Our Lady of Hrushiv

Marian Advocation of Hrushiv (Galitzia)

Marian apparitions linked to Our Lady of Hrushiv they are located in a small town near Leópolis (Lviv), in the historical region of Galitzia, in western Ukraine, within the scope of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Iglesia. The advocation is related to two great waves of alleged apparitions: one around the First World War (1914) and another, much more documented, between 1987 y 1988in the final stage of the Soviet regime and shortly before the legalization of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. On these apparitions many stories circulate in popular piety, but official ecclesial documentation is limited and, in general, prudent: there is no definitive canonical recognition of the supernatural character of visions.

Main data

Origin and history

Marian apparitions linked to Our Lady of Hrushiv they are located in a small town near Leópolis (Lviv), in the historical region of Galitzia, in western Ukraine, within the scope of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Iglesia. The advocation is related to two great waves of alleged apparitions: one around the First World War (1914) and another, much more documented, between 1987 y 1988in the final stage of the Soviet regime and shortly before the legalization of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. On these apparitions many stories circulate in popular piety, but official ecclesial documentation is limited and, in general, prudent: there is no definitive canonical recognition of the supernatural character of visions.

In the plan of the documented historythe context is clear: the region experienced the repression of the Greek-Catholic Church after the imposition of the Soviet regime and its forced "union" with the orthodoxy controlled by the State, as well as the subsequent from communism and restoration of religious freedom in the late '80s. In Hrushiv, various Marian chronicles and oral testimonies place the apparition of a "Lady in light" who called for conversion, fidelity to the Catholic Church and prayer for peace, interpreted by many faithful as an intervention by the Virgin in the sunset of Soviet power.

In the plan of the tradition / legend, we talk about previous apparitions in 1914associated with the imminence of war and the protection of the people from the suffering that was coming. It also mentions prophetic messages about future persecutions and disasters, which some authors have subsequently connected with the Chernobyl tragedy and the crisis of the communist system. However, these accounts are mainly transmitted orally, in devotional publications or in social networks, without sound historical documentation or comprehensive canonical processes published; therefore, they must be considered pious local tradition, not fully verified.

The image and the sanctuary

The devotion to Our Lady of Hrushiv is expressed mainly by a Marian icon of the Ukrainian tradition, which the faithful regularly associate with the iconography of the "Virgen de la Ternura" (Eleousa): The Mother of God with the Child Jesus in her arms, cheek with cheek, highlighting the closeness and mercy, very widespread in the Slavic world. However, as regards the specific image venerated in Hrushiv, does not contain a detailed technical description in accessible sources (material, author, date, dimensions) derived from the sanctuary itself or from the diocese.

The main place of veneration is the church or local sanctuary of Hrushiv, belonging to the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian rite. In some chronicles it is presented as a place of pilgrimage and of memory of the apparitions, with liturgical celebrations according to Byzantine tradition and strong presence of Marian icons. However, no consta that the temple has the official title of minor basilica, National sanctuary o diocesan Marian shrine in easily verifiable documents: this is, above all, a place of regional devotion linked to the memory of the apparitions and the resistance of the Greek-Catholic Church under the Soviet regime.

Sponsorship and coronation

As regards patronazgothe advocation of Our Lady of Hrushiv is above all linked to one's own village of Hrushiv and to the area of Galitzia where the apparitions arose, within the wider Marian tradition of Ukraine, which often proclaims the Virgin as “Reina de Ucrania” from the consecration of the country to Mary attributed to Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1037. It is not clear from official sources that Our Lady of Hrushiv has been formally declared patron of a diocese, region or of the entire Ukrainian nation.

On the canonical coronation the icon or image, does not contain a documented canonical coronation given by pontifical mandate or officially recognized by the Holy See or by the Greek-Catholic hierarchy, unlike other Ukrainian Marian shrines (such as Zarvanytsia or Pochaiv) where solemn coronations are known.

Party and devotion

In the Ukrainian Byzantine liturgy the great Marian parties abound (Sleeping, Nativity of the Mother of God, Protection of the Mother of God - Pokrova, etc.), but no consta in official calendars a litigation memory universal specific to "Our Lady of Hrushiv" for the whole Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church. At the local level, the main memory is often associated with the dates of the apparitions, especially around 1987with commemorative celebrations, Eucharistic processions and the veneration of the icon, but this remains at the level of local tradition not codified in the general calendar.

The devotion stands out for its strong tone of prayer for peaceconversion and fidelity to the Catholic faith in times of persecution, as well as for the grateful memory of the fall of communism and the recovery of religious freedom, interpreted by many faithful in response to the call of the Virgin. There are no official figures of influx, but various testimonies speak of a remarkable flow of pilgrims, especially in the anniversaries of apparitions and in times of national crisis, when the faithful come to ask for the intercession of the Mother of God for Ukraine.

Link to the Rosary

In the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian tradition, the main Marian prayer is the Acathistos, el Parachutes and other liturgical forms of the Byzantine rite; Rosaryof more typically Latin origin, however, it is increasingly widespread, especially from the 20th century and from contact with Western Marian spirituality. In the specific case of Our Lady of Hrushiv, no consta in verified sources an explicit message from the Virgin referring to the prayer of the Rosary, nor direct indications of this devotion.

However, the figure of Mary in Hrushiv is seen as Mother of peace and conversion, features deeply in line with the spirituality of the Rosary: by meditating on the mysteries of Christ's life together with Mary, the Greek-Catholic and Latino faithful can unite the intentions for peace in Ukraine, fidelity to the Gospel in contexts of persecution and the supplication for the unity of Christians. The Rosary thus becomes a universal channel of prayer that accompanies and sustains devotion to Our Lady of Hrushiv, integrating her into the great Marian current of the Church.