Bienheureux Zénon Kovalyk
Prêtre
martyr en Ukraine (✝ 1941)
Né en 1903, Zynovij
entre chez les rédemptoristes et fait des études de philosophie et de théologie
en Belgique. Ordonné prêtre en Ukraine en 1937, il est arrêté le 20 décembre
1940, fête de l'immaculée conception et martyrisé en 1941 au cours d'un
simulacre de crucifixion sur le mur de la prison à Lviv. Il a été béatifié par Jean-Paul II le 27 juin 2001 lors de son
voyage en Ukraine.
"Le prêtre martyr Zénon Kovalyk est l’unique personnage peint avec
un nimbe en forme de croix, car il est mort par crucifixion comme le
Christ." (source: Université catholique d'Ukraine - Les
nouveaux martyrs d’Ukraine)
Commémoraison du bienheureux Zénon Kovalyk, prêtre rédemptoriste et
martyr à Lvov en Ukraine. En 1941, sous le régime athée, il mérita de recevoir,
un jour inconnu de ce mois, la palme du martyre.
Martyrologe
romain
Zynovij
Kovalyk
Prêtre, Martyr, Bienheureux
1903-1941
Zynovij (Zénon) était né le 18
août 1903 à Ivakhiv (Ternopil, Ukraine), dans une famille de rite
gréco-catholique.
Il entra chez les Rédemptoristes
et émit les vœuxen 1926.
Il fit ses études de philosophie
et de théologie en Belgique.
Ordonné prêtre en 1937, il exerça
le saint ministère à Volyn.
Le jour où l’on fête l’Immaculée
Conception dans le calendrier gréco-catholique, il était en train de prêcher
dans son église, lorsqu’on vint l’arrêter, pour sa foi, le 20 décembre 1940.
Jeté en prison dans le couvent
des Brigittines, réquisitionné par l’armée, il y subit les horribles et honteux
mauvais traitements que les communistes réservaient aux prêtres, jusqu’à être
crucifié contre le mur de la prison, à Bryhidky (Lviv).
Ce martyre eut lieu un certain
jour de juin 1941.
Le Martyrologe l’a inscrit au 30
juin, depuis qu’il fut béatifié parmi les Martyrs d’Ukraine en 2001.
Bienheureux Zénon KOVALYK
Nom: KOVALYK
Prénom: Zénon (Zynovij)
Nom de religion: Zénon (Zynovij)
Pays: Ukraine
Naissance: 18.08.1903 à
Ivachev (Ternopil)
Mort: 30.06.1941 à Bryhidky (Lviv)
Etat: Prêtre - Rédemptoriste - Martyr du
Groupe des 25 martyrs d'Ukraine 2
Note: Vœux chez les Rédemptoriste en 1926.
Prêtre en 1932. Ministère à Volyn. Arrêté le 21 décembre 1941. Torturé, il
meurt en 1941.
Béatification: 27.06.2001 à Lviv (Ukraine) par Jean Paul II
Canonisation:
Fête: 27 juin
Réf. dans l’Osservatore Romano: 2001 n.26 p.1-5 - n.27 p.9-10 - n.28 p.12 - n.29 p.2.5
Réf. dans la Documentation Catholique: 2001
n.15 p.747-749
Notice
Zynovij
(Zénon) Kovalyk naît le 18 août 1903 au village d'Ivachev non loin de Ternopil.
Il entre dans la Congrégation des Rédemptoristes où il fait ses vœux le 28 août
1926. Il complète sa formation philosophique et théologique en Belgique. Après
son retour en Ukraine, il est ordonné prêtre le 4 septembre 1932. Il est nommé
à Volyn. Le 21 décembre 1940 il est arrêté par le KGB à cause des sermons qu'il
prêchait au monastère des rédemptoristes de Lviv où l'on célébrait une neuvaine
en l'honneur de L'Immaculée Conception. En 1941 il est martyrisé par les
communistes qui le crucifient par dérision contre un mur, dans la prison de
Bryhidky (autrefois couvent de Brigittines) à Lviv.
Blessed Zenon Kovalyk
Also known as
- Zenone
- Zynovii
- Zynovij
Profile
Greek Catholic. Redemptorist,
making his vows on 28
August 1926.
Studied philosophy and theology in Belgium. Ordained in Ukraine on 4
September 1937.
