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Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos (CRC-EP) has announced that the Second Sunday after Pentecost be designated the Synaxis of the Carpatho-Russian Saints.

Holy martyr Maxim (Sandovich) of Gorlice
Holy martyr Ludmila
Saint Procopius of Sazava
Holy prince confessor Rostislav of Moravia
Holy Cyril, equal to the Apostles
Holy martyr King Wenceslas
Holy father and confessor Alexis of Wilkes-Barre
Holy Moses the Hungarian
Holy bishop martyr Gorazd of Prague
Holy father and confessor Alexis of Khust

I wonder if the Byzantine Catholic Church (perhaps as an ecumenical gesture) could also institute this feast, or something similar?

Nick

Dear Nick,

How wonderful!

The Second Sunday after Pentecost has become a kind of general purpose "All Local Saints Day" in the Orthodox East, as you know.

On that day, the Saints of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, North America etc. are commemorated.

Of course, the UGCC wanted to show its ecumenism toward Orthodoxy and established the feast of all Ukrainian Saints on . . . the Fourth Sunday.

If the Byzantine Catholic Church in the U.S. can follow suit with the Orthodox in this respect, then I will take my hat off to it, and keep it off!!

Also, do you have any information on St Alexis of Khust?

Is that the St Alexis of Carpatho-Rus' who was recently glorified?

If so, I know who it is!

Also, does the Byzantine Catholic Church of the Ruthenians in the U.S. celebrate the feasts of all these Carpatho-Rusyn Saints as well?

They're very good at celebrating St Photius . . .


Alex

He was a monk, and suffered persecution under the Nazi occupation, and died in 1947. He "helped lead dozens of Carpathian villages back to their original Orthodox faith".

Alex, perhaps, we could assemble a complete list of Carpatho-Russian confessors of our own?

Suggestions....

Nick

Dear Nick,

That would be great!

I've written up a list of all known Ukrainian/Ruthenian Orthodox saints at this site: www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy [unicorne.org]

There could very well be saints there that should also be on the Carpatho-Russian list.

How would you like to proceed?

Alex (adopted Carpatho-Rusyn)

Let us not forget the Hieromartyr Theodore of Mukachevo-Uzhhorod!

Incognitus

Definitely....

Top of the list.

Tomorrow (June 28th) is the feast of the translation of his relics to Uzhgorod!

Holy father Theodore, pray for us!

Let us also remember Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky and companions, on this, their memorial day.

On June 27, 2001, Pope John Paul II beatified a group of modern martyrs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Holy Martyrs, pray for us.

Holy Martyrs, pray for peace.

Holy Martyrs, pray for government that respects the rights of all the people.

While I like this idea, I see some problems with the way the ACROD went about it.

The ACROD likes to bill this grouping as "All Saints of Carpatho-Rus" (or so it says on the icon they produced) but that is definately a misnomer. Out of this list, only four can be considered Carpatho-Rusyn: St. Maxim Sandovich, St. Alexis Toth, St. Moses Uhrin, and St. Alexis Kabaljuk. Saints Cyril, Methodius, and Rostislav could be venerated in such a synaxis for their important contributions, but they were not of Carpatho-Rus or Rusyns; Saint Vladimir should also then be included for his contribution.

Even if the name is changed, the given grouping still doesn't work. If you say "All Carpatho-Rusyn Saints" that is wrong, because all the saints on the list are not Rusyns. If you say "All Saints of Carpatho-Rus," same thing. "All Saints Who Have Shone Forth In Carpatho-Rus" still wouldn't work, since most of those on the list did not finish their earthly journey in "kraju," (including saints who were Rusyns, like Mojsej Uhrin who died in Kiev and Alexis Toth who died in Wilkes-Barre).

This grouping could more accurately be called "All Saints of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia" since that is what it really seems to be.

Dave

Dear David,

I refer you to Alex's note above, which recalls that many 'local' orthodox churches have chosen to keep a celebration of their saints on this day.


So, the question that you are trying to raise, is fundamentally about the identity of this church and people. (well discussed several times in several threads on this forum).

The conclusion I have to come to, is that there are no fixed borders to "Ruthenia" and the "Carpatho-Russians" (or Rus, or whatever) defy definite finite boundaries of any kind.

So, perhaps, we can select saints, to which we have been (or could be) specially devoted, spiritually linked by reasons of history, temper, ethnicity, geography, or any other undefined affinity.

The Byzantine Catholic Church (or perhaps for that matter the Carpatho-Russian Greek Catholic Orthodox Church -- Ecumenical Patriarchate) may not have boundaries like Russia, or Ukraine.... but we do love to pray and party, celebrate and sing. This is a good an excuse as any!

Holy Saints of the Synaxis of [....fill in as desired....], pray for us!

