{"id":48324,"date":"2025-04-19T09:04:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T14:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=48324"},"modified":"2025-04-19T09:07:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T14:07:15","slug":"vasyl-velychkovsky-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=48324","title":{"rendered":"Vasyl Velychkovsky (part III: Bishop Vasyl Canada)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After all that he endured in the Soviet Union\u2014the interrogations, the years in prison and the gulag, the constant surveillance\u2014Vasyl Velychkovsky\u2019s final years in Canada offer a deeply moving chapter: a time of fragile recovery, quiet leadership, and enduring spiritual witness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Turning Point: Release and Exile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1969, after suffering a heart attack in prison and enduring decades of persecution, Velychkovsky was finally allowed to leave the Soviet Union. This was not a release in the ordinary sense\u2014it was exile, arranged under pressure from international organizations and the Vatican. He was allowed to leave in exchange for silence and exile. He flew first to Rome, where he met with Pope Paul VI, and then on to Winnipeg, Manitoba<\/strong>, home to a significant Ukrainian Catholic community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Life in Canada (1972\u20131973)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Velychkovsky arrived in Winnipeg<\/strong> in 1972<\/strong>, already weakened by his long ordeal. He had survived torture, solitary confinement, and forced labor\u2014but his health was precarious, and it was clear that the damage done in the gulag was irreversible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet\u2014even in this state\u2014he continued his ministry<\/strong>. He served quietly as bishop-in-residence<\/strong> for the Ukrainian Catholic community in Winnipeg. He gave talks, met with believers, and served as a living reminder of the church\u2019s strength under persecution. His presence inspired those who had never lived under communism and reminded them of the cost of faith in hostile lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also began documenting his experiences<\/strong>, dictating his memories of the underground church and the trials of imprisonment. These writings would later become valuable testimony\u2014not just of Soviet oppression, but of Christian endurance and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Death and Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On June 30, 1973<\/strong>, just a little over a year after arriving in Canada, Velychkovsky died<\/strong>, likely from the effects of poisoning inflicted during his last imprisonment. Many believe he was deliberately given radioactive substances or other toxins\u2014slow, quiet assassination methods used by the KGB. His death, like so much of his life, came with little fanfare. But in truth, he died a martyr<\/strong>\u2014a man whose final suffering and ultimate peace were rooted in his refusal to betray his faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shrine in Winnipeg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2002, Pope John Paul II beatified<\/strong> Vasyl Velychkovsky as a martyr. His relics are now enshrined at St. Joseph\u2019s Ukrainian Catholic Church<\/strong> in Winnipeg. His crypt has become a place of pilgrimage<\/strong>, drawing believers from around the world\u2014especially from Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shrine itself is striking: a mix of traditional Eastern Christian design and the humble Canadian spirit of resilience. It honors not just the man, but the underground church he helped keep alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St. Joseph\u2019s Ukrainian Catholic Church<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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St. Joseph\u2019s is a Ukrainian Catholic Parish<\/strong> of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg. Within our church is the Shrine of Bishop & Martyr Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, CSsR,. As an Eastern Byzantine Catholic community of faith, we know that prayer, especially participating in the Divine Liturgy is central to our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Joseph\u2019s Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded in 1952. The Ukrainian Catholic Redemptorists (Yorkton Province) have served the parish from day St. Joseph\u2019s Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded in 1952.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As one enters St. Joseph\u2019s, it is easy to sense the prayerful atmosphere that is enhanced, by its liturgical artwork: icons, mosaics and stained glass. St. Joseph\u2019s is also home to the Shrine and Museum of Bishop & Martyr Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, CSsR, who was beatified by St. Pope John Paul II in 2001. Many people seek his intercession as they pray before his relics in the Shrine chapel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The Bishop Velychkovsky National Martyr\u2019s Shrine<\/strong> web site<\/a> has quite a bit of information. Their YouTube channel<\/a> has a 15-part series on the bishop’s life and legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St. Joseph’s FaceBook<\/a> page reposted an image taken of a recent cowardly Russian terrorist bombing of an apartment building. The photo was taken by British Ambassador Martin Harris on his way to a bomb shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Would like to hear what the Rosary sounds like in Ukrainian, from the St. Joseph’s Shrine?