Batkiv church appeals for aid (08/13/06)

Batkiv church appeals for aid

by Natalie Temnycky

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The villagers of Batkiv, in western Ukraine, need financial assistance to finish building St. John the Baptist Church. About 80 percent of the church has been completed. However, it stands unfinished due to a lack of funds.

Yaroslava Dytiuk, who is leading the fund-raising effort from Batkiv, commented on the project: "The economy [of Ukraine] is weak and villagers don't have enough money." Her family members in the United States are helping Ms. Dytiuk publicize the project.

Her cousin John Dytiuk of Wethersfield, Conn., explained that Batkiv residents attended liturgy in their church, which was built after World War I, until the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate took over the building in 1946. Since then, they have been holding liturgies in their own homes, where traveling priests conduct services.

After Ukraine regained independence in 1991, the villagers had hoped to regain control of their church, but they did not. Thus, they decided to build a new church, St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

Funds for the church have been contributed mainly by families of Batkiv residents and members of the Selfreliance Federal Credit Union in Baltimore, Md. The credit union formed an account a couple of years ago for donations toward the project.

An appeal for financial support has been issued to the Ukrainian American community by Mr. Dytiuk and Dmytro Woch of East Hanover, N.J., who both are originally from the village of Batkiv.

Donations, with the notation "A/C 52379 Batkiv Church," may be sent to: Selfreliance FCU, 2345 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224.

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