Saints of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Saints of Orthodox Volyn

The land of Volyn in Western Ukraine is an historic and proud bastion of Orthodoxy and Ukrainian patriotism. On October 10(23 New Cal.) there is celebrated the Synaxis of the Saints of Volyn: St Amphilochius and St Stephen, Bishops of Volodymyr-Volyn, St Yaropolk-Peter, Prince of Volodymyr-Volyn, St Juliania Olshanska, Princess, St Theodosius Ostrozhky, Prince, St Makary, Archimandrite of Kaniv and Obruch, St Job, the Miracle-Worker of Pochayiv. Recently added to this number is another monk of Pochayiv, Saint Amphilochius Holovatiuk. The Icon of the Saints of Volyn appear on a wall in the Pochayiv Lavra of the Mother of God and to their number are added two more Saints who were born in Volyn: St Peter (I) Akerovych, Metropolitan of Kyiv and St Innocent Kulchitsky, Bishop of Irkutsk and Missionary to Siberia. Today, the Choir of the Saints of Volyn has been expanded to include a number of Holy New Martyrs and Confessors, among whom is St Alexander, Archbishop of Kharkiv, who was born in Volyn and who is commemorated on 1 June (new style) and the transfer of His Relics is commemorated on 12 November.

St Job of Pochayiv was, in the world, John Zelizo, before becoming a monk. He founded a printing-publishing house at Pochayiv at a time of great crisis for the Holy Orthodox Church living under Poland. He printed and promoted Orthodox liturgical books for Church services, catechetical and spiritual literature of the Fathers of the East, and all manner of good literature. His books helped keep the Ukrainian Orthodox within the fold of their Church, despite the persecution of Orthodoxy. St Job became a truly national Saint of Ukraine and both Orthodox and Greek Catholics venerated, and continue to venerate him. Roman Catholics too invoked the help of St Job. One Polish Catholic lady suffering from a painful disease was cured at the Shrine of St Job and converted to Orthodoxy in thanksgiving. The story of this miracle, along with those of twenty other famous miracles, are painted on the walls of the Pochayiv Lavra, the Fount of Miracles of the Most Holy Mother of God and St Job.

When the Lavra came under Catholic control (until the nineteenth century whereupon it was returned to the Orthodox), Orthodox and Catholics alike did not stop making pilgrimages to the Shrine of St Job.

As Metropolitan Ilarion Ohienko relates in his marvellous work on the Holy Lavra, the Catholic monks at the Lavra petitioned Rome with the view to having the Pope canonize St Job for the Catholic church! But just when Rome was actually preparing to do this, the Lavra returned to Orthodox hands and the matter became dormant. The cult of the Orthodox St Job of Pochayiv continued among both Roman and Greek Catholics, however.

When the Icon of Pochayiv was crowned by the Polish Catholic Church (crowing is a way to acknowledge Icons which are Miracle-Working) Medals of the Icon of Pochayiv were struck for the occasion. On the reverse side is the Icon of St Job of Pochayiv. Not only Catholics were drawn to St Job, but Turks as well. After the Miracle of the defense of the Lavra against a Turkish army by the Mother of God and St Job, a number of Turks converted to Orthodoxy and became monks at the Lavra. Muslims continued to visit the Lavra and make their own pilgrimages there for years afterwards, recalling the crushing defeat of their ancestral army through the Mantle of the Mother of God. That Muslims should visit Christian shrines is no surprise as they do in other places, e.g. the Shrine of St Peter in Montenegro and the Christian Shrines in Egypt, Syria and Ethiopia.

In addition to St Job, the first Ihumen of Pochaiv, St Methodios, is also honoured. Recently, St Amphilokhy of Pochaiv was glorified a saint and is commemorated on 1 January (having reposed in 1971).

A great man of God and miracle-worker, Amphilokhy was the spiritual Father to many, including many young people who lived under communism. He became a "Sche-Ihumen" and is now venerated along with St Job of Pochaiv at the monastery.

It should also be added that in addition to the Miracle-Working Icon of Pochaiv and the Miracle-Working Footprint of the Mother of God at the Monastery, there is also another Icon of Pochaiv that also depicts Her Footprint on a rock. This was brought to Pochaiv in 1859 from Kyiv and has been honoured there ever since.

There is one more miraculous icon there, the Icon of the "Gerondissa" from Mt Athos depicting the Mother of God as an Abbess. Before any service is celebrated at Pochaiv, the clergy come before the icon and ask for the blessing of the Mother of God, much as one asks for a blessing from the priest or bishop before taking up one's duties.

There are, as well, more than 300 Miracle-Working copies of the Icon of Pochaiv throughout the world!

St Job of Pochaiv was from Galicia and recently, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church established the Third Sunday after Pentecost as the "Feast of All Saints of Galicia."

Among them are included St Job of Pochaiv, St Innocent Kulchitsky, St Paul Koniuskevich and St John Maximovych - all missionaries in Siberia. There are also included in this number St Alexis Toth of Wilkes-Barre in the United States and by this act, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared him to be a Saint of Ukraine as well! The Lemko Hieromartyr, St Maximos Sandovich is included and so is the locally glorified Saint Nicephorus the Hieroconfessor who was martyred for Orthodoxy in the 17th century.

Recently, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has begun commemorating as Saints the Venerable and God-Bearing Fathers of the Kyivan Caves Lavra who moved westward during the Tatar invasions and established the Pochayiv monastery that later became a Lavra.  No names or dates of repose for these unknown Fathers have been, as yet, recovered, or even their number.  It was one of the descendants of these monks that, with the shepherd, Ivan Bossy, saw the apparition of the Mother of God on the Pochayiv mountain at which time her Miraculous Foot-Print was revealed.  The Pochayiv Lavra has always kept the memory of its intimate ties with the Kyivan Caves Lavra alive and icons of the Kyivan Caves Saints adorn the Lavra to this day.  It is not surprising that Saints are commemorated about whom we know so little.  In fact, the miraculous and myrrh-bearing skulls of the Caves Lavra belong to unknown Saints and the Orthodox Church has instituted the feast of a Crimean Christian martyr who is called "The Unknown".