Filip Kiryluk
Layman of Pratulin, martyr under the Russian suppression of the Greek Catholic Church
Who they were
Filip Kiryluk was a layman of the Greek Catholic parish of Pratulin, in the diocese of Chełm, which had been united with the Catholic Church since 1596. On 24 January 1874 Russian soldiers came to take the parish church; the villagers gathered before it unarmed, knelt and sang, and thirteen of them were shot down, he among them. He was beatified on 6 October 1996 by Pope John Paul II, with Wincenty Lewoniuk and the other companions.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
He stood unarmed before his parish church at Pratulin rather than give it up, and was shot for his faith and for unity with the Catholic Church.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
- Roman Martyrology, 24 January (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis 88 (1996) - decree on the martyrdom of Wincenty Lewoniuk and 12 companions
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis 89 (1997) - beatification letter
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.