Religious Figure. He was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who lost his life trying to save Jews during World War II. He was the parish priest in the town of Peremyshliany in Western Ukraine when the Nazis invaded the area in 1941. When Kovch learned that Jews were being deported to concentration camps and gassed, he began baptizing them and listing them as Catholics. The Gestapo discovered the deception and arrested him. He was deported to Majdenek concentration camp near Lublin in Poland. While at Majdenek, he conducted religious services whenever possible. He was eventually sent to the gas chamber. Kovch was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Religious Figure. He was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who lost his life trying to save Jews during World War II. He was the parish priest in the town of Peremyshliany in Western Ukraine when the Nazis invaded the area in 1941. When Kovch learned that Jews were being deported to concentration camps and gassed, he began baptizing them and listing them as Catholics. The Gestapo discovered the deception and arrested him. He was deported to Majdenek concentration camp near Lublin in Poland. While at Majdenek, he conducted religious services whenever possible. He was eventually sent to the gas chamber. Kovch was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Bio by: Helaine M. Cigal
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