70th anniversary of Operation Vistula, UGCC Bishops in Poland ask to pray and light candles on April 28

The hierarchs of the UGCC in Poland urged the faithful to worthily celebrate the 70th anniversary of Operation Vistula. The clergy, in particular, requested Ukrainians to light candles at 18-00 in remembrance of all those forcibly evicted on April 28, the day when in 1947 Operation Vistula began, and perform a service for all the victims who died as a result of a horrible process.

This was stated in the Message of the hierarchs of the UGCC in Poland to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Operation Vistula, as reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.

The document was signed by Archbishop Eugeniusz Popowicz, Metropolitan of Przemysl-Warsaw, and Bishop Volodymyr Juszczak of Wroclaw and Gdansk.

As the hierarch remind, in late April this year the Ukrainian community in Poland will mark the sad anniversary of the 70th anniversary of Operation Vistula, which began on April 28 and lasted until the end of July 1947 As a result of the military actions of the then Communist State Security Service from their native lands of Lemkivshina, Przemyśl, Yaroslavschyna, Lyubachivschyna, Tomashivschyna, Hrubeshivschyny and Holm regions and forcibly displaced around 150,000 people in the northern and western regions of postwar Poland with a view of rapid and complete assimilation.

“The native lands, from Lemkivshina to Lyubachivschyna were left orphaned: burnt down and abandoned churches, villages, and houses, neglected cemeteries with the mortal remains of relatives there who had been buried there for centuries. There was a silence, where neither native language nor prayers nor songs were heard. On the lands of evictions, the sorrow and wailing were heard for the lost homeland the banned native Church. People were aggrieved and pained by hard life conditions in alien houses that were often destroyed, imprisonment of families and the death of friends and family, the violent, rapid and complete assimilation everyone was destined for, which would be sufficient for 20 years to come,” goes the message.

"Remembering the sad events of the past, all the more we encourage everyone on this occasion to be aware of our origin, the history of our people and our ecclesial and national identity,” the Greek-Catholic bishops in Poland believe.

The hierarchs invite everyone to prayer celebration of the 70th anniversary of Operation Vistula and hope for the meeting on the pilgrim trails to our native lands from Lemkivshina through Przemyśl region, Yaroslavschyna and Lyubachivschyna.”