Bl. Ivan Sleziuk

Ivan Sleziukwas born on January 14, 1896 in the village of Zhyvachiv, Ivano-Frankivsk District. In 1923 he was ordained to the priesthood. In April of 1945 Bishop Gregory Khomyshyn ordained him as his co-adjutor with right of succession. On June 2, 1945, Bishop Ivan was arrested and deported for ten years to the labor camps in Vorkuta, Russia. After his release on November 15, 1954, he returned to Ivano-Frankivsk. In 1962, he was arrested again and imprisoned for five years in a camp of strict regimen. After his release on November 30, 1968, he had to go often to the KGB for regular "talks." The last visit was two weeks before his death, which occurred December 2, 1973, in Ivano-Frankivsk.