Righteous Among the Nations

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio--- June 6, 2008 - In conjunction with the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma and Notre Dame College’s Tolerance Resource Center, the Clara Fritzsche Library will host “Righteous Among the Nations,” an exhibit celebrating the life of Blessed Paul Gojdič. On January 27th of this year, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, named Blessed Bishop Paul Gojdič as “Righteous Among the Nations,” the honor given to non-Jews who “risked their lives to save Jews.” He was honored for his outspoken defense of and deliberate acts of protection of the Jews. Some of the hand-written testimonies of those he helped, along with baptismal certificates he provided for “converts,” will be on display at the celebration. The exhibit will contain religious artifacts, photographs, manuscripts and books pertaining to the life of Bishop Gojdič. Also included are a relic and one of his vestments.

Bishop Gojdič was the bishop of Presov, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), from 1927 until his death in 1960. The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of Parma has part of its origins in that region of Europe. The Catholic Church named Bishop Gojdič “blessed” (a step toward sainthood) in 2001 for his steadfast faith and the suffering he underwent during imprisonment by the communist regime.

The exhibit will run from June 9 through June 19 and may be viewed during library hours: Monday-Tuesday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday CLOSED. For more information about the exhibit, contact Karen Zoller at (216) 373-5267.

Those wishing to learn more about Bishop Gojdič are invited to a celebration to take place at the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, 1900 Carlton Road, on Sunday, June 22, beginning with a prayer service at 4 p.m., featuring Cantor Ilana Wolpert, of the Congregation Bethaynu, in Pepper Pike. A banquet and program will follow in the social hall of the cathedral center. The guest speaker will be Avi Goldman, vice president of Second Generation Kol Israel, whose parents were Holocaust survivors from Poland.

The eparchy invites everyone to participate in this celebration of the life and heroic witness of Bishop Gojdič. Tickets for the banquet are $25 per person and are available by contacting the Office of Communications, (216) 741-3312, by June 13. Kosher meals, provided by Unger’s Kosher Bakery and Food, will be available upon request.