On March 15, 2021, on the 82nd anniversary of the proclamation of independence of Carpathian Ukraine, in Kyiv, at Askold's grave, His Beatitude Sviatoslav consecrated the monument to Fr. Augustyn Voloshyn, the great son of Ukraine, an active public and religious figure, a priest of the Greek Catholic Church, the President of Carpathian Ukraine. The event was attended by representatives of the Society of Transcarpathians in Kyiv, including the president of the association.
In his speech on the occasion of the blessing of the monument, the Father and the Head of the UGCC emphasized that the figure of Fr. Augustyn Voloshyn speaks to us today and tells the truth: the truth about Transcarpathia, about our national liberation struggles, and at the same time the truth about the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
"He was our priest, who shows that the Church has always been a mother and a teacher for her people in the most difficult moments of history. Our clergy were able to take responsibility for the fate of the Ukrainian people. They preserved and developed their spiritual, cultural and national heritage. And on the example of the President of Carpathian Ukraine, Father Voloshyn, they were able to take responsibility for their state-building," said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Father Augustyn, the Head of the Church noted, although aware of all the dangers of the task assigned to him by the Ukrainian people in Transcarpathia, nevertheless accepted this challenge.
At the same time, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed concern that today many citizens of Ukraine in different parts of the world do not always realize the value of one’s own state. "It is about the value of the state for the present and future of our people that Fr. Augustyn Voloshyn speaks to us from the heavens today,” said the Head of the UGCC.
He added that today we really need such bright, crystal-clear sons and daughters of Ukraine, who will not hesitate to take responsibility for its fate in the most difficult moments of its history.
Reference
Carpathian Ukraine, which was founded in 1938 as an autonomous republic within Czechoslovakia, gained independence a year later, on March 15, 1939. The president of this Ukrainian independent state, which was located mainly in the mountainous part of Transcarpathia, was Fr. Augustyn Voloshyn, priest of the Greek Catholic Church.