Sylvester Sembratovych

Sylvester Sembratovych was born on 3 September 1836, in the village of Desznica, in south-eastern Poland.[1] He studied in Vienna and in Lviv. From 1854 he moved for the academic studies in the Greek College of St. Athanasius, Rome, where he was ordained as a priest on 1 November 1860 and he obtained a doctorate in theology in 1861. He remained in Rome until 1863 when he returned to Galicia and was appointed to serve in the village of Tylicz.[2] He worked also in Greek-Ruthenian Seminary of Lviv until 1865, when he was appointed professor of theology in the University of Lviv, an assignment he kept till 1879.[3]

On 20 April 1879 he was consecrated auxiliary bishop of the Archeparchy of Lviv by his brother, the Archbishop of Lviv Joseph Sembratovych.[3] When his brother resigned in 1882, Sylvester Sembratovych was appointed apostolic administrator. On 27 March 1885 he was formally appointed Archbishop of Lviv, i.e. the primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and he was enthroned on 5 May 1885. As Primate, he reformed the Basilian Monastic Order, published vernacular prayer books and held a synod in 1891.

On 29 November 1895 he was created Cardinal priest by Pope Leo XIII with the titulus of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio. He died in Lviv on 4 August 1898.[3]