Ivan Prasko

Who was Ivan Prasko?

Bishop Ivan Prasko was the eparch of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania for the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

He was born in Ternopil, Ukraine. He studied at the Theological Academy in Lviv, and then in Rome at the Pontifical College Damascenum and the Pontifical University Urbanianum. He was ordained in Rome on 2 April 1939. He continued his studies at the Pontifical University Gregorianum and at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and was awarded a doctorate in 1943.

Prasko served as pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Melbourne from 1950 to 1958 before being ordained exarch of Australia and New Zealand on 17 October 1958. He became eparch of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, 24 June 1982, when the exarchate was raised to an eparchy. Under his leadership, the Ukrainian Catholic Church served as "the genesis of the Ukrainian community and identity in Australia." . For his efforts in community building, he was appointed as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.