Yan Purvinskyi

Bishop Jan Purwinski or Yan Purvinskyi (Ukrainian: Ян Пурвінський; Polish: Jan Purwiński; Latvian: Jānis Purvinskis; 19 November 1934 – 6 April 2021) was a Latvian-born Ukrainian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Diocesan Bishop of Kyiv–Zhytomyr since 16 January 1991 until 15 June 2011 (until 25 November 1998 as the Diocesan Bishop of Zhytomyr).

Early life

Bishop Purwinski was born into a peasant Roman Catholic family of Polish ethnicity in Latgale. After graduation from school he joined the Major Theological Seminary in Riga in 1956, and was ordained as priest on April 13, 1961 for his native Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Riga.

Career

From 1961 until 1977 Fr. Purwinski began to serve as an assistant priest in Daugavpils and after, as a parish priest and vice-dean in Krāslava, Baltinava and Indra. In 1977 he was transferred to Ukraine and began to learn the Ukrainian language and work as assistant priest in St. Sophia's Cathedral, Zhytomyr (from 1984 he was a dean of the Cathedral). Before moving to Ukraine Fr. Purwinski spoke Polish, Latgalian, Latvian and Russian. Alongside parish work, from 1981 until 1991 he served as a Bishopric Vicar for the Ukraine and Moldova.

On January 16, 1991, he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the Diocesan Bishop of the recreated Roman Catholic Diocese of Zhytomyr. On March 4, 1991, he was consecrated as bishop by Archbishop Francesco Colasuonno and other prelates of the Roman Catholic Church in St. Sophia's Cathedral in Zhytomyr.

He retired on June 15, 2011 and resided in Zhytomyr. He died on 6 April 2021 after being hospitalized a few days prior due to Covid complications.