Worked in Volyn. Arrested for his faith
on 20 December 1940,
the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, during Mass
while giving a homily, and imprisoned in a converted Brigittine
convent.
One of the Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe.
Born
- crucified against a wall by Communists in June 1941 at Bryhidky prison, Zamarstynivska Street, Lviv, L’vivs’ka oblast’, Ukraine
- 27
June 2001 by Pope John Paul II in Ukraine
Zynovij (Zenon) Kovalyk
posted on 02/09/10 12:29 am by
Fr. Santo Arrigo C.Ss.R.
Zynovij (Zenon) Kovalyk, priest, was born into a farming
family at Ivatsciv Horiscnij (Ternopil) on August 18, 1903. Before entering
religious life he was a teacher in a rural elementary school. On entry to the
congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer he made his profession on August 26,
1926. On completion of his studies in philosophy and theology, in Belgium, he
was ordained on August 9, 1932. From 1932 he was engaged in mission work in
Volynia and in Stanislaviv. Summoned to Lviv, he took on the duties of community
and province bursar, without giving up his mission preaching.
During the night of 20-21 December 1940 he was arrested by the
Bolsheviks, because he was regarded as a spy for the Archbishop and because he
had preached the truth courageously to the people. He underwent torture and
brutal interrogation. His confreres learnt he was in the notorious “Bryghidky”
prison only in April 1941.
According to his fellow prisoners, Father Zynovij never gave up for a
moment on his pastoral work. In cell no. 71, measuring 4 metres by 3,
thirty-two people were confined, without a bed, a chair or a bench. When they
attempted to sleep, Zynovij tried to share his blanket with his neighbours.
Every day he led his companions in prayer together, reciting the Rosary. He heard
their confessions and gave them instruction in the Faith. He was a jovial man
so he tried to keep up the spirits of his fellow prisoners by telling them
amusing stories. During his six months in prison he endured no less than
twenty-eight interrogations, during which he was always savagely beaten.
When, on June 29, 1941, the city of Lviv was captured by the German
forces and the soviet prisons were opened to free the captives, heaps of
corpses were found showing clear signs of torture. According to witnesses,
Blessed Zynovij was crucified against a corridor wall in the prison. Soviet
official documents claim however he was shot in that same month of June.
© 2010
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Servant of God Fr Zenobius Kovalyk was
born on 18 August 1903 in the village of Ivachev, not far from Ternopil. He
entered the Congregation of the Redemptorists, where on 28 August 1926, he made
his religious vows. His philosophical and theological education was completed
in Belgium. After returning to Ukraine he was ordained to the priesthood on 4
September 1932. He was assigned to serve in Volyn. On 20 December 1940, he was
arrested in a church while preaching a sermon in honour of the Immaculate
Conception of the Holy Theotokos (Mother of God). In 1941, he was martyred by
the Communists in a mock crucifixion against a wall in the Bryhidky prison
(formerly a convent of the Sisters of St Bridgette), Lviv.
Blessed Zynoviy Kovalyk
(1903-1941)
Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk was born on 18 August 1903 in the village of Ivachiv
Horishniy near Ternopil to a poor peasant family. Before becoming a monk he
worked as a primary school teacher in his village. He had a strong character
and never compromised his faith. The dream of Zynoviy's childhood was to become
a priest. Having discovered his vocation to consecrated life, Zynoviy Kovalyk
joined the Redemptorists. He professed vows as a Redemptorist on 28 August
1926. Shortly after professing his vows, Zynoviy was sent to Belgium for
philosophical and Theological studies.
After his return to Ukraine, on 9 August 1932 Zynoviy Kovalyk was ordained a
priest. On 4 September 1932 Fr. Kovalyk celebrated his first Liturgy in his
home village of Ivachiv. The little icons commemorating his ordination bore the
following inscription: "O Jesus, receive me [as a sacrifice] together with
the Holy Sacrifice of Thy Flesh and Blood. Receive it for the Holy Church, for
my Congregation and for my Motherland". Christ received these words as a
most pure offering. Little did Fr. Kovalyk know that those words were
prophetic, and that soon - in just nine years - they would come true in his
martyrdom…
After his ordination Fr. Kovalyk departed, together with bishop Mykolay
Charnetskyi, to the Volhyn region to serve the cause of reconciliation with
Orthodox Ukrainians. The young priest was a true joy to his confreres. Fr.
