To the Rev. Clergy and
all the faithful Ruthenians:
Not long
ago the world was stirred by the news that Austria is fighting with Servia. All
other powers decided to wait and mainly England with all her might and efforts
tried to make the war local and maintain peace.
At the
time when no state was endangered by war except Austria and Servia, when
England did not call her citizens to defend their homes, then, we issued a
circular in which we stated that Austria, through the Austro-Hungarian
Consulate challenges her loyal subjects to stand under the Austrian flag. We
also stated that the Ruthenians who arrived here only for a short period ought
to bey the call of Austria and go to defend their homes and families.
... Our new home of Canada challenges her faithful subjects
to gather under the British Standard and be ready to give their lives and properties
for the British cause. Today all the nationalities living under the British
flag send their sons to defend that flag.
In this
event when to us as loyal citizens comes England with appeal to have us
gathered under her flag, when Britain needs our aid, we, today as faithful
citizens of the part of the British Empire the Canadian Ruthenians have before
us a great and solemn duty to flock under the flag of our new land and under this standard give our
lives and blood.
Ruthenians,–
Canadian citizens: It is our great duty to defend Canada, for it is the land
that not only received us and gave us shelter under the Constitution of the
Great Empire, but more than that, it gave us liberty in developing ourselves
spiritually.
Once more
Ruthenians; it is our holy duty to be in readiness and offer everything for
Canada.
It isn our
home to which we swore allegiance, for which we declared to give lives and all in its defence when necessity
demands.
It is our
dear Motherland whereon our families, relatives, children, property, our hearts
and future depend.
Therefore,
in these most critical times as now, we must remember that as true Sons
of Canada bound y the Oath of Allegiance to our King, we must flock to the
British Standard.
Put aside
all party and radical feelings, aside all indifference.
We
conscientiously and with deep feelings of loyalty and duty want and will help
our new country when endangered by enemies.
Ruthenians,
Canadian Citizens: You that have already sown allegiance to be loyal to your
King George 5th, and you that intend to do so, remember that the
present moment demands you. For any unloyal word or action here as in any other
country in time of war death is punishment for treason.
Loyalty
binds you to deeds and sacrifice and when the Empire calls for this everyone
must be ready even to put up his life.
If it were
necessary and possible to organize a regiment of the Canadian Ruthenian
Citizens, it would be obvious sign that the Ruthenians in Canada are true
subjects and are ready to sacrifice everything for their new home.
Secondly
we declare that we must fulfil our duties not only from the standpoint of the
law but with deep feelings of duty.
Only God
knows how this war the greatest in history is going to end.
Pray God
that He may with His almighty power shorten this terrific storm and cause its
end and that our new home may not suffer loss.
In view of
the fact when our former letter was issued then, the war was exclusively between
Austria and Servia, and only few believed that it will spread over other
Kingdoms; viewing the fact that there existed a peace in England and that England
did not call her subjects to
action, we declare emphatically that our letter of the 27th of July,
in view of the new altered political situation, is irrelevant and must not be
read in public and churches.
Instead we
urge the clergy t read the present letter during the sermons in their parishes
and inform accordingly the Ruthenians of their solemn duty to the Great British
Empire.
— + Nicetas Budka, 6 August 1914
(English translation of the Bishop's Chancery, August 1914)
published in Kanadyiskyi Rusyn, 8 August 1914
“Call to Austrians in Winnipeg,” Manitoba Free
Press, 31 July 1914
In the Vatican Archives, Nunciature
in Canada series, there is a fascile containing correspondence from the Prisoners
of War Committee at the Vernon, BC internment camp to the Apostolic Delegate,
dated April and May 1919. I was surpised to find that one of the documents had been
notarized by Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priest, Rev. Petro Kamenetsky, “himself a
prisoner of war in this camp.” Although he was not the only Ukrainian Catholic
priest arrested in Canada, during the First World War, Kamenetsky apperas to have
been the only one to have been interned. For this reason alone, his interesting
life-story deserves to be explored during this centenary of the outbreak of the
war.
