A bishop for 53 years and a priest for 67 years, Bishop Basil H. Losten, the eparch emeritus of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford died in Stamford, Conn., on Sept. 15, 2024. The last surviving of the 10 children of the late John and Julia (Petryshyn) Losten, he was born in Chesapeake City, Md., on May 11, 1930.

Following priestly formation in the Ukrainian seminaries in the United States, he was ordained a priest on June 10, 1957. In the next 14 years, Father Losten served in parish assignments, chancery positions, and as personal secretary of his bishop.

Pope St. Paul VI named him an auxiliary of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians in 1971. He served the archeparchy for six years until the same pope named him the third eparch (bishop) of the Eparchy of Stamford of the Ukrainians in 1977.

Immensely proud of his Ukrainian Catholic heritage and conscious of the persecution by the communists in his ancestral land, he was diligent in keeping the light of the Ukrainian Church glowing in his eparchy, with regular reference to the plight of the suffering Ukrainians.

He promoted much-needed vocations to the priesthood for the eparchy and welcomed the ordination of married men to the priesthood in his eparchy.

A frequent visitor to the archdiocese and all New England, he was readily noticeable at cathedral ceremonies by his distinctive Eastern bishop's vesture. He visited the parishes of his large eparchy -- which serves not only all New England but the entire state of New York.

He was known as a "talented and indefatigable" fundraiser, supporting the eparchy and its parishes, the Ukrainian seminary in Washington, D.C., and the Church in Ukraine, both during its captivity by the communists and after its freedom and independence in 1991.

He served the eparchy until his retirement in 2006, but kept up a busy schedule visiting parishes, and frequently returning to the Ukraine to encourage the expanding physical and institutional presence of the Church there.

Bishop Losten died after a short illness on Sept 15, 2024. The Divine Liturgy for his funeral was celebrated at St. Andrew Church, Campbell Hall, N.Y., and he was buried in Holy Spirit Cemetery there on Sept. 23. With and for the Ukrainian Catholic Community, we pray for their beloved bishop -- "May his memory be eternal."