Ukrainian Christian Movement

Ukrainian Christian Movement (Український християнський рух; Ukrainskyi khrystyianskyi rukh, or УХР; UKhR). A community and religious organization of Ukrainian Catholics in Western Europe, founded on the initiative of Archbishop Ivan Buchko in 1955. Volodymyr Yaniv was appointed president, and Myron Konovalets was made head of its council (later he was replaced by I. Holubovych). National chapters were established in Germany, France, England, and Belgium, headed by Hnat Martynets, O. Melnykovych, R. Rudensky, and Volodymyr Popovych respectively. In seven other countries (four of which were outside Europe) trust groups were set up. As an organization with an ecumenical purpose, the UKhR invited Ukrainian Orthodox activists to participate.

The UKhR sought to expand lay participation in Ukrainian religious life. It organized pilgrimages to Rome and Lourdes for the millennium of Princess Olha's baptism, the 15th anniversary of Andrei Sheptytsky's death, and other occasions. For the 10th anniversary of the Soviet arrest of the Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy and the 25th anniversary of the Soviet abolition of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox church, it compiled memorial booklets, which were distributed throughout the world. In 1962 the UKhR initiated a campaign for the release of Metropolitan Yosyf Slipy. The UKhR participated officially in international Catholic organizations, particularly in World Congresses of the Lay Apostolate. It also organized study days in Rocca di Papa in Italy on the topic of Ukrainian laity in the life of the church. It supported a conference on religion in the life of the Ukrainian people, together with the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh), the Ukrainian Free University (UVU), the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences (UVAN), and the Ukrainian Theological Scholarly Society. The proceedings of both events were published. The UKhR also published Informatyvnyi lystok zv'iazku. Leading UKhR activists included D. Buchynsky, Yevhen Glovinsky, Vasyl Kachmar, Oleksander Kulchytsky, Ivan Mirchuk, D. Pelensky, Stepan Shakh, and Petro Zeleny. In the early 1970s UKhR activity dropped off, and its members joined the laymen's movement in support of a Ukrainian patriarchate.

Volodymyr Yaniv

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]