Today, Sunday, March 10, 2023, a “Panaxyda” in memory of Taras Shevchenko will be served immediately after the Divine Liturgy
Taras was born March 9, 1814 in Moryns4, Ukraine, the foremost Ukrainian poet, prose writer, ar4stpainter, public and poli4cal figure, as well as folklorist and ethnographer and playwright of the 19th century. His literary heritage is regarded to be the founda4on of modern Ukrainian literature. He was a major figure of the Ukrainian Na4onal Revival.
Shevchenko was a man of universal talents. All his life and crea4ve work were dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The poet dreamed about the 4mes when his Country would be a free sovereign state, where the Ukrainian language, culture and history would be highly valued, and the people would be joyful and free. Shevchenko had a unique place in Ukrainian culture, history, and world literature. Through his wri4ngs, (poems) known as the “KOBZAR”, laid the founda4ons for the crea4on of a fully func4onal modern Ukrainian literature.
Born a serf, Shevchenko was freed in 1838 while a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. In early 1847, he started to work as a teacher of visual arts at the Kyiv University. There is became a member of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood and an academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts. When this Brotherhood was suppressed by the Russian authori4es, Shevchenko was punished by exile and compulsory military service for wri4ng his poetry, which sa4rized the oppression of Ukraine by Russia. Though forbidden to write and paint, he did write a few lyrical poems during the first years of his exile.
In 1857, Taras was allowed to return to St. Petersburg. In 1859 he managed to come to Ukraine, yet he was refused the right to live in his Homeland permanently, so he was forced to return to St. Petersburg. During his ten-year long exile, his health was ruined and on March 10, 1861, Taras Shevchenko passed away.
The name of Taras Shevchenko is very well known throughout the world. Monuments in his memory were erected in numerous countries, including Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His literary works were translated into almost all languages of the world. The Na4onal Opera House, Kyiv Na4onal University, a central boulevard in Kyiv as well as many establishments, streets and squares bear the name of the Great Ukrainian Poet and ar4st – TARAS SHEVCHENKO.
This short synopsis of his life - presented by Rt. Rev. Mitred Protopresbyter Fr. Nicholas Orest Rauliuk
Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker solemnly unveiled a monument to Taras Shevchenko in the city of Winnipeg on July 9, 1961
