Maria Beruski
Maria Beruski | |
|---|---|
 Icon of St. Maria Beruski by Michel Qapeluk, 2006 | |
| Martyr of Joaquim Távora | |
| Born | c. 1959 Joaquim Távora, Paraná, Brazil |
| Died | 4 April 1986 (aged 26–27) Joaquim Távora |
Maria Aparecida Beruski, also known as Berushko[note 1][1] (c. 1959 – 4 April 1986), was a school teacher who died saving her students in a school fire in Brazil. She may become the first Orthodox saint in Latin America.[2]
Life
[edit]Maria, being of Ukrainian descent, was born in 1959, in Joaquim Távora, Paraná, Brazil.
Beruski died in 1986, while teaching students at a small school in Joaquim Távora. When the school caught fire, Maria refused a chance to leave the building, instead she stayed inside and assisted her pupils in escaping. Beruski assisted in saving the lives of 5 students, but she along with 8 children died together in the fire.[3]
Legacy and veneration
[edit]In 2007, the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Latin America placed the issue of Maria's glorification to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It was expected the final decision to be made within three years,[4] but the Patriarchate later discarded the glorification.
According to Bishop Jeremias Ferens of Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Beruski is regarded as a martyr and a miracle worker by devotees.[3] A street in the Brazilian town of Curitiba has already been named after Beruski (Rua Maria Aparecida Beruski).
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Sanidopoulos, John (April 4, 2018). "Maria Berushko of Brazil and Eight Students who Died Trying to Save Children During a Fire in their School (+1986)". Mystagogy Resource Center.
- ↑ Religious Information Service of Ukraine Portal News, in Ukrainian
- 1 2 Londrina, Folha de (2007-06-30). "Igreja Ortodoxa - Paranaense pode ser 1 santa da América Latina". Folha de Londrina (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-06-29.
- ↑ "Українка може стати першою православною святою Латинської Америки" (in Ukrainian). Newsru.ua. 2007-10-15. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
Further reading
[edit]- Melnik, Maria Beatriz. O Poder Da Religiosidade Popular: O Processo De Canonização De Maria Aparecida Beruski Pel Igreja Ortodoxa (2007-2017). Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná, 2017.
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- 1959 births
- 1986 deaths
- Brazilian people of Ukrainian descent
- Brazilian educational theorists
- People from Paraná (state)
- People from Curitiba
- 20th-century Christian saints
- Christian female saints of the Late Modern era
- Eastern Orthodox Christians from Brazil
- Members of Ukrainian Orthodox church bodies
- Deaths from fire
- Accidental deaths in Brazil
- 20th-century educational theorists
- Brazilian people stubs