Symeon Lukach was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop born in Starunia in 1893. After completing his seminary studies in 1919, he was ordained a priest and later served as a teacher of moral theology. He was elevated to the position of auxiliary bishop in 1945. Throughout his life, he faced significant persecution from Soviet authorities, enduring multiple arrests and periods of hard labor in Siberia, which eventually led to his death in his home village.
Life and ministry
Following his ordination, Lukach taught at the seminary in Stanislaviv. After his first arrest by the NKVD in 1949, he was sent to Krasnoyarsk for ten years of hard labor. Upon his release in 1955, he continued his religious duties in secret. He operated as an underground priest, conducting liturgies, baptisms, and marriages in private homes to provide spiritual care to his community while avoiding detection by the state.
Persecution and death
Lukach was arrested again in 1962 and sentenced to five years of labor. During his imprisonment, he contracted tuberculosis. He was eventually released and returned to Starunia, where he passed away in August 1964. His commitment to his faith during these periods of illegality was documented in his own writings, where he expressed his willingness to accept responsibility for following divine will over state laws.
Veneration
The Catholic Church recognizes his martyrdom, and he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He is commemorated as a blessed, with his feast day observed on June 28.