Kovalyk had a good sense of humour, beautiful voice and clear diction. He was a
great singer and truly a preacher with a "golden mouth". His
apostolic devotion attracted thousands of people. Fr. Kovalyk loved the Mother of
God with all his heart, and always displayed sincere piety towards her. These
qualities of Fr. Kovalyk brought him great success in his missionary activities.
Having spent several years working in the Volhyn region, Fr. Kovalyk moved to
Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk) to conduct missions there, both in town and
in suburban villages. Immediately before the Soviet invasion of 1939 he moved
to Lviv, to the Redemptorist monastery in Zyblykevycha (now Ivana Franka)
street, and took charge as economo of the monastery.
The courageous priest continued preaching the Word of God even after the Soviet
invasion had started. An important field of Fr. Kovalyk's work was hearing
confessions, and it is in this field that he had particular success: he was
always approached by a great number of people seeking spiritual support.
While most of the Galician Ukrainians were overpowered by terror, Fr. Zynoviy
displayed admirable courage. Most of the preachers were extremely cautious in
their sermons. They tried to avoid the burning issues of the day and
concentrated on exhorting people to be faithful to God. Fr. Kovalyk, on the
contrary, was never afraid to openly condemn the atheistic customs introduced
by the Soviet regime. His sermons had a great impact on the audience, but at
the same time constituted no small danger for the preacher. When advised by his
friends of the possible danger resulting from such manner of preaching, Fr.
Kovalyk answered: "I will receive death gladly if such be God's will, but
I shall never compromise my conscience as a preacher".
The last great sermon by Fr. Kovalyk took place in Ternopil on 28 August 1940
on the occasion of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. That day,
Fr. Kovalyk had some ten thousand faithful in his audience. His old dream of
martyrdom was to come true in just a few months…
On the night of 20-21 December 1940 the agents of the Soviet secret police
entered the Redemptorist monastery to arrest Fr. Kovalyk for his sermons on the
Novena of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, which he had been
delivering in the monastery's church. Before leaving his confreres, Fr. Kovalyk
asked his superior Fr. De Vocht for the last blessing and absolution.
Although the Redemptorists had long tried to find out about their arrested
confrere, it was only in April 1941 that they received information about Fr.
Kovalyk being kept in prison in Zamarstynivska street (the so-called
"Brygidky" prison). During his six months long imprisonment, Fr.
Kovalyk underwent 28 painful interrogations; three times he was brought to
other prisons and interrogated there. After one such interrogation, which was
accompanied by especially cruel tortures, Fr. Kovalyk fell seriously ill due to
considerable loss of blood.
While in prison, Fr. Kovalyk continued his apostolic work. He shared a tiny
(4,20 by 3,50 metres) and unfurnished cell with 32 other inmates. Fr. Kovalyk
together with the prisoners went through a third of the rosary on weekdays and
through the whole rosary on Sundays. In addition, Fr. Kovalyk conducted
liturgical prayers; in May he organized prayers to the Mother of God, and on
the feast of Epiphany he treated the inmates to the liturgical consecration of
water. Apart from prayers, Fr. Kovalyk heard confessions, conducted spiritual
exercises and catechism, and consoled the inmates by narrating - in his
peculiar humorous manner - various religious stories. No wonder that the
prisoners - people in the greatest need of hope and consolation - truly loved
Fr. Kovalyk for his apostolic character.
In 1941, when German troops started their offensive, the prison keepers, eager
to flee but not able to take the prisoners along, started shooting the inmates.
However, it was not enough for them just to shoot Fr. Kovalyk: reminding him of
his sermons about the crucified Christ, they nailed Fr. Kovalyk to the prison
wall in full view of his fellow prisoners.
When German troops entered Lviv, they immediately opened the prisons to clean
up the piles of corpses that had already started to decay. The people rushed to
the prisons hoping to find their relatives. As the witnesses relate, the most
horrible sight was that of a priest crucified upon the prison wall, his abdomen
cut open and a dead human foetus pushed into the cut.
To characterize Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk, we can rightfully use the words from the
vespers of Martyrs regarding the glorious and invincible warrior, who armed
himself with the Cross, defeated the foe, and received the crown of victory
from the only Victor and Ruler who reigns forever. The blessed martyrdom of Fr.
