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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2016 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 11 tion by czarist powers, for which he spent almost six years in prison and in exile. Nonetheless he wrote in Russian, and his contemporaries called him “the conscience of Russia.” By the 20th century Russian-speaking Ukrainians were already escaping from the cap- tivity of the Russian language. Olena Teliha (neé Shovhenova or Shovheniva, 1906–1942) became a shining example of this movement. She was a Ukrainian poet, journalist, literary critic, and ac- tivist in the Organization of Ukrainian National- ists. Born in Illinske (near Moscow) to a family that was half Belarusian and half Ukrainian and having lived a significant part of her life in St. Pe- tersburg, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, Teliha be- came one of the most dedicated patriots of Ukraine. Although the primary language in the Shovheniv household was Russian, Olena’s par- ents were able to preserve loyalty to their Ukrain- ian origins. As a child, Olena studied foreign lan- guages. She acquired a good knowledge of French and German, but did not know Ukrainian. How- ever, driven by an acute feeling of historic justice, she was able to return to the language of her fore- bears. She became a brave defender of the Ukrainian language as a whole and further re- fined Ukrainian poetic language. The following is a noteworthy episode from Olena Teliha’s life in Czechoslovakia. At one of the meetings at the National Home, in the presence of Russian monarchists, insulting re- marks were made about the Ukrainian language. Olena found courage within herself to declare: “You are brutes! This ‘dog’s language’ is my lan- guage. It is the language of my father and mother. I want nothing to do with you anymore!” So why don’t our present-day Russian- speaking Ukrainians show such courage? Ukrainians living in Western Ukraine also spent ample time in the prison of a foreign lan- guage. The problem here, however, was poloniza- tion. During the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and later [when Western Ukraine was considered part of Poland], the power was in the hands of the Poles, who, like every other occupy- ing force, understood that the national spirit is grounded in native language. Thus, they made various attempts to polonize Ukrainians. To a great extent, this plan worked. However, the lead- ing representatives of Galicia selflessly opposed both Polish oppression and forcible polonization of Ukrainians. The resistance movement was led mainly by priests and writers. This year it is especially fitting to remem- ber the example of Metropolitan Andrey Shepty- tsky whose 150th year of birth we are marking in 2015. Andrey was the son of Count Ivan Shepty- tsky, descendant of an old noble family, which back in the year 1284 had received a land grant and a decree to rule said lands from Prince Lev. In the 18th and 19th century, the title of Count was bestowed upon individual representatives of the family, among them the forefathers of our Metro- politan. The mother of the Metropolitan, Sophia, was the daughter of Polish writer Alexander Fredr, and her family was related to the royal house of Sobiecki. Because of his origins Andrey Sheptytsky was guaranteed wealth, a successful career, and a trouble-free, happy life. Yet he did not follow this easy path. Let us ask ourselves why not. Having learned about his Ukrainian roots and being fully aware of the historical injustice perpetrated against the Ukrainian people, young Sheptytsky obtained permission from the Vatican to exchange his Roman Catholic rite, traditional for Poles, to the Greek Catholic rite, traditional for Ukrainians in Western Ukraine. He became the greatest figure of the Ukrainian Church and a true leader of the Ukrainian people, one who self- lessly cared for all aspects of the people’s lives. Why did he choose such a complicated, untradi- tional, and unprestigious path? Was it youthful romanticism or fate? Most likely, it was an acute feeling of justice and a desire to serve the Ukrain- ian people by correcting the historical injustice. At this time Ukraine is in great need of such an understanding of justice by its citizens. And a conscious return to one's own language, lost by parents and grandparents because of his- torical circumstances, is essential to this. The Board of the UNWLA and the Editorial Board of Our Life magazine extend heartfelt condolences to Tamara Stadnychenko Cornelison, the English-language editor of Our Life, on the passing of her father, LEW STADNYCHENKO. May He Rest in Peace! Vichnaya Pamyat’!
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