Augustine Eugene Hornyak, OSBM (7 October 1919 – 16 November 2003) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop who served as the first Apostolic Exarch of the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians in Great Britain. He was one of the few Ukrainian and English bishops to attend all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
Early Life
Hornyak was born Eugene Hornyak on 7 October 1919 in Kucura, Vojvodina, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now in modern-day Serbia). He was the third of five children in a family of Ukrainian descent. He completed his primary education in Kucura and his secondary schooling in the nearby village of Verbas. In 1940, Bishop Dionisije Njaradi persuaded Hornyak to train for the priesthood, and he was sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical Ruthenian College of St. Josaphat's.
Priesthood
Hornyak was ordained a priest by Bishop Ivan Buchko on 25 March 1945. Because he was unable to return to Yugoslavia due to the circumstances of the Second World War, he continued his studies at the Propaganda Fide University in Rome, where he obtained postgraduate degrees in both Sacred Theology and Canon Law.
Following advice from Bishop Njaradi and at the invitation of Daniel Ivancho, he served the Ruthenian Eparchy of Pittsburgh in the United States as a priest and as a professor of Canon Law and Dogmatic Theology. He also served as Spiritual Director and Choir Master.
In 1956, Hornyak entered the Order of St. Basil the Great (OSBM), taking the monastic name Augustine after the Church Father St. Augustine. He made his Solemn Profession of Monastic Vows on 19 June 1960. He subsequently served as Assistant Master of Novices in Glen Cove, Long Island.
Episcopacy
On 14 August 1961, Hornyak was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Great Britain (Ukrainian) and Titular Bishop of Hermonthis. He was ordained a bishop on 26 October 1961 at the Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia, with Archbishop Ambrozij Andrew Senyshyn as principal consecrator.
On 18 April 1963, he was appointed Apostolic Exarch of England and Wales (Ukrainian), and on 12 May 1968, the jurisdiction was expanded and he became Apostolic Exarch of Great Britain (Ukrainian). During his tenure, he oversaw the acquisition of most of the churches and juridical infrastructure of the Exarchate, including the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London. He was sometimes referred to as the "Prince Bishop" due to the dignity with which he presented himself.
Hornyak participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) as a Council Father.
Later Life and Death
Hornyak resigned as Apostolic Exarch of Great Britain on 29 September 1987 and became Apostolic Exarch Emeritus. He died on 16 November 2003 in Acton, London, at the age of 84, following a massive stroke. He was buried in his native Kucura, Serbia, on 14 January 2004. At the time of his death, he had been a priest for 58 years, a Basilian for 47 years, and a bishop for 42 years.