Zynoviy Kovalyk can serve as a graphic representation of the following words
from Scripture: "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and
the suffering shall not meet them … For although the suffering has met them in
the eyes of men, their hope is filled with immortality; having suffered a
little, they will experience great blessings, for God has tried them and found
them worthy of Him"(Wisdom 3,1.4-5).
Taking into account the testimonies of Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk's virtuous life, and
particularly his endurance, courage and faithfulness to the Christ's Church
during the period of persecution, the beatification process was started on the
occasion of the Jubilee Year. On 2 March 2001 the process was completed on the
level of eparchy, and the case was handed over to the Apostolic See. On 6 April
2001 the theological committee recognized the fact of Fr. Kovalyk's martyrdom;
on 23 April his martyrdom was verified by the Assembly of Cardinals, and on 24
April 2001 Most Holy Father John Paul II signed a decree of beatification of
Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk, a blessed martyr of Christian faith.
BLESSED ZENON KOWALYK C.Ss.R.
PRIEST and MARTYR
(1903-1941)
He was born August
18, 1903 in Ivanchiv Horishny (Ternopil). From childhood he was pious and had
the dream of being a priest.
He was accepted
into the Redemptorist Congregation and made his profession of vows on August
28, 1926. He was ordained August 9, 1932.
He was gifted with
a clear, distinct singing voice. His joyful disposition was loved by the
confreres and the people. People listened to his homilies with admiration.
During the first
communist occupation in Halychyna, the Ukrainian Catholic Church was not openly
persecuted. Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky was in charge of the church and the
communists were afraid of him. However priests had to be very prudent in the
way that they preached because there were spies and informants everywhere.
In these
circumstances, Fr. Kowalyk courageously preached the Word of God and love for
the Mother of God. His preaching strengthened the faith of the people and
encouraged them to remain faithful to God and the Church. Because of this the
communists detested him. The confreres and his friends warned him of the danger
and asked him to be more cautious with his expressions, but he responded, saying:
“If it is God’s will, I am ready to die, but I cannot be quiet in the face of
such injustice.”
His desire to
become a martyr for the faith was realized on December 20, 1940. On this day he
was arrested in church during the celebration of the novena to the Mother of
Perpetual Help. From here we lost track of him.
During the German
invasion of the Soviet Union (June 22, 1941), the communists left the territory
that they occupied in 1939. Before fleeing Lviv they massacred around 6000
prisoners in the prisons of the city. Fr. Zenon Kowalyk was among the victims.
This was testified by some of those fortunate to escape being massacred. They
recounted that Fr. Kowalyk was with them. In prison he continued his priestly
mission: preaching confessing, strengthening the prisoners. God chose him to be
there and help those people before their death. Witnesses claim that he died by
being crucified on the wall of the prison.
If you would like
more information about Blessed Nicholas, please contact our shrine office at:
204-338-7321 or bvshrine@mts.net
Blessed
Zynoviy Kovalyk
(1903-1941)
Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk was born on 18 August
1903 in the village of Ivachiv Horishniy near Ternopil to a poor peasant
family. Before becoming a monk he worked as a primary school teacher in his
village. He had a strong character and never compromised his faith. The dream
of Zynoviy's childhood was to become a priest. Having discovered his vocation
to consecrated life, Zynoviy Kovalyk joined the Redemptorists. He professed
vows as a Redemptorist on 28 August 1926. Shortly after professing his vows,
Zynoviy was sent to Belgium for philosophical and Theological studies.
After his return to Ukraine, on 9 August
1932 Zynoviy Kovalyk was ordained a priest. On 4 September 1932 Fr. Kovalyk
celebrated his first Liturgy in his home village of Ivachiv. The little icons
commemorating his ordination bore the following inscription: "O Jesus,
receive me [as a sacrifice] together with the Holy Sacrifice of Thy Flesh and
Blood. Receive it for the Holy Church, for my Congregation and for my
Motherland". Christ received these words as a most pure offering. Little
did Fr. Kovalyk know that those words were prophetic, and that soon - in just
nine years - they would come true in his martyrdom.
After his ordination Fr. Kovalyk
departed, together with Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky, to the Volyn region to serve
the cause of reconciliation with Orthodox Ukrainians. The young priest was a
true joy to his confreres. Fr. Kovalyk had a good sense of humour, beautiful
voice and clear diction. He was a great singer and truly a preacher with a
"golden mouth". His apostolic devotion attracted thousands of people.
