In 1939, ordained a priest.

Scarce sources indicate that during World War II, which began with the German and Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939, was a vicar in Zhovkva. It is unclear, however, whether ministered there throughout the war, or only at the beginning of his priestly journey, or perhaps only at its end in 1944/1945.

Perhaps in 1939, tried to escape from Poland across the border with Romania near Zalishchyky — records in the sources seem to indicate this — although given «Liber Albus»'s his assumed birthplace was the village of Zhezhava on the Dniester, a mere 7 km from the border bridge in Zalishchyky, this hypothesis is unlikely. It is more probable that simply went to his home village at that time — perhaps his parents, relatives, or perhaps just acquaintances and friends lived there.

In the absence of information, it can be assumed with a very high degree of probability that during the occupation‐Russian, German, and again Russian‐ministered in his native archdiocese. That it was there that shared the fate of the Polish, Roman Catholic community of those lands.

The Germans entered Zhovkva, where had been vicar for a while, on 18.09.1939‐the day after the Russian invasion of Poland. But already on 23‐24.09.1939, in accordance with the genocidal agreement between the two allies, known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 23.08.1939, later reaffirmed by the so‐called „Treaty on the German–Russian Border and Friendship” of 28.09.1939, also known as the 2nd Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Germans handed Zhovkva over to the Russians. The Russian occupation began.

In 1939, Zhovkva, c. 25 km from Lviv, was a town with an estimated population of c. 11,300, of whom c. 37% were Roman Catholic Poles, c. 22% Greek Catholic Ukrainians, and c. 41% Jews. During the Russian occupation, Poles, like the inhabitants of other villages and towns, experienced Russian persecution. One of the first measures of the Russian occupier was the sovietization of schools, which meant, for example, the removal of religious education. Immediately thereafter, mass arrests of Poles began. In four large‐scale deportations deep into Russia, „to Siberia” — the first of which took place around 10.02.1940, in the middle of a particularly frosty winter — the Russians deported from 340,000 to 1,000,000 Polish citizens, entire families, „especially those who held significant positions”, i.e. teachers, officers and military settlers, political activists, property owners, businessmen, officials and other wealthy people, considered by the Russians to be a „hostile and harmful element”. Basically, none of them returned to their homeland.

On 22.06.1941, Germany attacked its erstwhile ally, the Russians. Two days later, Russian People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Lavrentiy Beria issued an order to execute all those convicted of „counter‐revolutionary activities”, „anti‐Soviet activities”, sabotage and diversion, as well as political prisoners under investigation. This turned into a genocide of those held in detention centers and prisons, regardless of the reason for their imprisonment. As a result, the Russians murdered c. 29‐34 people in the Zhovkva detention center, according to some sources by shots in the back of the head, according to others, to save money, by smashing the victims" heads with crowbars.

On 29.06.1941, the German occupation began in Zhovkva. The town found itself in the Germ. Kreishauptmannschaft Lemberg (Eng. Lviv County), within the German‐occupied and run quasi‐state called the Germ. Generalgouvernement (Eng. General Governorate), i.e. GG. The persecution of Jews began immediately. At the beginning of 1942, the Germans began implementing the genocidal plan called Germ. «Endlösung der Judenfrage» (Eng. Final Solution of the Jewish Question), i.e. extermination of the Jewish community, in the GG referred to by the German codename Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt» (Eng. Operation Reinhardt). And already on 15.03.1942, the first Germ. Aktion (Eng. action), i.e. deportation of c. 700 Jews, took place, carried out by the Germans with the help of policemen from the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei (Eng. Ukrainian Auxiliary Police) collaborating with them, in some regions also operating as the Germ. Schutzmannschaft (Eng. Protection Battalions), i.e. Schuma. The Jews were informed that they would be transported to the vicinity of Pinsk in Belarus to work draining swamps, but in fact they were taken to the Germ. Vernichtungslager (Eng. Extermination Camp) VL Belzec, c. 55 km to the northwest, and murdered there. It was perhaps the first such transport to VL Belzec, the genocidal process was just getting underway there, and two Jewish women managed to escape and return to Zhovkva. They were not really believed when they told that upon arrival the Jews were forced to undress and then murdered. The second Germ. Aktion took place on 22‐23.11.1942. A transport of c. 2,400 Jews was sent from Zhovkva to VL Belzec. Some, however, were prepared and managed to escape through holes and crevices picked out in the wagons. The Germans and Ukrainians started hunting them, during which, over the next few days, c. 800 Jews were murdered, the bodies buried in the Zhovkva area, mainly in the Jewish cemetery. On 01.12.1942 the Germans established a ghetto in Zhovkva, surrounding it with a barbed wire fence. After bringing in hundreds of Jews from nearby villages and towns, c. 4,000 people were locked in there. Order inside was to be maintained by the Germ. Jüdischer Ordnungsdienst (Eng. Jewish Order Service), while outside security was handled by the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei. In the winter of 1942/1943, a typhus epidemic broke out in the ghetto, leading to the deaths of c. 10‐12 Jews daily. The ghetto was liquidated on 15‐25.03.1943, during two Germ. Aktions. In the first c. 800 Jews were transported to slave labor camps in Lviv and i.a. in Jagiellonian Horodok. In the second, the remaining c. 1,500 were murdered in the „Borek forest”, c. 2 km east of the city center. „The city after the "action" looked terrible, all the way to the "borek", every few steps there were corpses lying in pools of blood. Corpses were also hanging from the wires surrounding the ghetto […] Some Germans chopped up living people with axes”. These same Germans could then „proudly” announce that Zhovkva was Germ. „Judenrein” (Eng. „free of Jews”).

