On Saturday 15 June 2024 Mass took place in St Joseph’s Church Glenavy at 11.30am to commemorate and celebrate a war hero buried in St Joseph’s graveyard, Major Florian Perepeczko followed by unveiling of a headstone to mark his final resting place.
Major Florian Perepeczko was born in 1903 in Krasnodar, Russia. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the armed forces of the Second Polish Republic, participating in the Polish – Bolshevik War and later the Defensive War of September 1939. He later served as a technical officer in the 1st Polish Armoured Division in the West, fighting against Germany in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. After the war Major Perepeczko chose to make the UK his home, living out his later years in Glenavy where he died on 15 April 1990 and his remains were interred in St Joseph’s graveyard in an unmarked grave.
The Mass was celebrated by Canon Colm McBride and Fr Wojciech Stachyra. Several dignitaries attended to celebrate the occasion with members of our Parish Community. The history of Major Florian Perepeczko was brought to light by the Founder and Programme Director at ‘For Your Freedom & Ours’, Maciek Bator. Maciek Bator and Pawel Romanczuk were in attendance as was The Lord Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, Kurtis Dickson, The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland Marusz Stus and The Honorary Brazilian Consul Kenneth Orr. Two men dressed in the military uniforms like those that would have been worn by Major Florian Perepeczko during his time in the military attended the ceremony providing all those in attendance with a sense of the military attire of that time.