Fr. Kovalyk loved the Mother of God with all his heart, and always displayed
sincere piety towards her. These qualities of Fr. Kovalyk brought him great
success in his missionary activities.
Having spent several years working in the
Volyn region, Fr. Kovalyk moved to Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk) to conduct
missions there, both in town and in suburban villages. Immediately before the
Soviet invasion of 1939 he moved to Lviv, to the Redemptorist monastery in
Zyblykevycha (now Ivana Franka) street, and took charge as econome of the
monastery.
The courageous priest continued preaching
the Word of God even after the Soviet invasion had started. An important field
of Fr. Kovalyk's work was hearing confessions, and it is in this field that he
had particular success: he was always approached by a great number of people
seeking spiritual support.
While most of the Galician Ukrainians
were overpowered by terror, Fr. Zynoviy displayed admirable courage. Most of
the preachers were extremely cautious in their sermons. They tried to avoid the
burning issues of the day and concentrated on exhorting people to be faithful
to God. Fr. Kovalyk, on the contrary, was never afraid to openly condemn the
atheistic customs introduced by the Soviet regime. His sermons had a great
impact on the audience, but at the same time constituted no small danger for
the preacher. When advised by his friends of the possible danger resulting from
such manner of preaching, Fr. Kovalyk answered: "I will receive death
gladly if such be God's will, but I shall never compromise my conscience as a
preacher".
The last great sermon by Fr. Kovalyk took
place in Ternopil on 28 August 1940 on the occasion of the feast of the
Dormition of the Mother of God. That day, Fr. Kovalyk had some ten thousand
faithful in his audience. His old dream of martyrdom was to come true in just a
few months.
On the night of 20-21 December 1940 the
agents of the Soviet secret police entered the Redemptorist monastery to arrest
Fr. Kovalyk for his sermons on the Novena of the Immaculate Conception of the
Mother of God, which he had been delivering in the monastery's church. Before
leaving his confreres, Fr. Kovalyk asked his superior Fr. De Vocht for the last
blessing and absolution.
Although the Redemptorists had long tried
to find out about their arrested confrere, it was only in April 1941 that they
received information about Fr. Kovalyk being kept in prison in Zamarstynivska
street (the so-called "Brygidky" prison). During his six months long
imprisonment, Fr. Kovalyk underwent 28 painful interrogations; three times he
was brought to other prisons and interrogated there. After one such
interrogation, which was accompanied by especially cruel tortures, Fr. Kovalyk
fell seriously ill due to considerable loss of blood.
While in prison, Fr. Kovalyk continued
his apostolic work. He shared a tiny (4.2 by 3.5 metres) and unfurnished cell
with 32 other inmates. Fr. Kovalyk together with the prisoners went through a
third of the rosary on weekdays and through the whole rosary on Sundays. In
addition, Fr. Kovalyk conducted liturgical prayers; in May he organized prayers
to the Mother of God, and on the feast of Epiphany he treated the inmates to
the liturgical consecration of water. Apart from prayers, Fr. Kovalyk heard
confessions, conducted spiritual exercises and catechism, and consoled the
inmates by narrating - in his peculiar humorous manner - various religious
stories. No wonder that the prisoners - people in the greatest need of hope and
consolation - truly loved Fr. Kovalyk for his apostolic character.
In 1941, when German troops started their
offensive, the prison keepers, eager to flee but not able to take the prisoners
along, started shooting the inmates. However, it was not enough for them just
to shoot Fr. Kovalyk: reminding him of his sermons about the crucified Christ,
they nailed Fr. Kovalyk to the prison wall in full view of his fellow
prisoners.
When German troops entered Lviv, they
immediately opened the prisons to clean up the piles of corpses that had
already started to decay. The people rushed to the prisons hoping to find their
relatives. As the witnesses relate, the most horrible sight was that of a
priest crucified upon the prison wall, his abdomen cut open and a dead human
fetus pushed into the cut.
To characterize Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk, we
can rightfully use the words from the vespers of Martyrs regarding the glorious
and invincible warrior, who armed himself with the Cross, defeated the foe, and
received the crown of victory from the only Victor and Ruler who reigns
forever. The blessed martyrdom of Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk can serve as a graphic
representation of the following words from Scripture: "The souls of the
righteous are in the hand of God, and the suffering shall not meet them … For
although the suffering has met them in the eyes of men, their hope is filled
with immortality; having suffered a little, they will experience great
blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy of Him" (Wisdom
3,1;4-5).
