Nykyta Budka
Encyclopedia
Blessed
Nykyta Budka (June 7, 1877, Dobromirka, Austria-Hungary
- October 1, 1949, Karaganda
, USSR) was a clergyman of the of Ukrainian Catholic Church who lived and worked in Austria-Hungary, Canada, Poland, and the Soviet Union. In Canada he is noted as the first bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
. His first name is sometimes written as Nikita or Mykyta.
He was born in a village in Zbarazh, then part of Galicia
, in Austria-Hungary
in 1877. Budka was ordained as a priest in L'viv, the capital of Austrian Galicia, in 1905.
He was appointed the Bishop
for Canada on July 15, 1912 and consecrated on October 14 that year. In Canada he became known as a strident defender of the autonomy of the Ukrainian church from the Latin hierarchy, and a fierce opponent of missionary actives amongst Ukrainian Canadian by Russian Orthodox and Protestant churches, and of secularism. He was broadly supportive of Ukrainian nationalism. However he is most famous for his pastoral letter at the outbreak of World War I
in which he urged Ukrainians in Canada to return to their homeland to enlist and fight. Their homeland was Austria, which happened to be at war with Canada, so this bordered on treason. This helped inflame an existing suspicion and scrutiny of the Ukrainian Canadian community by the wider public and the government that led to the internment of Ukrainians in Canada during the war
.
In 1927, he returned to now Polish-controlled Galicia and became vicar general
of the Metropolitan Curia in L'viv. At the end of World War II
, Galicia was occupied by the Soviet Union, and Budka opposed the communist-mandated separation of the Ukrainian Catholic Church from Rome, and for this he was imprisoned on April 11, 1945 along with other bishops. He died in the Gulag
on October 1, 1949.
Budka was beatified as a martyr on June 27, 2001 by Pope John Paul II
.
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...
Nykyta Budka (June 7, 1877, Dobromirka, 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...
- October 1, 1949, Karaganda
Karaganda
Karagandy , more commonly known by its Russian name Karaganda, , is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty , Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 471,800 . In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic...
, USSR) was a clergyman of the of Ukrainian Catholic Church who lived and worked in Austria-Hungary, Canada, Poland, and the Soviet Union. In Canada he is noted as the first bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg
The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic archeparchy for the country of Canada, and includes the suffragan eparchies of Edmonton, New Westminster, Saskatoon, and Toronto...
. His first name is sometimes written as Nikita or Mykyta.
He was born in a village in Zbarazh, then part of Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
, in 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...
in 1877. Budka was ordained as a priest in L'viv, the capital of Austrian Galicia, in 1905.
He was appointed the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
for Canada on July 15, 1912 and consecrated on October 14 that year. In Canada he became known as a strident defender of the autonomy of the Ukrainian church from the Latin hierarchy, and a fierce opponent of missionary actives amongst Ukrainian Canadian by Russian Orthodox and Protestant churches, and of secularism. He was broadly supportive of Ukrainian nationalism. However he is most famous for his pastoral letter at 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...
in which he urged Ukrainians in Canada to return to their homeland to enlist and fight. Their homeland was Austria, which happened to be at war with Canada, so this bordered on treason. This helped inflame an existing suspicion and scrutiny of the Ukrainian Canadian community by the wider public and the government that led to the internment of Ukrainians in Canada during the war
Ukrainian Canadian internment
The Ukrainian Canadian internment was part of the confinement of "enemy aliens" in Canada during and for two years after the end of the First World War, lasting from 1914 to 1920, under the terms of the War Measures Act that would be used again, in the Second World War, against Japanese Canadians;...
.
In 1927, he returned to now Polish-controlled Galicia and became vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Metropolitan Curia in L'viv. At the end of 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...
, Galicia was occupied by the Soviet Union, and Budka opposed the communist-mandated separation of the Ukrainian Catholic Church from Rome, and for this he was imprisoned on April 11, 1945 along with other bishops. He died in the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
on October 1, 1949.
Budka was beatified as a martyr on June 27, 2001 by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.