Ceslaus Sipovich (,

Łacinka The Belarusian Latin alphabet or Łacinka (from , BGN/PCGN romanization of Belarusian, BGN/PCGN: , ) for the Latin script in general is the Latin script as used to write Belarusian. It is similar to the Sorbian alphabet and incorporates feat ...

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

Belarusian Greek Catholic Church The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church, or the Belarusian Byzantine Catholic Church, is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular churches that are in full communion with the Holy See. It is the heir within Belarus to the Union of ...

, a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Mariamme, 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 of Belarus). He felt a priesthood vocation from an early age while attending catholic school in Druja. In 1935 Sipovich went to University of Wilno 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 Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gr ...

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 bee ...

Later life in Britain

In 1947 Sipovich moved to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

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 understand ...

) who settled there after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He joined the recently founded

Association of Belarusians in Great Britain The Association of Belarusians in Great Britain (, ''Zhurtavańnie bielarusaŭ u Vialikaj Brytanii'') is the oldest Belarusian organisation in the United Kingdom uniting members of the Belarusians in the United Kingdom, Belarusian diaspora since t ...

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) 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 th
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

of Mariamme in 1960, making him the first bishop in the

since its

criminalization Criminalization or criminalisation, in criminology, is "the process by which behaviors and individuals are transformed into crime and criminals". Previously legal acts may be transformed into crimes by legislation or judicial decision. However, ...

by Bishop Joseph Semashko and the

Russian imperial The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

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 () is a Catholic male clerical religious congregation founded, 1670, in Poland. It is also known as Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Its members ...

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, London Borough of Camden, Camden (formerl ...

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 Catholic Church and minority language rights