Unique Exhibition to Mark 35th Anniversary of UGCC’s Emergence from Underground Opens in Ternopil
On December 17, 2024, the Ternopil Museum of Local Lore hosted an exhibition marking the 35th anniversary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s emergence from the underground. The exhibition, on display for two weeks, features exhibits illustrating the Church’s hardships during the period of its ban.
This was reported on the website of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy.
According to the organizers, the exhibition at the museum offers a unique opportunity to explore the history of the UGCC during times of persecution and its struggle for the faith.
During the event, clergy shared their memories of life in the underground. Father Andriy Hovera, who studied in an underground seminary in 1981, recalled: “We went to school and at the same time attended underground services. The children communicated with each other, but they had to be careful not to say anything, because things were strict. It involved the upbringing of parents and spiritual advisors.”
Archbishop Vasyl Semenyuk recounted an incident when he was tracked by police during the blessing of water on Epiphany in the village of Drusaniv. However, the faithful refused to let the priest be taken away, and were not even afraid in the face of law enforcement.
Art historian Natalia Kinal shared her family’s experience with underground services in Ternopil: “My grandmother told me that children were baptized secretly, even without their parents’ knowledge, because fathers who were doctors or teachers risked as baptism could lead to serious consequences.”
Anatoliy Ivashkiv’s sister, who joined the Studite monastery at the age of 18, shared a chilling story from her monastery in the 1940s: “When we came out of the barracks, the whole yard was covered with bodies. There were children, women, men, and Father Kovalyk was hanging on the wall with his stomach cut open and a child shoved inside it,” she said.
The UGCC Department for Information
