Bishop Miguel Mykycej, F.D.P. ( uk, Михайло Микицей; 17 October 1934 – 20 May 2017) was a Poland-born Argentine

Ukrainian Greek Catholic , native_name_lang = uk , caption_background = , image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG , imagewidth = , type = Particular church (sui iuris) , alt = , caption = St. George's C ...

hierarch. He served as a Titular Bishop of

Nazianzus Nazianzus or Nazianzos ( grc, Ναζιανζός), also known as Nandianulus, was a small town of ancient Cappadocia, and in the late Roman province of Cappadocia Tertia, located 24 Roman miles to the southeast of Archelais. In the Jerusalem It ...

and Auxiliary Bishop of Eparchy of Santa María del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires from 23 June 1990 until 20 January 1998; Apostolic Administrator the same Eparchy from 20 January 1998 until 24 April 1999; and as the Eparchial Bishop of

Santa María del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

from 24 April 1999 until his retirement on 10 April 2010.

Life

Bishop Mykycej was born in the peasant family of Vasyl and Mariya (née Martynyuk) Mykytsey in Horokholyna,

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

/present-day in

Ivano-Frankivsk Raion Ivano-Frankivsk Raion ( uk, Івано-Франківський район, translit=Ivano-Frankiwśkyj rajon) is a raion (district) of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions ...

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an administrative divisions of Ukrain ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. In 1938 his family emigrated to

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and in 1945 was transferred to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. After the attending of the Orionine Fathers minor seminary in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Mykycey subsequently joined the

Sons of Divine Providence The Sons of Divine Providence ( it, Figli della Divina Provvidenza), commonly called the Orionine Fathers, is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded in 1903 by Luigi Orione (1872–1940) in Turin, ...

, where he had a

profession A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...

on February 12, 1954, and a solemn profession on February 11, 1961. He was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on April 21, 1963, after studies in the Orionists Theological Seminary in Argentina and following studies in Italy in the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Ponti ...

with a licentiate in theology. After returning from Italy, he served as teacher and subsequently director of the Don Orione Institute in

Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña (normally known as Sáenz Peña) is a city in the . It is the second largest in the province. It is located west-northwest of the provincial capital Resistencia, on the main rail and road route across northern Arg ...

and in the same time made a pastoral work for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in the Northern Argentina. On June 23, 1990, Fr. Mykycej was nominated by Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

and on October 14, 1990

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

to the

Episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as an auxiliary bishop. The principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

was Andrés Sapelak, the first bishop for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Argentina. He died on May 20, 2017, in age 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mykycej, Miguel 1934 births 2017 deaths People from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Argentine people of Ukrainian descent Pontifical Lateran University alumni Argentine bishops Argentine Eastern Catholics Polish emigrants to Paraguay Paraguayan emigrants to Argentina 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sons of Divine Providence