If he was a pastor there at the time, must have witnessed these events. Providing help was practically impossible. Any kind of help was punishable by death — from 25.10.1941, a decree issued by the Germ. Generalgouverneur (Eng. General Governor) of the GG, Hans Frank, was in force, according to which „Jews who leave their assigned district without authorization are subject to the death penalty. The same punishment applies to persons who knowingly provide such Jews with a hiding place”, and „Instigators and accomplices are subject to the same punishment as the perpetrator; an attempted act will be punished as a completed act. In less serious cases, heavy imprisonment or prison may be imposed”.

And it was then, in 02.1943 — even before the final extermination of the Jews in Ternopil — that Roman Shukhevych, nom de guerre „Taras Chuprynka”, the chief commander of the Ukrainian, genocidal OUN/UPA organisation, who in 1941 was a member of the Ukrainian Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall (Eng. Special Group Nightingale) — a unit of the Germ. Wehrmacht (Eng. Armed Forces) that took part in the German attack on Russians in 1941, accused of participating in the Jewish pogrom in Lviv in 1941 — and later a member of the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201 (Eng. 201st Protection team Battalion) — responsible for the murder of Jews and civilians in the territory of Belarus — issued an order: „The extermination operation should be carried out according to the following principles: Polish villages are to be burned, and their populations massacred. Attacks on towns will take place in broad daylight, not at night. In mixed villages, the Polish population alone should be liquidated, and farmsteads should be burned only if they are 15 meters away and when there is no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring Ukrainian buildings. The Ukrainian population will receive instructions as to where to gather during the attack […] For every Ukrainian murdered, whether by Poles or Germans, 100 (one hundred) Poles will be executed”.

It was the de facto signal for the commencement of the «Genocidium Atrox» — i.e. the genocide perpetrated by Ukrainians, known as „Volyn genocide”.

Immediately thereafter, in 03.1943, the UPA issued an appeal to members of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei to desert and join the UPA ranks. Perhaps as many as 10,000 Ukrainians did so.

Volyn was drenched in Polish blood. Tens of thousands of Poles were murdered by the Ukrainians — with German passivity — in an extremely barbaric manner. Hundreds of villages were burned.

Although Shukhevych's order was not formally addressed to the units of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei in the Germ. Distrikt Galizien — for there, in 1943, the genocidal OUN did not establish an armed wing under the name UPA, but formed armed units under a euphemistic name, to „confuse” the Germans, of Ukr. Українська Народна Самооборона (Eng. Ukrainian National Self–Defense), i.e. UNS — but de facto also there the Ukrainian genociders, „unemployed” after the end of the Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt», deserted and joined the UNS. And in 12.1943 — when it became clear that the Germans were losing the war in the East, i.e. on 24.12.1943, a major Russian offensive called the Dnieper–Carpathian Operation began — the UNS was formally transformed into a genocidal „UPA‐West” OUN/UPA unit. In 01.1944, its commander was another of the Ukrainian „trainees” of the Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall and the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201, the degenerate Vasyl Sydor, nom de guerre „Shelest”, who almost immediately ordered „to strike the Poles continuously until they are exterminated to the last one from these lands”. The «Genocidium Atrox» began in the Germ. Distrikt Galizien.

