Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Saint Austin

Question:

Does the Ukrainian Orthodox church recognize Saint Austin?

Answer:

Dr. Alexander Roman alex.roman@unicorne.org

St Austin is St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, the famous Church teacher whose mother, St Monica, prayed for his conversion for years before it came about.

The Ukrainian and other Orthodox Churches do indeed recognize him as a saint, but one can sometimes find differing titles for him.

For example, in the Slavic Orthodox Churches, he is often referred to as "Blessed Augustine."  Implicit in this title is the sense that there is an issue with some of his teachings etc.  His views on Original Sin have often been cited as the main one.

However, this is not universal in Orthodoxy.  There are Greek references to him as "St Augustine the Great!" 

In St Catharines, Ontario, there is the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.  The icon-writer who worked in that Church was Orthodox and so there is an icon of "Blessed Augustine" and also "Blessed Jerome" on the walls (this is highly unusual for an Eastern Catholic parish church)!

[ Home ] [ Articles ] [ Prayer ] [ Saints ] [ Theophilus ] [ Q & A ] [About Us] [ ]