Viska

Emanujila Vishka

Emanujila Vishka is a Sister of the Order of St. Basil the Great (Province of St. Michael the Archangel, Croatia). She completed a bachelor's degree in management at International Christian University in Ukraine and a master's degree in theology at the Catholic Faculty of Theology at Zagreb University in Croatia. Currently, she serves as a vicar and general councilor in the general administration of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great in Rome.

By this Author

Sr. Olha Ladzhun and Sr. Emanujila Vishka in January 2024 (Courtesy of Emanujila Vishka)

What I learned from the example of a 105-year-old Basilian sister

Basilian Sr. Olha Ladzhun, 105, is a surviving eyewitness of disasters and blessings in Transcarpathia, Ukraine and the bloodlands. Her life serves as a focal point, collecting the stories of her people into one narrative.

In 2023, Sr. Emanujila Vishka, far right, visited the Basilian Hungarian community in Mariapocs for the first time. There she met Sr. Imre Margit Agota, second from left, then 91, in person.

Basilian sisters' directory leads to woman of deep faith and kindness

While traveling 15 years ago, Basilian Sr. Emanujila Vishka connected with a Hungarian sister who lived with steadfast faith under communist rule.  

Sr. Atanazia Holubova poses with Romani teenage girls while baking cookies in the Pastoral Center for Romani in Poštarka, Slovakia. (Courtesy of Emanujila Vishka)

Among the treasures of Bardejov, Slovakia, an angel for Romani people

How many more hidden treasures like Sister Atanazia exist, quietly making a difference in the lives of marginalized communities? How many sisters have stories of resilience and love that remain untold?

 

Basilian Sr. Januarija Isyk prays in Bucha, Ukraine. (Courtesy of Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great)

What have Ukrainians learned from months of war?

The questions and everyday experience of being hated and terrorized on one side and accepted with compassion on the other side has begun some changes in Ukrainians, including our Basilian Sisters.

Basilian Sisters in Ukraine weave camouflage nets. (Courtesy of the Basilian Sisters)

How can you help Ukraine?

What can I do for you? Many people of kind heart have asked Ukrainians this over the last few months. For the first time in many centuries, this question gave a voice to Ukraine that was not muted by Russian propaganda.