Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Welcome, Readers and Surfers, of whatever persuasion! 
 
This website intends to be a doorway into the treasury of Christian insights and achievements afforded by that Garden of the eternal Church of Christ, sown and nurtured, as we believe, by our Lord Himself which is called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 
 
Its title does not intend to imply any official connection with any Ukrainian Orthodox communion.  Indeed it has been enriched by folks who love this Garden, who find themselves in various Ukrainian Orthodox - as well as Ukrainian Catholic communities. About Us. We welcome the feedback, input and comments, laudatory or critical as well as analytical - and especially inquisitive! - of our readers and friends across the globe.


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Calendar of Ukrainian Saints.
This calendar also includes those Feasts and Saints that are particularly honoured by Ukrainians together with a listing of holy persons who have yet to be glorified, but who may be commemorated by means of requiem services. Months according to the Julian Calendar January | February | March | April  | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

The Radiant Beauty of the Saints See alphabetical listing

New Hieromartyr Vasyl'; Martysz of Teratyn On May 4 (which is April 21 on the Julian Calendar) we commemorate a dedicated (ethnic Ukrainian) Orthodox Priest who served parishes not only in Poland but also in Alaska, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York – and Canada.

The day that Christians who follow the Gregorian Calendar celebrate Christmas, December 25, corresponds to December 12 on the Julian Calendar, and it is a day for celebrating a remarkable Saint who was a friend of St. Nicholas, and whose memory is also closely linked with the time of giving gifts. It is St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus (sometimes roughly transliterated from the Greek as “Trimythous”).

ST. WENCESLAUS (VYACHESLAV), KNIAZ OF THE CZECHS On October 10, which is September 28 on the Julian Calendar, we celebrate a Saint who is particularly renowned because of the popular Christmas carol “Good King Wencesalus”.

On December 23 (which is December 10 according to the Julian Calendar) we commemorate the memory of another great Saint from Ukraine. It is St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod (a city in western Russia, 40 kilometers from the border of Ukraine).

On December 6 on the Gregorian calendar (which is November 23 on the Julian), we celebrate the memory of our Holy Father among the Saints, Amphilochius of the Kyivan Caves, Bishop of Volyn’.

St. Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople - November 19

On November 7 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is October 25 on the Julian) we celebrate the memory of St. Tabitha (also known by her Greek name “Dorcas” which means “gazelle”), who is mentioned in the Book of Acts as one of the Disciples of Christ (9:36-42). There are several interesting points to be made about this wonderful lady whom we venerate today.

On November 2 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is October 20 on the Julian), we celebrate the memory of the Righteous Child, Artemius of Verkola, a boy whose earthly life ended on June 23 (July 6 on the Gregorian Calendar), 1545, when he was only twelve years of age. His memory is celebrated on this day (as well as on June 23/July 6, the day of his repose) since it is the Feast day of His heavenly Patron, the Holy Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch, martyred in 361 by the order of the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate.

Holy Knyahynia Juliana Ol'shans'ka

On October 2 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is September 19 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of the Holy Right-Believing Passion-Bearer Ihor, in Baptism George, Tonsured Gabriel, Knyaz’ of Chernihiv and Great Knyaz’ of Kyiv. [We also celebrate the Feast of the Translation of his Relics on June 18 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is June 5 on the Julian)].

On September 10 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is August 28 on the Julian) we celebrate the life of a remarkable Saint: Moses the Black, also known as Moses the Ethiopian. 

The word "missionary", at times, has a negative connotation as the "mission" of the zealous folks who journey to other lands has not infrequently been cultural assimilation and even eventual political domination by the authorities sending the missionary (sincere and selfless though the missionariesmay have undoubtedly been). Such is, however, not usually the case with Orthodox missionaries. It was not the case, as we shall see, with St. Nicholas (Kasatkin), Enlightener of Japan, commemorated on the Church Calendar on August 14 Gregorian style (which is August 1, Julian), on the anniversary of his birth.


One of the most important ways to imitate the Saints – and among them St. Volodymyr – is that of turning away from the vain pursuits of a fallen world, towards the kindness, mercy and truth of the eternal Kingdom of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.




Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Knyahynia of Kyiv Ol’ha, in Baptism Helen
- July 24

On July 9 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is June 26 on the Julian) we celebrate the memory of a Man of God who is remembered for saying something quite different. It is Saint John, Bishop of the Goths, who laboured in the Lord’s Vineyard in the eighth century at a time when the Eastern Church was assailed by the controversy over Icons. 

St. Anthony the Great of Egypt, the Patron Saint of the founder of Ukrainian monasticism, St. Anthony of the Kyivan Caves, once said: “Our life and our death are with our neighbour. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we cause our brother to stumble, we have sinned against Christ.” On June 30 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is June 17 on the Julian) we commemorate one of Abba Anthony’s disciples, St. Pior, who is remembered chiefly for a teaching of his about the way we ought to relate to our brothers and sisters.

On May 27 according to the Modified Julian Calendar Orthodox Greeks celebrate the memory of a Saint from Ukraine whom they call “St. John the Russian”. (This Calendar coincides with the Gregorian – most Greeks celebrate immovable Feastdays according to it, while Ukrainians and most other Slavs celebrate them according to the Julian Calendar, so for us this Feastday falls on June 6 according to the Gregorian calendar).

