The former head of our Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, the blessed metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky died on November 1, 1944 due to complications from the flu. On Nov. 5^th he was buried in the underground crypt of St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv. On the eve of his passing, on Oct. 31^st he spoke these words to those gathered around him:

“Our Church will be destroyed, devastated by the Bolsheviks. But stand firm, do not desert the faith, the Holy Catholic Church. The terrible experience which will befall our church will be temporary. I see the resurrection of our Church. The Church will be more beautiful, more glorious than before and she will embrace our whole nation. Ukraine will free itself from its fall and will become a strong state, united, great and will become an equal of other highly developed and civilized countries of the world. Peace, prosperity, good fortune, high culture, mutual love and concord will reign in Ukraine.”