Seminary Scholarship Fund

Leo Korownyk’s passion for Christian education in Ukraine was deeply rooted in his desire to nurture young people entering ministry. Recognizing the scarcity of theological resources in Ukrainian during the post-independence era of the 1990s, Leo took on the challenging task of translating a wide range of important Christian literature from English into Ukrainian.

His dedication to this cause was remarkable. Leo spent years meticulously translating works by influential authors like C.S. Lewis and comprehensive theological texts such as Systematic Theology. This effort was driven by his commitment to providing seminary students in Ukraine with access to high-quality Christian literature in their native language.

In honor of Leo’s lifelong commitment to empowering Ukrainian youth in their pursuit of theological education, HART has initiated a new project in collaboration with the Korownyk family – “The Leo Korownyk Scholarship Fund.” This project is a fitting tribute to his memory and his unwavering dedication to Christian education in Ukraine. By continuing his mission to support young people in their theological studies, this project ensures that Leo’s legacy of nurturing future Christian leaders in Ukraine lives on.

For the upcoming 2024-25 school year, we will select six candidates to be the first recipients of this Fund.

Leonid Mykyta Korownyk was the last known survivor of the Ukrainian Famine Genocide (Holodomor, 1932-1933), living in Alberta, Canada. He experienced first-hand the brutality of Stalin’s deliberate plan to exterminate the Ukrainian people, suffering hunger, hardship, and the loss of family members.

Leonid was born in the village of Pochyno-Sofijivka, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. When he was a child, his family worked on a Soviet Collective Farm. Their daily lives were a constant struggle to survive, always under the threat of punishment or death by the communist regime. Seeing no future in this existence, his father made the decision to escape the tyranny, saying, “If I live, I live, and if I die, I die, but I will not live another day under communism!”

Leo was 13 years of age when the family became refugees during the Second World War, fleeing first to Romania, then to Hungary, and finally to Germany, where they remained until the end of the war.

At one point in their journey, having arrived in Germany, they boarded a train, not realizing its destination. While in transit, Leo’s family was faced with the sudden realization of the horrible possibility of either repatriation to the USSR (an almost certain ticket to death for those fleeing Stalin) or being sent to The Gulag – a Soviet camp of forced labor for political prisoners where survival was also unlikely.

The family left the train at the next stop with little to lose. Not knowing where they were (somewhere in Germany), thankfully, sympathetic locals sheltered them, and the family survived. Eventually, they ended up in a refugee camp in Bavaria near Munich.

While in the refugee camp, his Christian mother came upon a group of Baptists, and it was through them that Leo first heard the Gospel, accepted the Lord as his personal Saviour, and was baptized.

Sometime later, he learned about an opportunity to emigrate to Canada and study at the Ukrainian Bible Institute in Saskatoon. Leo set sail on December 21, 1948, to a new country of -30 degree temperatures with one small suitcase, dressed in only a summer suit. After a rough voyage on the stormy ocean, he arrived in Halifax on December 31, 1948, and continued his journey by train westward to the city of Saskatoon.

Leo eventually left Saskatoon to go to Toronto, where he worked as a laborer. He attended high school through night classes and Toronto Bible College, graduating in 1955. Leo was called to ministry as Pastor to the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Swan River, Manitoba (1955), then to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (1959), and later as Assistant Pastor in Edmonton, Alberta (1965).

During a visit to Canada in the late 70s, Rev. Duhonchenko, President of the Ukrainian Baptists of Ukraine, spoke to Leo, posing the question, “Leo, what are you doing for Ukraine?” This question haunted him and inspired him to initiate his life’s work, the translation of Christian Literature into the Ukrainian language.

This resulted in the translation and publishing of 7 books:

• Balancing the Christian Life, Rev. Charles Ryrie
• Loving One Another, Rev. Gene Gaetz
• The Holy Spirit, Rev. Billy Graham
• The Charismatics, Rev. John McArthur
• Basics of the Christian Faith, Floyd Hamilton
• Know what you Believe, Paul E. Little
• Lectures in Systematic Theology, Clarence Thiessen.

Leo translated C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, which is awaiting publication. Leo was also responsible for initiating the publishing of the first Ukrainian Bible Concordance.

In 1974, Leo began working at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). He maintained instrumentation equipment there and remained at NAIT until he retired in 1994.

Leo also maintained a latent desire to write poetry. In his retirement, this interest became a reality, and he published two volumes: Streams in the Desert (2003) and Dew Drops of Living Water (2012). Leo was honored to read his poetry at public commemorations of Holodomor, including the Alberta Legislature, Edmonton City Hall, and several Ukrainian Bilingual Schools.

Leo had a deep appreciation for his adoptive country, Canada. His respect and lasting patriotism for Ukraine—the country of his roots—were integral to who he was. His passions included supporting Ukrainian Culture, pursuing language, and lifelong learning. His joy was the love of his family. He is remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Leo is survived by his wife Anne of 66 years, three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Leo’s deep faith in God was the foundation of his life. His legacy of faith involves devoted service to His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Leo Korownyk Scholarship Fund is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to those things that truly matter: a lasting legacy.