The documentary on the facts about the activities of Fr. Vasyl Kadylo, that were not known up until the present day, will be presented in Stryi

Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 16:42
On the 16th of September 2012, in Stryi the premiere of the documentary “Father Kadylo” will be screened. The film tells about the life and about the ministry of the Greek-Catholic priest Vasyl Shevchuk, who during the years 1945-1948 was a chaplain in the Peremyshl UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) battalion in Zakerzone, under the pseudonym “Kadylo”.

Requiem for the repose of the soul of priest Vasyl Shevchuk will be celebrated near the memorial plaque at the building of the Secondary School № 7 (Kolessy street, 12). It will start at 15.00. Then, at 16.00, in the People's House "Prosvita" (Narodna street, 6), the screening of the movie will start.

This event is devoted to the 70th anniversary since the establishment of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, as well as, the 65th anniversary since Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk died (13.09.1948)

The presentation of the film “Father Kadylo” will also take place in Lviv. On the 27th of September 2012, the film will be presented within the frames of international conference “Ukrainian Insurgent Army in the context of the national liberation struggle of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe”.

The city-wide screening of the film will take place on the 7th of October 2012 in the Cinema-Palace "Kopernik" (the exact time of the presentation will be announced later). Admission is free.

The documentary film "Father Kadylo", which was produced jointly with the charitable foundation "Ukrainian Film Initiative" and advertising-production center "Star TV", that was created with the blessing of Peremyshl and Warsaw metropolitan as well as the Stryi Diocese of the UGCC. Producer of the film is Taras Pasternak, the author of the script and the research is Taras Babenchuk.

With the help of art scenes in this film, the Chaplaincy Ministry of Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk, as well as, the episodes from his life, were recreated. The art filming was attended by the actors of the First Ukrainian Theatre for Children and Youth, as well as, by the military reenactors from the Society of looking for victims of war “Pam’yat''.

With the support of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, the film crew worked on the material of the criminal case of Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk-Kadylo, that were not available for a long time and which are presented for the first time. Those documents shed some light on the last year of the life of priest, which he spent in Ryashiv Prison.

Creative Group expresses its gratitude to all those who helped in producing the film "Father Kadylo", especially: to the Charitable Foundation "Good Heart", to the Canadian Foundation for the Ukrainian Encyclopaedia, to the editorial "Annals of the UPA", to the Association of Ukrainians "Zakerzonnya", and to all the friends from Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Canada.

Watch the fragments of the film: ugcc.tv/ua/media/54709.html

 

 

 

Reference 1:

Greek-Catholic priest Vasyl Shevchuk was born on the 12th of August 1903 in Stryi. He studied in Drohobych, Peremyshl and Stryi gimnasiums. Having graduated as well as having served in the Polish army, he entered the School of Theology in Peremyshl.

On the 30th of March 1930, he was ordained a priest, while being unmarried, by the Bishop Josaphat (Kotsylovskyy). He was ministering in such villages as Dorozhiv, Medenychi (Drohobych region) and Hrushatychi (Sambir region). Since September 1932, he continued to serve in such Zakerzonnya villages as Smerekovets, Pawlokoma and Pyatkova Ruska. He was a zealous priest, took an active part in public life.

At the end of 1945, Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk joined the Ukrainian Insurgence Army, under the pseudonym "Kadylo", firstly - as a military chaplain of the cossack squadron "Hromenka", and later the very Peremyshl battalion of the UPA.

Such a step was preconditioned by the war circumstances, threats and attacks by Polish nationalist organizations and criminal gangs. Another reason was the deliberate extermination of the representatives of Ukrainian intelligentsia, including clergy, at Zakerzonna.

While being in such Cossack squadrons “Hromenka”, “Burlaky”, “Krylacha” and “Lastivky”, Father “Kadylo” was serving the Liturgies on fields, was confessing the soldiers, gave them the spiritual support, buried the fallen in battle. Under the protection of the UPA, the priest was also taking care of those faithful who, due to the war circumstances, were left without pastors.

In June 1947, during a raid in the West with Cossack squadrons “Hromenka”, the exhausted and sick Father-Chaplain was arrested by the Czechoslovak security organs. One month later, he was transferred to the Communist Authority of Poland. During the investigation and trial, Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk stayed in Rzeszów Prison, where he experienced abuse from criminals and investigators.

On the 13th of September 1948, by the verdict of the Military District Court in Rzeszów, Fr. Vasyl Shevchuk "Kadylo" was executed by shooting. Place where the priest was buried is unknown.

 

Reference 2:

During the years 2009-2010, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv, on the initiative of the advertising-production center "Star TV", created a series of documentaries about the history of the UGCC in 20 century.

The first film of the series, named the "Legacy of Andriy Sheptytsky", was presented on the First Channel of the Ukrainian Television and entered the top three nominees for the national award in the field of television "Teletriumph - 2010." Among the two other films that were devoted to the leaders of the UGCC, there are “Josyf Slipyj: Prayer for Ukraine” (devoted to the Patriarch Josyf (Slipyi)) and “Volodymyr Sterniuk: Serving in the underground” (devoted to the Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sterniuk)). The film "UGCC: The Unknown Chronicle" tells us about the persecution of Greek-Catholic Church by the communist authorities.

Taras Babenchuk for the UGCC Department of Information

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