Rev. olexa Harbuziuk Legacy
Пастор олекса Романович Гарбузюк
Photo above: Standing next to Ukraine's consul general in Chicago, Viktor Kyryk (Віктор Кирик) and his wife, are Sophia Harbuziuk and Rev. Harbuziuk, along with Mikhail Morgulis, president of Christian Bridge (Христианский Мост), and his wife, Tanya, and Rev. Aleksandr Kalinin, pastor of the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago, and his wife, Maria.
Rev. Harbuziuk prays at a Ukrainian community event that was held in 1980 at the Bismarck Hotel in downtown Chicago.
Encyclopedia entry
Rev. Harbuziuk (at far left) participated in this event on January 19, 1988, which marked the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian proclamation of independence on January 22, 1918. Gov. Thompson's proclamation declared 1988 as "the year of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine in Illinois."
(Photo copied from "The Ukrainian Weekly" of February 28, 1988.)
At the World Congress of Free Ukrainians (photo above) in 1988 in Toronto, Canada, presiding is Dr. Julian Kulas (behind the lectern), president of 1st Security Federal Savings Bank in Chicago. Rev. Harbuziuk is seated in front of the lectern, leaning forward. (Photo copied from the 1989 Bulletin of 1st Security Bank.)
Ecumenical millennium commemoration
Rev. Olexa Harbuziuk was involved in various aspects of the Ukrainian community -- in Chicago as well as nationally and internationally.
♦ He attended the first World Congress of Free Ukrainians held November 16-19, 1967 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Leaders of various Protestant denominations agreed to have the Rev. Dr. Lev Zabko-Potapovich represent Ukrainian Protestants at the congress, and he spoke to the gathering.
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk was a delegate at the 27th convention of the Ukrainian National Association held May 18-23, 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Constantine Chilczenkowski of Philadelphia also was a delegate. It was the first time that delegates from Baptist churches participated in a UNA convention.
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk was a delegate at the 28th convention of the Ukrainian National Association held in May 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk gave the invocation at the Ukrainian Independence Day observance in Chicago in 1977 that was sponsored by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Chicago Division.
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk gave the benediction at the Ukrainian Independence Day observance on Sunday, January 22, 1978 at the Pick-Congress Hotel in Chicago. It was sponsored by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Chicago Division. U.S. Senator Robert Dole was honored with the "Man of the Year" Award for "His consistent support of the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and independence."
♦ He was a delegate at the 29th convention of the Ukrainian National Association held May 22-27, 1978 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also spoke on radio station WPIT at the invitation of Michael Komichak.
♦ He was elected to the presidium of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians in 1978.
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk attended the World Congress of Free Ukrainians that was held the first weekend in December 1983 in Toronto, Canada. Also attending was Brother Anton Kocepula, chairman of the Chicago church council. Pastor Harbuziuk gave the benediction at the Saturday luncheon.
♦ Пастор Гарбузюк брав участь ув урочистості 20-річчя побудови пам'ятника в ВашінҐтоні великому синові Україні Тараса Шевченкові дня 16-го вересня 1984, де було до 12,000 людей. On September 16, 1984, he attended the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of the Shevchenko monument in Washington, D.C. The manifestation attracted an estimated 12,000 people.
♦ Від 7 до 9 жовтня 1988 р., український народ урочисто відзначив Тисячоліття Християнства України у ВашінҐтоні -- у столиці вільного світу. В неділю вранці кожна церква окремо мала своє Богослуження. Українські баптистські віруючі провели своє Богослуження разом з віруючими Першої Баптистської Церкви м. ВашінҐтона. Богослуженням провадили д-р Е. Гудвін (пастор місцевої церкви) і пастор Дмитро Марійчук (голова Об'єднання Українських Єв.-Баптистських Церков у ЗСА). Промовляли: д-р Ю. Солтис, пастор О. Гарбузюк і д-р Е. Гудвін, а співом служив хор Філядельфійської околиці під проводом диригента І. Ковальзецького. ... Відзначення Тисячоліття у ВашінҐтоні закінчилися в неділю по полудні біля пам'ятника Т. Шевченка, де зібралося багато тисяч наших людей, щоб помолитися за майбутню долю нашого народу. (Вісник Правди ч. 39, 1988)
♦ Ukraine's consul general in Chicago, Viktor Kyryk (Віктор Андрійович Кирик), visited the Ukrainian Baptist Church on December 22, 1996 along with his wife, Svitlana (Світлана Іванівна). He greeted the congregation from the pulpit, and he also toured the library. Mr. Kyryk said it was the first time that he had attended a Ukrainian Baptist worship service. Rev. Harbuziuk preached the main sermon.
♦ When Rev. Harbuziuk died, the following letter, dated October 6, 1997, was sent from the Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago to Mrs. Harbuziuk:
Вельмишановна пані Софіє,
В цю тяжку для Вас і Ваших рідних годину прийміть від мене особисто, моєї дружини та всіх співробітників Генерального консульства України в Чикаго щирі співчуття у зв'язку з відходом у вічність Вашого чоловіка і нашого доброго друга -- блаженної пам'яті пастора Олекси Гарбузюка.
Вічна йому пам'ять.
З глибоким сумом і повагою,
Генеральний консул Віктор Кирик
♦ Rev. Harbuziuk visited Ukraine four times starting in 1990 and met with the first two presidents of independent Ukraine and with members of the country's supreme council (Верховна Рада). He was invited to visit Ukraine again, but his deteriorating health prevented him from traveling overseas.
Rev. Harbuziuk gives the invocation at the banquet marking the 40th anniversary of Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union in Chicago in 1992.
Rev. Harbuziuk is in the back row of this event on February 28, 1975. It was the observance of the 57th anniversary of the proclamation of the independent Ukrainian Republic in 1918. The event was sponsored by the Chicago branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. (Photo by George Gorchynsky)
Rev. Harbuziuk prays at a community event.
Pastor Harbuziuk participates in a Ukrainian event in Olive Park in Chicago in 1988.
Rev. and Mrs. Harbuziuk (right) were seated at the head table during a banquet observing the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Fraternal Association that was held in Chicago. UFA president Ivan Oleksyn is at far left.
Selfreliance Ukrainian-American Federal Credit Union in Chicago honors Ukrainian clergy each year at Christmas time. In the photo above, seated second from left is Omelian Pleshkevich (Омелян Плешкевич), co-founder of the credit union. Rev. Harbuziuk is seated third from left. Seated at right is Bohdan Watral, CEO of Selfreliance. Second from right is Roman Mycyk, president of Selfreliance. Seated third from right is Bishop Innocent Lotocky (Єпископ Інокентій Лотоцький) (1915-2013) of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In the photo below, Rev. Harbuziuk is seated second from right.