Agapius Honcharenko

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Agapius Honcharenko in 1911

Reverend Agapius Honcharenko (

humanitarian, and early champion for human rights
.

Born to a prominent

serfs and denounced his own church for supporting such an unequal system. These articles caused much unrest in Russia, and after months of trying to determine the identity of the mystery writer, Russian authorities discovered and arrested him in 1860. He was able to escape from the Russian prison in Constantinople by disguising himself as a Turk and walking out the front door.[2]

After his escape, he traveled to London to rejoin the Kolokol staff until the newspaper discontinued publication upon the

Henry Wager Halleck, William H. Seward and Henry George.[2]

A plain-spoken man, Honcharenko was known to openly denounce his own church for corruption, immorality, and other failings, so much so that he was declared a

schismatic. While living in San Francisco, he published The Alaska Herald, aimed at Russian residents of Alaska, from 1868 to 1872, which included both Russian and Ukrainian supplements. The Ukrainian supplement titled Svoboda (Свобода : Freedom) was the first Ukrainian-language newspaper in the U.S.[2]

After founding a farm, "Ukraina Ranch", located in

Czarist Russia. These actions made him a thorn in the side of pro-Tsarist Russians, who called his writings "the drivelling [sic] of a half crazy old man."[5]
Honcharenko’s submission to the Narod aroused the curiosity of waves of Ukrainian immigrants to North America, inspiring a group of
Ukrainians in Canada to establish a communal colony on his farmstead in 1900-1902, named "The Ukrainian Brotherhood." According to Jars Balan of the University of Alberta, "some members of the Brotherhood saw the communal experiment as a cooperative, others saw it as a Cossack brotherhood, and still others as a commune".[6]

In 1890, Charles Howard Shinn interviewed Honcharenko for the Christian Union.

California State University, Hayward.[8] California State Historic Landmark - Garin Regional Park - Ukraina - was unveiled here on Saturday, May 15, 1999, and dedicated to the Ukrainian American community of northern California. it took over 30 years for the local Ukrainian community to dedicate the former Honcharenko homestead in his honor.[1]
The site immortalizes the Rev. Agapius Honcharenko, blending a deeply spiritual life with his love of the earth.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lewytzkyj, Maria (June 20, 1999). "California dedicates new historic landmark: Ukraina". The Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  2. ^
    San Francisco Call
    . April 9, 1911. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  3. ^ Namee, Michael. "The First Orthodox Liturgy in New York City". OrthodoxHistory.org. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  4. ^ "Agapius Honcharenko". Hayward Area Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  5. ^ "Our Foes". Orthodox American Messenger. December 27, 1896. p. 140.
  6. ^ "Cossack Priest in the Wild West: A Profile of Father Agapius Honcharenko".
  7. ^ "The Christian Union; New outlook. v.42 1890:July-Dec." HathiTrust. July 31, 1890. p. 137. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  8. ^ "Ukrania, Site of Agapius Honcharenko Farmstead". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Archived from the original on Sep 7, 2015. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
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