His Beatitude Sviatoslav gratefully remembered his professors and related some interesting episodes of his student days

“Sometimes we are embarrassed to say Thank You…  Today I want to say this  very loud,”  emphasized UGCC Head at the beginning of his visit to the  medical college.  Last time His Beatitude Sviatoslav  at that time  rector of  Lviv Holy Spirit Spiritual Seminary, was at the college was in 2006 when the institution was celebrating its 60^th anniversary.

With sincere embraces and warm words Roman Patsiurko , the former director of the medical institution,  greeted the UGCC Primate.  It was he who as director of the medical institution in l985 headed the Admissions Committee when Sviatoslav Shevchuk from Stryi successfully passed the entrance exams to the Boryslav Medical College.  In 1989 Roman Patziurko handed the then graduate Sviatoslav Shevchcuk a diploma with honors.

Current director Hnat Pitula greeted UGCC Head and led him to the auditorium where  the esteemed guest  conversed with staff and students. In his introductory remarks UGCC Primate recalled that his lecturers were “real Halych intelligentsia.”  “Here, we students, received a real upbringing on how to respect another person, how to respect a sick person, how to demand the utmost from oneself and how to treat others with mercy,” thus did His Beatitude Sviatoslav summarize the lessons that he learned from his teachers at Boryslav Medical College.

In order to better illustrate his student days, UGCC Head brought with him a special  memento – his yearbook.  Thereby each person present in the auditorium could have the opportunity to see memorable moments of the former Boryslav Medical College student – now UGCC Primate.

The school which I completed [Boryslav Medical College-author ] was a school in which corruption did not exist,” noted UGCC Head, adding that he entered the institution without “any monetary donation.”  During his studies no one requested bribes; lecturers appreciated the student love of continuous work.

Present at the meeting was also Cheslava  Ryzhova, his class mentor  in whose home, during the two years of attending Boryslav Medical College, the student lived.

In his free time, the student copied texts which were given him by underground priests.   UGCC Head publically thanked his class mentor, that although she must have suspected his involvement with the underground church, she never touched the topic.

The former graduate shared with the students his only experience with making crib sheets. For two weeks Sviatoslav Shevchuk prepared his crib sheets for the exam in pharmacology. When he came to the exam and received his topic, he realized that he left all his notes at home.  However, because he  had prepared for the exam (read, analyzed, made those crib sheets) he  ended up with an excellent grade.

His only grade of 4, which from time to time appeared on Sviatoslav’s otherwise excellent report card, was in Physical Education.  His Beatitude thanked his former demanding lecturer for implanting in him a love for running.  “I’ll tell you the honest truth – I still run.”  This remark earned a round of applause.

Director Hnat Pitula took His Beatitude Sviatoslav on a tour of the library and the lecture halls.

Let us remind readers that His Beatitude Sviatoslav was visiting Boryslav on December 21-22, since the city was marking its 625^th anniversary.

Photo album Rev. Oleh Chula
Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy Press Secretary