The UNS/UPA had nothing else to do at the time, because — as even the Ukrainian Wikipedia confirms — „during the last months of 1943, UNS units did not conduct armed operations due to the introduction on 02.10.1943, by the Germans in Galicia of the system [of collective responsibility] of executing 10 hostages for the murder of every German soldier or official”. The Poles did not belong to these „officials”. Moreover, the Germans behaved passively towards the genocidal acts of the UNS/UPA, generally not undertaking major operations against Ukrainians.

And it was then, in 02.1943, c. 100 km to the north‐east, in Volyn, that Roman Shukhevych, nom de guerre „Taras Chuprynka”, the chief commander of the Ukrainian, genocidal OUN/UPA organisation, who in 1941 was a member of the Ukrainian Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall (Eng. Special Group Nightingale) — a unit of the Germ. Wehrmacht (Eng. Armed Forces) that took part in the German attack on Russians in 1941, accused of participating in the Jewish pogrom in Lviv in 1941 — and later a member of the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201 (Eng. 201st Protection team Battalion) — responsible for the murder of Jews and civilians in the territory of Belarus — issued an order: „The extermination operation should be carried out according to the following principles: Polish villages are to be burned, and their populations massacred. Attacks on towns will take place in broad daylight, not at night. In mixed villages, the Polish population alone should be liquidated, and farmsteads should be burned only if they are 15 meters away and when there is no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring Ukrainian buildings. The Ukrainian population will receive instructions as to where to gather during the attack […] For every Ukrainian murdered, whether by Poles or Germans, 100 (one hundred) Poles will be executed”.

It was the de facto signal for the commencement of the «Genocidium Atrox» — i.e. the genocide perpetrated by Ukrainians, known as „Volyn genocide”.

Immediately thereafter, in 03.1943, the UPA issued an appeal to members of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei to desert and join the UPA ranks. Perhaps as many as 10,000 Ukrainians did so.

Volyn was drenched in Polish blood. Tens of thousands of Poles were murdered by the Ukrainians — with German passivity — in an extremely barbaric manner. Hundreds of villages were burned.

Although Shukhevych's order was not formally addressed to the units of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei in the Germ. Distrikt Galizien — for there, in 1943, the genocidal OUN did not establish an armed wing under the name UPA, but formed armed units under a euphemistic name, to „confuse” the Germans, of Ukr. Українська Народна Самооборона (Eng. Ukrainian National Self–Defense), i.e. UNS — but de facto also there the Ukrainian genociders, „unemployed” after the end of the Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt», deserted and joined the UNS. And in 12.1943 — when it became clear that the Germans were losing the war in the East, i.e. on 24.12.1943, a major Russian offensive called the Dnieper–Carpathian Operation began — the UNS was formally transformed into a genocidal „UPA‐West” OUN/UPA unit. In 01.1944, its commander was another of the Ukrainian „trainees” of the Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall and the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201, the degenerate Vasyl Sydor, nom de guerre „Shelest”, who almost immediately ordered „to strike the Poles continuously until they are exterminated to the last one from these lands”. The «Genocidium Atrox» began in the Germ. Distrikt Galizien.

The UNS/UPA had nothing else to do at the time, because — as even the Ukrainian Wikipedia confirms — „during the last months of 1943, UNS units did not conduct armed operations due to the introduction on 02.10.1943, by the Germans in Galicia of the system [of collective responsibility] of executing 10 hostages for the murder of every German soldier or official”. The Poles did not belong to these „officials”. Moreover, the Germans behaved passively towards the genocidal acts of the UNS/UPA, generally not undertaking major operations against Ukrainians.

On 23.07.1944, during the offensive known as the Lviv–Sandomierz Operation, the Russians captured Zhovkva. The Russian occupation began. But the «Genocidium Atrox» did not end — Ukrainians continued to attack Poles, although they no longer had German de facto support. The new Russian occupier began to actively fight the UPA, especially since the UPA began — in addition to constant genocidal attacks on Poles — to attack Russians. It came to the point that on 01.09.1944, Vasyl Sydor „Shelest” ordered a halt to the action, but excluded „the Polish element collaborating with the NKVD and the organs of Moscow imperialism”. The OUN/UPA was however still to attack „a Polish militia of 20 people in some locality. One third or half of them should be destroyed, the rest disarmed and warned that if they do not stop collaborating with the Bolsheviks against us, they will also be destroyed next time”.

