Ceslaus Sipovich ( be, Чэслаў Сіповіч,

Łacinka The Belarusian Latin alphabet or Łacinka (from be, лацінка or łacinka, BGN/PCGN: ''Latsinka'', ) for the Latin script in general is the common name for writing Belarusian using Latin script. It is similar to the Sorbian alphabet a ...

: Česłaǔ Sipovič) (December 8, 1914 – October 4, 1981) was a bishop of the

Belarusian Greek Catholic Church The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church ( be, Беларуская грэка-каталіцкая царква, ''Bielaruskaja hreka-katalickaja carkva'' BHKC; la, Ecclesiae Graecae Catholico Belarusica) sometimes called in reference to its By ...

and a notable Belarusian émigré social and religious leader.

Early life

Bishop Sipovich was born on 8 December 1914 into a large farming family in the village of Dziedzinka, Braslau District, Kovno Province of the Russian Empire (nowadays Mijory District,

Viciebsk Region Vitebsk Region or Vitebsk Oblast or Viciebsk Voblasts ( be, Ві́цебская во́бласць, ''Viciebskaja voblasć'', ; rus, Ви́тебская о́бласть, Vitebskaya oblast, ˈvʲitʲɪpskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a region (oblast ...

of Belarus). He felt a priesthood vocation from an early age while attending catholic school in Druja. In 1935 Sipovich went to

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...

to read Philosophy and Theology followed by studies at the Pontifical Greek College in Rome between 1938-1942. In 1940 he was ordained a priest in the

Greek-Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

rite. In 1946 he obtained his doctorate from the

Pontifical Oriental Institute The Pontifical Oriental Institute, also known as the Orientale, is a Catholic institution of higher education located in Rome and focusing on Eastern Christianity. The plan of creating a school of higher learning for Eastern Christianity had been ...

Later life in Britain

In 1947 Sipovich moved to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

to serve the spiritual needs of thousands of ethnic Belarusians (mainly former soldiers of the Polish

Anders Army Anders' Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the 1941–42 period, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders. The army was created in the Soviet Union but, in March 1942, based on an understandi ...

) who settled there after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He joined the recently founded

Association of Belarusians in Great Britain The Association of Belarusians in Great Britain ( be, Згуртаваньне беларусаў у Вялікай Брытаніі, ''Zhurtavańnie bielarusaŭ u Vialikaj Brytanii'') is the oldest Belarusian organisation in the United Kingdom un ...

and was involved in refugee welfare work. On 27 October 1947 the Belarusian Catholic Mission in North London (the precursor of

Church of St Cyril of Turau and All the Patron Saints of the Belarusian People Church of St Cyril of Turau and All the Patron Saints of the Belarusian People ( be, Царква Сьвятога Кірылы Тураўскага і ўсіх сьвятых заступнікаў беларускага народу, also kno ...

) was established, with Fr Sipovich as its first Rector. In 1954 the

Anglo-Belarusian Society The Anglo-Belarusian Society () is one of the oldest Belarus-related organisations in the UK with an object of “diffusion, interchange and publication of knowledge relating to the Belarusian people, their land, history and culture”. History ...

was founded, one of its founders was Fr Sipovich. At that time, he also revived the Society of St John Chrysostom, an organisation devoted to promoting a better knowledge and understanding of Eastern Christianity among English-speaking people. He was appointed titular bishop in 1960, making him the first bishop in the

since its suppression by the

Russian imperial The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...

authorities in the 1830s. Bishop Sipovich also served as Superior General of the

Congregation of Marian Fathers The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary ( la, Congregatio Clericorum Marianorum ab Immaculata Conceptionis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae) is a Catholic male clerical religious congregation fou ...

from 1963 to 1969 and was

Apostolic Visitor In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed ...

for Belarusian Catholic faithful abroad. In 1971 he was one of the founders of the Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library in London. Its opening was “an impressive feast of Belarusian culture and a personal triumph for Bishop Sipovich.” Bishop Sipovich was also involved in academic work in the field of Theology and Church History.

Death

Bishop Sipovich died at the age of 67 on 4 October 1981 and is buried in

St Pancras and Islington Cemetery St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden (formerly St Pancras) and Isling ...

in East Finchley, North London.

References

External links

Ceslaus Sipovich
(Polish)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sipovich, Ceslaus 1914 births 1981 deaths People from Miory District People from Novoalexandrovsky Uyezd Belarusian Eastern Catholic bishops Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British people of Belarusian descent Participants in the Second Vatican Council Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England 20th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Burials at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery