Severian Baranyk
Encyclopedia
Blessed Severian Stefan Baranyk was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest
and martyr
.
Baranyk was born in Austrian Galicia (today Western Ukraine
). He entered the Monastery of the Order of St Basil the Great in Krekhiv
in 1904. On May 16, he took his first monastic vows and then on September 21, 1910 he took his perpetual vows. He was ordained to the priesthood on 14 February 1915. Baranyk was known for his preaching, and his life was noted for his special kindness to youth and orphans. In 1932 he was made the Prior
of the Basilian
monastery in Drohobych
.
On 26 June 1941, the NKVD
arrested him. He was taken to Drohobych prison and never seen alive again. After the Soviets withdrew from the city his mutilated body was found in the prison with signs of torture, including cross shaped knife slashes across his chest.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II
on June 27, 2001.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
.
Baranyk was born in Austrian Galicia (today Western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). He entered the Monastery of the Order of St Basil the Great in Krekhiv
Krekhiv
Krekhiv is a village in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine, located within the densely forested Roztochia Upland about 10km west of Zhovkva and 50km north of Lviv at around...
in 1904. On May 16, he took his first monastic vows and then on September 21, 1910 he took his perpetual vows. He was ordained to the priesthood on 14 February 1915. Baranyk was known for his preaching, and his life was noted for his special kindness to youth and orphans. In 1932 he was made the Prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of the Basilian
Basilian
Basilian may refer to one of the following.* Basilian monk of the Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic Churches* The Congregation of St. Basil, a Latin-rite order of priests of the Roman Catholic Church....
monastery in Drohobych
Drohobych
Drohobych is a city located at the confluence of the Tysmenytsia River and Seret, a tributary of the former, in the Lviv Oblast , in western Ukraine...
.
On 26 June 1941, the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
arrested him. He was taken to Drohobych prison and never seen alive again. After the Soviets withdrew from the city his mutilated body was found in the prison with signs of torture, including cross shaped knife slashes across his chest.
He was beatified 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 ...
on June 27, 2001.