Horoshko, Michael, 1912-2002 : Michael Horoshko was born on March 3, 1912 in Drozdowychiy Horodok, Lviv, Ukraine. When he graduated from the Gimnasium (High School) in 1932, western Ukraine was under Polish administration. As a student, he took part in underground nationalist political meetings. He studied for the priesthood at the Ukrainian Catholic Theological Academy in Lviv, graduating in 1937. He was ordained on May 30, 1937 at Zhovkva by Bishop Basil Ladyka for missionary work with the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. With five other Ukrainian Catholic priests, Rev. Horoshko arrived in Montreal on July 12, 1937. His first assignment was Hafford, Saskatchewan.
Father Horoshko became actively involved with the local Ukrainian community and in October, 1938, he founded the Ukrainian Catholic Youth (UCY) movement. From 1939 until 1941, Father Horoshko was the parish priest in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and he also served other Ukrainian communities in northern Saskatchewan. Later, in 1941-1942, he studied at St. Michael's College in Toronto. He also worked among the Ukrainian Catholic youth, organizing UCY branches in Toronto. He continued his studies at the University of Saskatchewan during 1943-1944 and was a lecturer at the Markian Shashkevich Institute.
On May 31, 1944, Rev. Horoshko responded to his Bishop's call for volunteers from among the clergy to serve as Chaplains in the Canadian Armed Forces and on June 22, 1944, he was officially enrolled in Regina, Saskatchewan. Rev. Horoshko received his military training in Brockville, Ontario and graduated from the officers' training course on August 26, 1944. He arrived in England on October 18, 1944 and was stationed at Queen Victoria Barracks in Aldershot. Since the Ukrainian Canadian servicemen and women were serving in all Canadian units, he began a schedule of visits throughout England that included units of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy. In London, he soon established contacts with the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen's Association (UCSA).
For Christmas and Easter celebrations, Rev. Horoshko made special arrangements for Ukrainian Canadian soldiers to attend religious services at the UCSA Club in London which were the best attended events at the Club. He regularly visited hospitals where he met with wounded soldiers. Rev. Horoshko also performed funeral services at the gravesites of Ukrainian soldiers buried in various military cemeteries in England.
On September 21, 1945, Rev. Horoshko received permission to visit Ukrainian Canadian soldiers on the continent. He visited Canadian units in Holland, Belgium and Germany. In addition to holding religious services, he also visited military cemeteries and blessed the graves of Ukrainian Canadian soldiers.
In the British zone, he met for the first time Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons who were in a desperate situation and feared being forcibly repatriated to the Soviet Union. He intervened with the Allied military authorities when possible and did his best to assist the refugees. He returned to England on November 4, 1945. He continued his schedule of visits to Canadian units waiting for repatriation to Canada. He celebrated Ukrainian Christmas at the UCSA Club in London and on January 11, 1946, he received instructions for his return to Canada. He returned through the United States and visited Ukrainian communities in New York and Philadelphia. In Canada, he visited Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary where Rev. Horoshko was officially discharged from the Canadian Army with the rank of Captain on March 3, 1946.
Rev. Horoshko returned to his work as a parish priest and was assigned to the Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Sudbury, Ontario. During this period, the Communist Party of Canada was very active among the Ukrainian communities in northern Ontario and Quebec and Rev. Horoshko conducted a determined anti-communist campaign in these communities speaking at local service clubs and voluntary organizations. He later served in parishes in Kirkland Lake, Windsor and Montreal. In 1961, he began to organize St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1969-1970, he requested a leave of absence. During the 1970's he had disagreements with the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in the United States and served in various parishes including St. Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in New Britain. In 1983, Rev. Horoshko became the pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mahonoy City, Pennsylvania . He was named Pastor Emeritus in 1990. After he retired, Rev. Horoshko visited his surviving family and friends in Ukraine whom he did not see since he left in 1937. He particularly enjoyed visiting friends and military comrades in Canada. Rev. Horoshko maintained his membership in the Ukrainian Canadian Veterans' Association. He lived in retirement in Mahonoy City and later at the Seaton Manor Nursing Home where he passed away on May 31, 2002. His funeral was held on June 4, 2002 and he was interned at the parish cemetery, Mahonoy City.
Rev. Horoshko donated his papers to the National Archives of Canada in 1988 and his "Mass Kit" with his church vestments were donated to the Canadian War Museum.
