Hryhoriy Balahurak

Born in Stanislaviv, Austrian-Hungarian Empire (present-day – Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine) in 1909 and in 1925 joined the religious Order of Saint Basil the Great.^[1] He was professed on 1 May 1927, solemn professed on 16 December 1934 and was ordained a priest on 21 May 1936 by Blessed Bishop Josaphat Kotsylovsky. After ordination he served a short time in the monastery in his native Stanislaviv and then, from 1938, as parish priest in Krystynopol. From 1941 until 1945 Fr. Hryhoriy was a superior in the monastery in Stanislaviv.^[1] He was arrested, because the Communist regime abolished the Greek-Catholic Church, and exiled in Siberia in October 1949. Released in 1955, but the second time arrested in 1957 and imprisoned until his death.^[1]

In April 1945 Fr. Balahurak was consecrated to the Episcopate as auxiliary bishop. The principal and single consecrator was Blessed Bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn, who a short time later was arrested and imprisoned by Communists.^[2]

He died in exile on 2 October 1965.^{[citation needed]}