Quick Facts
Biography
Maria Aparecida Berushko was a school teacher who died saving her students in a school fire in Brazil. She may become the first Orthodox saint in Latin America.
Maria, being of Ukrainian descent, was born in 1959, in Joaquim Távora, Paraná, Brazil.
When a school caught fire in 1986, Maria refused a chance to leave the building, instead she stayed inside and assisted her pupils in escaping. Berushko assisted in saving the lives of 5 children, but 8 children died together with the teacher in the fire.
The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Latin America already placed the issue of Maria's beatification to the agenda. It is expected the final decision to be made within three years.
A street in the Brazilian town of Curitiba has already been named after Maria Berushko (rua Maria Aparecida Beruski).