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Ukrainian Orthodoxy |
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Orthodoxie ukrainienne |
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Saints of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Dr. Alexander Roman (email)
Other Ukrainian Saints
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. 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.
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.[ Home ] [ Articles ] [ Prayer ] [ Saints ] [ Theophilus ] [ Q & A ] [About Us] [ 
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