Taking into account the testimonies of
Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk's virtuous life, and particularly his endurance, courage
and faithfulness to the Christ's Church during the period of persecution, the
beatification process was started on the occasion of the Jubilee Year. On 2
March 2001 the process was completed on the level of eparchy, and the case was
handed over to the Apostolic See. On 6 April 2001 the theological committee
recognized the fact of Fr. Kovalyk's martyrdom; on 23 April his martyrdom was
verified by the Assembly of Cardinals, and on 24 April 2001 Most Holy Father
John Paul II signed a decree of beatification of Fr. Zynoviy Kovalyk, a blessed
martyr of Christian faith.
SOURCE
: http://www.sspp.ca/Kovalk.htm
Beato Zenone (Zynovij) Kovalyk Sacerdote e martire
Ivatsciv Horiscnij,
Ucraina, 18 agosto 1903 – Lviv (Leopoli), Ucraina, giugno 1941
Zynovij
Kovalyk nacque nel 1903 a Ivatsciv Horiscnij, in Ucraina. Entrò nella
Congregazione del Santissimo e, ordinato sacerdote nel 1932, svolse
l'apostolato missionario tra gli ortodossi in Volynia. Nella notte del 20
dicembre 1940 fu arrestato e incarcerato dai bolscevichi a Lviv dove, in 6
mesi, subì ventotto brutali interrogatori. Quando la città fu liberata dalle
truppe tedesche nelle prigioni fu rinvenuta una massa di cadaveri massacrati
con i segni delle torture subite. L'avanzato stato di decomposizione non
permise ai confratelli di riconoscere il corpo di padre Kovalyk. Secondo alcuni
testimoni del processo di beatificazione, il religioso fu crocifisso ad una
parete della prigione, mentre invecedai documenti ufficiali delle autorità
sovietiche risulta che fu fucilato insieme agli altri prigionieri nel giugno
del 1941. Zynovij Kovalyk fu beatificato da Giovanni Paolo II il 27 giugno
2001, insieme con altre 24 vittime del regime sovietico di nazionalità ucraina.
(Avvenire)
Martirologio
Romano: A Leopoli in Ucraina, commemorazione del beato Zenone Kovalyk,
sacerdote della Congregazione del Santissimo Redentore e martire, che, sotto un
regime ateo, in un giorno sconosciuto di questo mese meritò di conseguire la
palma del martirio.
Zynovij
Kovalyk nacque il 18 agosto 1903 a Ivatsciv Horiscnij, nei pressi di Ternopil
in Ucraina. Entrò nella Congregazione del Santissimo Redentore ed il 28 agosto
1926 emise i voti religiosi. Completati gli studi filosofici e teologici in
Belgio, ricevette l’ordinazione presbiterale il 9 agosto 1932. Da quell’anno
svolse l’apostolato missionario tra gli ortodossi in Volynia. Prima del 1939 fu
inviato a Lviv, ove ricoprì la carica di economo della sua comunità religiosa,
nonchè della metropolia di Lviv. Fu inoltre assiduo confessore e celebre
predicatore.
Zynovij Kovalyk fu arrestato dai bolscevichi nella notte del 20 dicembre 1940
ed incarcerato in una prigione di Lviv. Durante i sei mesi di detenzione subì
ben ventotto brutali interrogatori. Quando, il 29 giugno 1941, la città di Lviv
fu liberata dalle truppe tedesche e vennero aperte le prigioni, in una di esse,
quella di Bryghidky, fu rinvenuta una massa di cadaveri massacrati con i segni
delle torture subite. L’avanzato stato di decomposizione non permise purtroppo
ai confratelli di ritrovare il corpo di Padre Kovalyk. Secondo alcuni testimoni
del processo di beatificazione, il religioso fu crocifisso alla parete del
corridoio della prigione, mentre invece dai documenti ufficiali delle autorità
sovietiche risulta che fu fucilato insieme agli altri prigionieri nel giugno
del 1941.
Zynovij Kovalyk fu beatificato da Giovanni Paolo II il 27 giugno 2001, insieme
con altre 24 vittime del regime sovietico di nazionalità ucraina, ed il
Martyrologium Romanum lo commemora in data 30 giugno.
Autore: Fabio
Arduino
