Martyred by USSR | Name Roman Lysko Beatified June 27, 2001 | |
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Means of martyrdom Prison at Lontskoho Street, Lviv Died October 14, 1949, Lviv, Ukraine | ||
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Blessed Roman Lysko (Ukrainian: Роман Лиско; August 14, 1914 – October 14, 1949) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and martyr.
Lysko was born on 14 August 1914 in Horodok, Lviv Oblast. He studied theology and graduated from the Lviv Theological Academy. On August 28, 1941 he was ordained a priest by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. He was Pastor of the Archeparchy of Lviv for Ukrainians.
He was assigned administrator for the parish in the village of Kotliw, Oliyiv county. In 1944 Rev. Roman was assigned to a parish in the village of Belzets, Zolochiv county. He was also a member of the underground Ukrainian youth organization Plast in his 30's and leader of the Plast group "Fox" (Lys).
Lysko was also active in working with youth, together with his wife (ordaining married priests is a common practice in the Eastern Churches, since the beginning of Christianity).
On 9 September 1949, he was arrested by the NKVD. He was put into prison in Lviv. The people of the city reported hearing him loudly sing Psalms after he was tortured. His torturers reportedly thought he had gone insane. He died from starvation after being immured in the prison walls. The official date of his death was 14 October 1949.
A plaque on that building on Lonsky Avenue reads that here, within the walls of this building, entombed alive, lies Father Roman Lysko, who gave up his life for his faith.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2001.