Nazi atrocities
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. During this period he secretly consecrated Josyf Slipyj as his successor.
Sheptytsky was also a patron of artists, students, including many Orthodox Christians, and a pioneer of ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
— he also opposed the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
policy of forced conversion
Forced conversion
A forced conversion is the religious conversion or acceptance of a philosophy against the will of the subject, often with the threatened consequence of earthly penalties or harm. These consequences range from job loss and social isolation to incarceration, torture or death...
of Polish Ukrainians into Latin Rite Catholics. He strove for reconciliation between ethnic groups and wrote frequently on social issues and spirituality. He also founded the Studite and Ukrainian Redemptorist orders, a hospital, the National Museum
National Museum of Lviv
The Lviv National Museum is one of Ukraine's largest museums, dedicated to Ukrainian culture in all its manifestations. It was established by Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky in 1905 and was originally known as the Lwow Ecclesiastical Museum...
, and the Theological Academy. He actively supported various Ukrainian organizations such as the Prosvita
Prosvita
Prosvita is a society created in the nineteenth century in Ukrainian Galicia for preserving and developing Ukrainian culture and education among population....
and in particular, the Plast
Plast
The Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply Plast is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.-First Phase: 1911-1920:...
Ukrainian Scouting Organization, and donated a campsite in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
called Sokil, and became the patron saint of the Plast fraternity Orden Khrestonostsiv.
He died in 1944 and is buried in St. George's Cathedral
St. George's Cathedral, Lviv
St. George's Cathedral is a baroque-rococo cathedral located in the city of Lviv, the historic capital of western Ukraine. It was constructed between 1744-1760 on a hill overlooking the city. This is the third manifestation of a church to inhabit the site since the 13th century, and its prominence...
in Lviv. In 1958 the process of his beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
was begun and now is well advanced.
Further reading
- Cyril Korolevsky, Metropolitan Andrew (1865-1944), Translated and Revised by Serge Keleher, Stauropegion, 1993, Lviv.
- Aharon Weiss, Andrei Sheptytsky in Encyclopedia of the Holocaust vol. 4, pp. 1347–8
External links
- Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies
- Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi who was called the "apostle of Ukrainian truth", "Welcome to Ukraine" Magazine
- He Welcomed the Nazis and Saved Jews
- Metropolitan Sheptytsky, Apostle of Church Unity
- Yad Vashem Interviews a Jew Whom Sheptytsky Rescued During the Holocaust
- Recording of a Sermon by Metropolitan Sheptytsky