Марія Микитка

«- Tell us how the Liturgies were served? How did you help your husband serve them? Mrs. M. - I and my little children remained in the house, I couldn’t go with my husband ... We had five children. It was hard and I had to cook for them. I was very overtired... He also had to get to work early... At dawn he served the Liturgy and I helped him. Then, after the Liturgy he went to his work and came back late at night, it was already dark. [] My husband would be summoned to the KGB about 20 times. Every time he said goodbye to us. Out two daughters were still little then. He gave an icon to them. He said goodbye as if forever, he didn’t know if he would return. So it was 20 times or so. As usual, it was at night that he was summoned to go there. They released him at night too. So, we said goodbye to each other as if it was for the last time. He was very haunted anyway. He risked too much. He paid no regard to his wife and little children and everything. He went where it was necessary to go and risked much. [] I listened to the radio station “Vatican”. As I could, I listened to all the Liturgies. My husband dying said, it was his will – to listen to the Liturgies on the radio. It was that time when we could only listened to the Liturgy on the radio. Our children listened to it too. So when my husband was absent, when he went somewhere out of the village to work, we listened to the Liturgy on the radio. Dying, he said, and it was his will '' Don’t forget about the radio.'' He meant to listen to Liturgies on the radio, not to miss them. Not to miss the Divine Liturgy in any case. It was such a will of his []»

«– 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 []»