Help Rebuild Church in Craciunesti, Romania

Dear people of goodwill,

A great tragedy took place in my home-village in Romania - the church my grandfather built, caught on fire on Sunday, December 29th, 2024. More information on my background and connection, as well as an outlined plan, below.

The fire burned in central bell tower and within the ceiling of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in the Ukrainian village of Craciunesti, in the region of Maramures, Romania. Part of the ceiling inside had collapsed during the fire and the roof had to be opened up to extinguish the rest. Thankfully, the iconostasis (icon-screen) and sanctuary were largely unharmed.

At the present moment the damage from the fire has led to the loss of the central dome, belltower, and entire ceiling. The necessary stabilization led to the loss of the roof as well as water damage from the extinguishing. We do not yet know if there is any structural damage. At this moment the likely cause is an electrical short circuit - although this is not yet confirmed.

I am starting this fundraiser as the least I can do from thousands of miles away. Many of us in the west are blessed to have what we need and still be able to give to help others.

The church community there is relatively small and most people live humbly. And yet I’m sure they will give what little they can afford to help rebuild. This tragedy also happened right before they were about to celebrate Christmas this coming January 7th (according to the Old Calendar).

I am humbly asking anyone who is able, to donate whatever amount they can for the future rebuilding and restoration of this church.

Here is my action plan:

1. My family and I already are in close contact with the pastor, Fr. Lucian Marusciac.

2. As the plans to rebuild come into fruition, I will share details here with everyone.

3. When the rebuilding begins, the funds will be transferred by myself to the church account in Romania. (Unfortunately Romania is not yet a supported country on this platform so I cannot set up the church here as direct beneficiary)

4. All funds will be accounted for with full transparency.

Once again THANK YOU for your support and may the good Lord bless you for your help!

Here is some more background on myself and the church.

I was born in Romania, in the ethnically Ukrainian village of Craciunesti in the Maramures region. My father is a Ukrainian Catholic priest and my entire life I've grown up (in the U.S.) surrounded by the church community - which I love very much. My mother's father, the late Rev. Vasyl Popovych (Vasile Popovics), was a priest in the region for many years. After the fall of communism in 1989, he returned to the Greek-Catholic Church ("Greek" meaning Byzantine rite) which had been outlawed by the communist party since 1948 for fears of its "pro-western" orientation and ties.

Reverend Vasyl Popovych's Work

He worked tirelessly after the fall of communism to revive the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania which had been outlawed for decades. In many cases the historic parish churches were not returned from the Orthodox communities and new ones had to be built. Such was the case in his Ukrainian hometown of Craciunesti (Krychuniv) in the Maramures region of Romania. Thanks to his tireless effort, even in the face of negative forces often working against him, he managed to complete the church structure. Sadly he passed away somewhat unexpectedly in 2008 and only in the coming years was the church fully finished under the pastorship of the late Fr. Pitulec and additional beautification done recently under the current pastor, Fr. Lucian Marusceac.

A little church, a rich history

There isn’t enough time to recount the importance of this church, as a symbol of hope and return to the faith that had been so intrinsic to the people for centuries, until the Godless communists took it away. Just as a piece of recent history - this past September, 14th, 2024, His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church made a historic pastoral visit to the faithful of that region and celebrated a Divine Liturgy at that church.

“A new page of history is being written before our eyes for the Ukrainian church and people. For it is the first time in history, that the Lord God has allowed me, as the successor of the old Metropolitans of Kyiv, of that still united Christianity of the first millennium, to come here from Kyiv, from the holy hills of Kyiv, to travel here to you, to visit you Ukrainian Greek Catholics of the famed region of Maramures. Some new and strange works of God are being revealed before our eyes. I thank the Lord God that I can be here today with you, to see you, to pray with you. Together with you to exchange gifts, gifts that our Lord God has given us. That is why we rejoice today, today that joy overtakes us. I even see in your eyes tears of that joy, truly today we are unable to contain our emotions."

-Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk

"Our community, our church here in Maramures understands very well what is most important and most valuable in the life of every person, of every community. Our community, this apostolic vicariate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Maramures went through a very difficult history. Created in 1931 as part of the newly organized Greek-Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Maramures, lasted not even a full twenty years. For in 1948 it experienced terrible and cruel repressions of the communist government. But you, having lost everything, did not lose the most important treasure - your faith in God - the most important legacy of our people which your parents passed onto you, your predecessors.”

-Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk

Here are some more pictures of the tragedy:

Removal of burned roof remains to stabilize it.

Here are some pictures of this beautiful church before the fire:

His Beatitude, Patriarch Sviatoslav's visit this past September:

Here is Patriarch Sviatoslav during his homily, part of which was cited above.

My family and I with His Beatitude during his pastoral visit to the church and community. This was a joyous day - one that was possible only because of the sacrifices and steadfastness our predecessors.

And here are some pictures of my beloved late grandfather, Rev. Vasyl Popovych, who dedicated his life to the church, part of that dedication being towards the building of this physical temple. He went through many trials for this to be accomplished.