Марія Микитка

«– Tell me about meeting your future husband, how it happened. Mrs. M. – I met him at my friend’s place, at Maria Skrobach’s, who you will, probably, visit. It is Stare Selo. She invited me to her place, and I went there in the summer. [] They were only engaged with fr. Stephen, her husband. And my future husband was a very good friend of fr. Skrobach. He came there as a friend. There were the other students as well there. And we saw each other there but briefly. – When was it? What year? During the Germans’ time? – Maybe, in 1942 or about 1942-1943. – What were your relationships? Did you correspond with him? – A little bit we did. But it lasted very briefly. [] As my future husband came to my place, my father liked him very much. Because he came to the church as a theologian. So my father didn’t mind, but he said,'' Now the times are bad ... It’s necessary to be ordained. '' And the time was terrible, because Germans had come, and Russians were coming ... He said, '' Even if I had to walk, I’d do this to get married to you as soon as possible, because of ordaining.'' It was really a hard time ... The last days. So he could hardly come to get my father’s permission. As he got to my place, Germans were going back and those Russians were coming. He said,'' I have to get to L’viv. I'm as married should go to get there yet ordained.'' [] – Did your dad crown you? – No. That was a Greek Catholic priest, a senior. I remember he was from Ustryk, it’s a bit farther from Liskuvate. So he came. I remember that he seems to have married us. Then my mum wasn’t alive yet, my father was old. That was so there... – How did you imagine the life of the priest’s wife? Mrs. M. – I was determined. Because my husband said,'' You must think it over properly, for everything can happen. We may be taken out to Siberia ...'' Well, we were prepared for that at 100%. ''They can take me to jail, but you can be taken out to Siberia.'' He demonstrated it all in the black to me. He said, ''So, do think properly and decide.'' And I took pity on him []»

«They knocked. And the children were little; they began crying, because it was at night. But my mother-in-law said, ''I won’t leave you. I'm going with you. Where the children will be, I will be there too.'' Ah, yes. She got a bad attack then and we didn’t know what to do whether to dress the little children or to rescue her, because she was dying. And what should be taken along? We were very confused. But we managed to rescue the mum. She went to Siberia with us and there she could live a little longer yet. And also the children were little. They were three at that time. My son was nearly died as we were being taken out to Siberia. They said that the child had already died. – Do you remember how you travelled, the way to Siberia? What did you go by? – We went by goods train for 5 weeks. We sat on the plank beds. Some child even seems to have fallen down from them there. And there was the small window there. And at the other station already in Siberia the other train arrived. The prisoners were taken in it. So those prisoners wondered,'' Who is taken in this train?'' They could see little children, old people through that small window. They wondered, '' Who are they taking in it - such little children and elderly people?'' – When did you arrive there? Can you recall and describe your impressions of all that? – We were dropped out and then were taken into a boat (or so- called barge) and transported by sea into taiga. It seemed that from there we would never get out. There were the people who had been brought before ... we were dropped out ashore. And the people taken before had already had some houses built like cottages. And there one family took us into their small room. There were 11 people in that small room. There was one family and here another was. And there was no room for us there, and that’s why we put the boards between the two beds at night and lay there. We were the third family to spend the night there. And then we were taken into the barracks, we lived in those barracks. We had a small room in the barracks. [] – In the barracks the winter was severe; the ice was on the walls. We bought a goat, because the children needed milk. They were still little. When it was too cold and frosty outside we brought that goat in that small room as well, because it could be frozen outside anyway. We kept some hens, only a few, there. And the potatoes were kept there in the corner. We stocked with thick woods. And they were burning and burning, but it was still cold there. But somehow we managed to get over that severe winter in taiga. – My husband came home once or twice a week from the taiga. And I was with the kids in the barrack. Also, my husband's mother died there, in Siberia. So then I was left alone with the children. What can you tell about the spiritual life in exile? – He worshipped in the house. When he was at home, he served Liturgies there. And there, in taiga, I don’t remember if he was able to pray the Liturgy or not, because he was as a guest at home. All the time he stayed there, in taiga. He was evicted and they didn’t want to discharge him yet... To go to taiga, valyanky were needed and they didn’t want to give them out. You could be frozen there in boots. A quilted jacket was needed as well there ... They said,'' We brought you here to die, and so we won’t give any out to you.'' So my husband's mother worried so much about it and because of that she died []»