Olga Matskiv dilahirkan pada tanggal 23 Maret 1919 di Kodoriv, Ukraina. Dia merupakan anak tertua dari 4 bersaudara dalam sebuah keluarga pekerja yang sederhana. Sejak kecil, ia telah menunjukkan tanda-tanda hidup rohani yang mendalam. Ia sangat senang berbincang-bincang dengan Allah dalam doa dan memuliakan Allah di gereja.
Pada tanggal 3 Mei 1938, ia bergabung dengan suatu komunitas biarawati. Menurut kesaksian para suster, Olga selalu berlaku baik di manapun ia berada. Pada tanggal 4 November 1938, ia menerima jubah kebiaraan dan mendapat nama biara : Tarsikia. Ia ditempatkan di salah satu biara di kota Kristinopil bersama beberapa suster lainnya.
Pada masa-masa tersebut, pecahlah Perang Dunia II. Tanah Rusia ditaklukkan oleh kaum Komunis Atheistik yang membenci seluruh ajaran-ajaran agama. Gereja Katolik termasuk di antara kelompok-kelompok agama yang mulai ditekan dan berusaha dihancurkan. Secara khusus di Ukraina, Soviet memulai usahanya untuk menghancurkan Gereja Katolik Yunani Ukraina (catatan : merupakan salah satu Gereja Katolik Ritus Timur yang menggunakan Ritus Bisantin. Untuk lebih lanjut silahkan membaca di sini).
Hingga tibalah suatu pagi di kota Kristinopil pada tanggal 18 Juli 1944. Pagi itu, para suster sedang menunggu kedatangan seorang imam untuk merayakan Liturgi Ilahi (catatan : Liturgi Ilahi adalah sebutan Katolik Timur kepada Misa, namun dalam Ritus Timur). Ketika sekonyong-konyong terdengar bunyi bell di pintu biara, Suster Tarsikia segera bergegas berlari untuk memeriksa. Betapa rindunya ia untuk merayakan Liturgi Ilahi dan bertemu dengan Allah. Tak beberapa lama kemudian, para suster dikejutkan dengan bunyi tembakan yang keras. Dan mereka menemukan Suster Tarsikia telah tewas karena tembakan yang diarahkan oleh seorang serdadu Soviet. Kejadian tersebut tidak berhenti di situ, karena keesokan harinya, para serdadu Soviet kembali menyerbu biara dan bermaksud untuk membunuh semua suster dalam usaha menghancurkan Gereja Katolik Yunani Ukraina. Namun peristiwa itu gagal berkat intervensi Bapa Volodimir. Maka selamatlah suster-suster yang lain saat itu.
Menurut kesaksian di bawah sumpah oleh Bapa Volodimir yang adalah bapa pengakuan bagi komunitas suster-suster di sana, Suster Tarsikia pernah mempersembahkan diri nya kepada Allah sebagai kurban persembahan bagi pertobatan Rusia dan perkembangan iman Kristen Katolik. Dan Allah segera menerima kurban nya.
Pada saat terjadi penindasan Gereja di Ukraina dan seluruh wilayah Slavik (Eropa Timur), Gereja Katolik Yunani Ukraina mengalami penderitaan yang begitu dahsyat, Gereja-gereja disita dan dinajiskan. Biara-biara direbut. Status resmi Gereja dihapuskan. Uskup-Uskup, Imam, Biarawan Biarawati dan umat ditangkapi dan dipaksa meninggalkan iman kepada Kristus. Atau mereka menjadi martir. Namun setelah komunisme runtuh, Gereja Katolik Yunani Ukraina bagaikan bangkit dari kematian. Kebangkitan ini begitu mengejutkan banyak pihak, hingga disebut sebagai suatu mujizat.
Suster Tarsikia dan 26 umat Gereja Katolik Yunani Ukraina lainnya telah ditegaskan sebagai Beata oleh Bapa Suci Beato Yohanes Paulus II.
Kontakion Akhir untuk Hari Minggu Biasa (Irama 8) :
“Ya Tuhan, Pencipta alam semesta, dunia mempersembahkan kepada-Mu : buah sulung dari bumi, yaitu para martir-Mu. Berkat syafaat mereka, lindunglah kiranya Gereja-Mu agar selalu berada dalam damai yang abadi. Demi Theotokos, wahai Engkau Yang Maha Penyayang.
Berkat doa permohonan dan perantaraan semua martir kudus, yang mulia dan jaya, serta para Bapa, dan insan-insan Allah; ya Allah selamatkanlah kami!”
( Sumber : http://www.ssmi.org/Causes.html )
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Tarsykia Olga Matskiv, nun and martyr of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC).
Olga Matskiv was born on March 23, 1919 at Kodoriv, Ukraine. She is the oldest of 4 siblings from a humble working-class family. Since her childhood, she has shown the signs of a deep spiritua life. She loved to talk with God in prayer and to praising God in church.
On May 3, 1938, she joined a monastic community of nuns. According to the sisters, Olga always shown good vitues wherever she is. On 4 November 1938, she received the monastic habit and got the monastic name : Tarsykia. And then, she was placed in a monastery located in the city of Krystynopil along with several other nuns.
At those times, World War II broke out. Russian land was conquered by atheistic Communists who hated all religious teachings. Catholic Church was one of the religious groups that were began to pressure and tried to destroy. Particularly in Ukraine, the Soviets began their plan to destroy the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (note : this is one of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church that uses the Byzantine Rite. For more information please read here).
Until there came a morning in the city of Krystynopil on July 8, 1944. That morning, the sisters were awaiting the arrival of a priest to celebrate the Divine Liturgy (note : the Divine Liturgy is the name given by the Eastern Catholic to say the Holy Mass celebrated in Eastern Rite). When all of a sudden, a bell was heard on the door of the convent, Sister Tarsykia rushed immediately to check. How she was longin to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and to meet with God. Later, the sisters were surprised by the loud sound of gunfire. And they found Sister Tarsykia had died from gunshot directed by a Soviet soldier. The incident did not stop there, because the next day, Soviet soldiers stormed the monastery once more and intended to kill all the nuns in an effort to destroy the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. But the event failed thanks to the Father Volodymir's intervention. The the other nuns' life was save at the time.
According
In times of persecution beared by the Churches in Ukrain and thourghout the Slavic Region (Eastern Europe), the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church suffered so great. The churches were confiscated and desecrated. The monasteries were seized. The Church's administrative status and rights were abolished. Bishops, priests, monks, nuns and people were forced to abandon the holy faith to Christ. Or they become martyrs. However, after the communism collapsed, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church rose from the catacomb. This revival was so surprised many, so caleed as a miracle.
Sister
Final kontakion (ordinary Saturdays; tone 8) :
“O Lord, Creator of the universe, the world offers You as first-fruits of the earth the God-bearing martyrs. Through their intercessions, protect your Church in permanent peace, for the sake of the Theotokos, O Most-Merciful One.
Through the intercession of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, and of our God-bearing fathers; o God, save us!”
( Source : http://www.ssmi.org/Causes.html )
to sworn testimony by Fr Volodymir, who was the confessor to the community of sisters there, Sister Tarsykia has ever presented herself to God as a sacrifice, for the conversion of Russia and development of the Catholic Christian faith. And God immediately accept her sacrifice.
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