St. John the New Martyr of Suchava


The Righteous of Other Folds

We are introducing to our site, a companion to THE RADIANT BEAUTY OF THE SAINTS. In that rubric, we have pondered, with gratitude and praise, the lives of holy men, women and children, glorified by God, who, during their earthly sojourn, were communicants of the Orthodox Church – which we, Orthodox, of course, see as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. In this rubric, THE RIGHTEOUS OF OTHER FOLDS, we shall ponder, again with gratitude and praise, the lives of people who, during their earthly sojourn, were participants in what may be called "other folds", in keeping with our Lord's words: "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16). We shall do so from the point of view of those who love and are nurtured by that marvelous Garden of the Lord's called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
For our first offerings please see:

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, Layman and Martyr

Fr. Damien of Molokai

Master Jan Hus, Priest and Martyr

The Glorious Beauty of the Liturgical Calendar
See full listing

St. Photina, the Samaritan Woman
The Fifth Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to recalling the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. The theme, as on the Fourth Sunday, is the meaning of Christ’s Resurrection for humanity.


Fourth Sunday after Pascha, of the Paralytic
On the Fourth Sunday after Pascha, the Church remembers the marvelous event of our Lord's healing of the man who had lain for 38 years paralyzed beside the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. This miraculous pool was sometimes stirred up by an angel and whoever got into it first would be healed of their infirmities. This man had been there waiting for this for nearly two generations! So was not Jesus' question to him strange? "Do you want to be made well?"

The Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women
On the Third Sunday after Pascha the Church remembers the early-morning journey of the Myrrh-bearing Women to the tomb of Our Lord. We who walk thrice around the Church on the night of Pascha represent those blessed Women – and they represent the Church which continually seeks the Presence of the Lord and always emerges from darkness into glorious light and joy!



Антипасха. Неділя Апостола Томи
Antipascha. St. Thomas' Sunday.






The Lord's Pascha. The Radiant Resurrection of Christ. Once again the great wheel of the Church calendar has brought us to the celebration of the Lord's resurrection. What is it that we are celebrating today? A historical event? Yes. Christians throughout the ages have lived and died with the conviction that Jesus of Nazareth truly lived, truly died and truly rose from the dead and ascended to the Right Hand of the Father.
Світле Христове Воскресення. Пасха Господня. Великдень Знову велике коло церковного календаря привело нас до святкування Господнього Воскресення. Що саме ми сьогодні святкуємо? Історичну подію? Так! Християни впродовж всіх віків жили та помирали з переконанням, що Ісус з Назарету дійсно жив, дійсно помер і справді воскрес із мертвих і вознісся до Правиці Отця Небесного.

Icons of the Mother of God See full listing

The Portaitissa-Iveron Icon
Each year on the Tuesday of Bright Week (the week following the Bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ) according to the tradition of Mount Athos, we commemorate a particular miraculous Icon of the Mother of God which linked with Montreal. The Icon is known as the Portaitissa (literally “Gate-keeper”) Icon because of the place Mother Mary chose for it – above the gate of the Iveron (Georgian) Monastery on Mount Athos.


The Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God
- October 25

On October 7 (September 24 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate another Icon of the many Icons of the Mother of God, the Myrozh Icon.

The Svena-Caves Icon of the Mother of God - August 30

As though to make sure that we note the significance of the wonderful Icon of the Troyeruchytsia (“Three-handed”) Mother of God, it is celebrated in the Church Calendar twice within two weeks (July 11 Gregorian/June 28 Julian and July 25 Gregorian/July 12 Julian)!





Answers to Visitors' Questions

Recent questions:

I wanted to ask what is the traditional use of the "poya" (poyas?)-how did laymen use them in the Russian/Ukrainian Churches? Also, I thought I heard it said once that also monastics and bishops used/use them-is this true and how/where were they worn?-did they replace the monastic belt that I have seen Orthodox monastics wear? See answer

When attending Divine Liturgy in an Orthodox church, I noticed hot water being poured into the chalice from what looks like a metal measuring type spoon.  I remember a friend of mine years ago who is Romanian Orthodox mentioned something about the fact that boiling water from the kettle is placed in the chalice before communion.  Why is hot/boiling water used?  See answer

Is there any reference to dogs or cats in the bible? I can't imagine anything but pure love our blessed Lord would have shown to our furry friends. See answer

See question and answer regarding 40 day dinner in remembrance.

See answer to a question on head coverings.

I'm Ukrainian orthodox and will have my wedding at the end of this summer.  Amongst the many preparations, I am trying to identify some appropriate traditional Ukrainian wedding sayings/prayers, etc. Specifically, I am looking for something appropriate (in Ukrainian) that I can engrave on the inside of our wedding crowns. See answer

An acquaintance had Dobrodiyka in front of her name.  What does this mean? See answer

My son is going to be married in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Moscow Patriarch) in Kiev this summer.  He is Roman Catholic.  It is my understanding the Ukrainian Church is in communion with Rome and no conversion will be necessary for either of them.   My questions are concerning the wedding and also appropriate gifts.  I was considering give them an icon of the Wedding at Cana as a gift.  The only ones I can find online are “Greek Orthodox”.  Would this be appropriate, or is there someplace I can purchase Ukrainian Icons?   Also, my son will need to wear an Eastern Orthodox cross for the Sacrament of Matrimony; again is there something particular to the Ukrainian Rite that would make this cross different from any notated as “Eastern Orthodox”?  Lastly, as a practicing Roman Catholic, is there anything I should know about the ceremony/Mass ahead of time? See answer

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