The pause was short–lived — at the turn of 1944/1945, Ukrainian génocidaires resumed their murders of Polish civilians.

Zhovkva was too large a town for the cowards of the OUN/UPA to attack it directly. Individual murders took place there, but these — together with the information reaching about the murders of entire nearby Polish villages — created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

And prob. then, perhaps in connection with Christmas 1944, decided to visit his home village, Zhezhava, in distant Podolya. In 1939, an estimated 900 people lived there — including the manor — i.e. c. 35% Roman Catholic Poles and c. 62% Greek Catholic Ukrainians/Rusyns. There were also a few Jews.

When he arrived there, at least two UPA sotnias were marauding in the area: Ukr. „Чорноморці” (Eng. „Black See men”) and Ukr. „Сірі вовки” (Eng. „Gray Wolves”), under the command of head of kurin, Peter Khamchuk, nom de guerre Ukr. „Бистрий” (Eng. „Bright”), subordinate to the commander of the UPA Military District WO‐3 „Lysonya”, Emilian (Omelian) Polovyi, nom de guerre „Ostap” — who carried out the orders of the aforementioned génocidaireSydor — with a „career path” identical to that of his superiors — i.e. through the Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall and the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201, where he gained experience in the extermination of Jews, to the OUN/UPA. And at the turn of 1944/1945 they began a series of extremely brutal, genocidal attacks on Polish villages. Perhaps agents of the genocidal Ukr. Служба Безпеки (Eng. Security Service), i.e. SB OUN, whose task was to track down political and ideological opponents of the OUN, carry out their physical liquidation, and also participate in the murders of the Polish population, took part in the attacks. Sources indicate that „SB OUN could only issue death sentences to "enemies of the Ukrainian nation" […] For minor offenses, the so‐called buki were used, i.e. beatings with beech sticks from 10 to 50 strokes. Major offenses were punished by death. The sentence was carried out by shooting or hanging […] some group commanders "chopped off the heads of their victims"”. The SB OUN was founded in 1940, under the watchful eyes of the Germans, and training was conducted, among others, in Zakopane, at the „Stamary” hotel. According to the contemporary website of this hotel, „the training included the principles of sabotage, Gestapo methods of interrogation and methods of killing”. At the same time, i.e. on 20.02.1940, in Zakopane, at the „Pan Tadeusz” (Eng. „Sir Thaddeus”) and „Telimena” villas, the third so‐called „thematic conference” of the Germ. Geheime Staatspolizei (Eng. Secret State Police), i.e. Gestapo, and the Russian Rus. Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел (Eng. People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs), i.e. NKVD, two genocidal allied organizations, debating cooperation and ways of combating and exterminating Poles in the territories they occupied. In Zakopane, all these undertakings were supervised by the Gestapo, which had its headquarters in the „Palace” villa, where Polish patriots were being murdered.

His village was apparently attacked by genocidal groups several times, each time murdering several Poles. Fell victim to one of them.

Polish sources only note that in 01.1945, „during a UPA attack, Poles took up the defense, and five people were killed: Father Joseph Rupnicki, a father with his two daughters, and a Polish woman who had come from Zalishchyky to her home for food”.

Several days later, on 02.02.1945, the same group attacked Chervonohrad, c.15 km to the north, also on the Dniester, murdering 49‐60 Poles, including one priest and two nuns.

On 14.01.1945, and therefore at that time, the génocidaire Emilian Polowy was to receive the Bronze Cross of Military Merit of the UPA. Meanwhile, the génocidaire Roman Shukhevych was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine on 12.10.2007. On 10.12.2017, on behalf of the „Coordination Council for the Commemoration of Decorated Knights of the OUN and UPA”, génocidaire Vasyl Sydor was posthumously awarded in Lviv the Silver Cross of Military Merit of the UPA, 1st Class (No. 009). In several locations, monuments and commemorative plaques have been erected to these Lat. „hostis humani generis”, the schools were named after them — e.g. in 2014, the Ukrainian state erected a monument in honor of the génocidairePeter Khamczuk in Chortkiv.

Lat. „O Tempora! O mores!”

Murdered by the Russians — before 22.06.1941, and the German attack on their aforementioned ally, the Russians — while trying to cross the border between the Russian and German occupation (or Hungary or Romania).

This version is supported by the lack of knowledge about the fate of the priest in the years 1941‐1944.

Date and place of birth not confirmed in church sources — deduced on the basis of the „Report” of the Kołomyia gymnasium for the year 1930/1931.