Special Stamp Cancellation Ceremony Held in Zarvanytsia to Mark the 160th Anniversary of the Birth of Andrey Sheptytsky
On July 19, at the Marian Spiritual Center in Zarvanytsia, a special postage stamp was ceremonially canceled to mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of the Servant of God, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.
The event was attended by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine; and Metropolitan Teodor Martynyuk of Ternopil-Zboriv. To commemorate the anniversary, the Cossack Post issued a special envelope, commemorative stamp, and a postcard icon bearing the Metropolitan’s prayer for Ukraine. The artwork was created by Ternopil artist Ihor Zelinko with the support of patron Volodymyr Boleshchuk. Ternopil artists Oleh and Natalia Kinali prepared illustrations for each envelope and provided detailed descriptions.
In total, nine stamps were produced, united by a common theme that depicts various places and events from Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s life.
The coordinator of the event, Father Andriy Hotvera, stated:
“Today we held the first solemn cancellation of the stamp and envelope. The next events are scheduled to take place in Terebovlia, timed to coincide with the UYC Congress, which was once blessed by Metropolitan Sheptytsky. On July 29, the day of the Metropolitan’s birth, celebrations will be held in Prylbychi—his hometown—as well as in St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv, where his remains are buried, and at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Museum. Further commemorations are planned in Berezhany and Buchach at the Basilian College, where a public lecture will be delivered on September 1 and a stamp cancellation ceremony will also take place. The series of events will conclude in Ternopil, at the premises of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy, where one of the first monuments to the Metropolitan in Ukraine was erected.”
The priest emphasized the importance of deepening public awareness of Sheptytsky’s legacy:
“Sadly, Metropolitan Andrey still insufficiently studied and properly appreciated. We are working to change this through books, academic conferences, and cultural initiatives. These efforts help us to rediscover him as a spiritual leader of the nation, an intellectual, and a patron of Ukrainian artists, writers, and scholars.”
He also spoke about the spiritual significance of Sheptytsky’s legacy, particularly his epistle How to Build Your Native Home: “This document remains deeply relevant today. It reminds us that building our native home means building an independent, spiritually rich Ukraine. This book should be on every Ukrainian’s nightstand—especially for young people—so that we understand that our state, our home, is something we are called to build.”