Nick

I'm very familiar with this practice; I belong to an OCA parish, so this coming Sunday is "All Saints of North America." I think it is a wonderful way to recognize the "cloud of witnesses" that appeared in our own countries.

I don't question the identity of the Carpatho-Rusyns or the ACROD; my background is Rusyn (and Slovak and Italian), and the background of the ACROD is Rusyn. That is not the issue I am raising.

Carpatho-Rus may not have definate borders, but we can say what Carpatho-Rus is not (how's that for apophatic geography? ). Procopius of Sazava, Wenceslaus, Ludmila, and Gorazd really can't be called "of Carpatho-Rus." But why are they included? Did the Bohemia of Wenceslaus and Ludmilla include Carpatho-Rus? If saints like Procopius, a Benedictine from Bohemia--now Czech Republic--is included, why not include other saints from that area? Why is Rostislav of Moravia included, but Stephen of Hungary and Vladimir of Kiev not included? When you start to include saints from the bordering areas, or saints that Rusyns held in devotional esteem, you start to make it less exclusive, and defeat the purpose of this day.

All I am saying is that coming up with a "Local All Saints" for people without a country is not easy! However, giving the impression that all these saints were "nash" and shone forth in Carpatho-Rus is just not accurate.

As I said before, Johnstown just took a list of the saints from the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and titled it "All Saints of Carpatho-Rus." Just look at this page: http://www.orthodox.sk/media/ikony/index.html

But I agree that our people love to pray, sing, and celebrate the saints, and any occasion to do that is positive.

Dave

Alex wrote: "Also, does the Byzantine Catholic Church of the Ruthenians in the U.S. celebrate the feasts of all these Carpatho-Rusyn Saints as well?"

No Alex, we don't have any such feast in the Pittsburgh metropolitan church. I'm all for starting such a feast. I'd start with Father John Woliansky and Father Eugene Volkay (founder of my own parish) for two. Though they are not "canonized" by Rome, they are truly saints and were ardent evangelizers and faithful priests in the face of much hostility and adversity. I think that American Byzantine Catholics (the Rusyn, I mean, Ruthenian variety) could related to them. I know that I've been praying for Father Euguene's intercession a lot lately.

John

https://www.byzcath.org/HolyTrinity/history.htm

Dear Friends,

Actually, Chtec has raised a fascinating question - that of how a Particular Church's saints are to be identified.

In fact, on "Ukrainian Orthodoxy" I used to get some angry e-mails for including Belarusyan Saints into the Kyivan/Ukrainian calendar such as St Euphrosinia of Polotsk.

In fact, St Euphrosinia was buried in the Kyivan Caves Lavra and there are other non-Kyivan Saints interred there, including the 12 Holy Greek Architects/Builders of the Lavra, and others.

For starters, I'd like to offer this list of qualifications for the inclusion of Saints into a Local Calendar:

1) national identity

2) connection of the Saints to the Church/region through missionary or other activity

3) connection of the national Saints to other Saintly choirs

4) Saints for whom the people of the Church/region have developed a strong veneration for

So, for example, St Barbara's Relics are enshrined at Kyiv, having been brought there by a Byzantine Princess. St Barbara is a patron Saint of Kyiv and her akathist was formerly distributed to visitors there. I have a medal with the Saints of the Kyivan Caves Lavra on one side - and with St Barbara on the other.

And, no, I do NOT maintain that St Barbara was an ethnic Ukrainian!

St Basil of Mangazea, a Siberian Saint, is also a Kyivan Saint because he was converted by the Orthodox missionaries sent to Siberia and because his cult was transported to Kyiv by St Theophil Leschynsky and St Paul Koniuskevich of Siberia.

Alex

I am delighted with a larger list of saints to celebrate! And, like the Kievan saints, they can even be saints popular among Byzantine Catholics, and saints who have helped them in some way. Obviously Saint Nicholas of Myra (not a Carpatho-Russian) should be included.

I am delighted to hear the names of Fathers John Woliansky and Eugene Volkay. This is an obviously place to retell their story! Can I beg you to recount your memories, or tell their stories? I would love to read them.

There were many heroic pastors who worked hard to sow the faith in generations of Byzantine Catholics (or were they Greek Catholics?). I would love to read about them, and pray for/to/with them.

It is also pertinent to remember their story, in case we should imagine that evangelization is something that is only just beginning to take place among us. They (heroic pastors, cantors, parish lay leaders) must have done something well, to gather the community, and build the Church!

Nick

Dear Nick,

Sts Cyril and Methodius are also venerated together with their five disciples: Sts Sava, Angelar, Gorazd, Nahum and Kliment.

There is the New Martyr St Gorazd of Prague, killed by the Nazis.

Since St Moses the Hungarian was a Saint of the Kyivan Caves - given the wide-ranging missionary reach of the Lavra - then the 150+ Kyivan Caves Saints should also be honoured as an integral part of the Carpatho-Russian Choir.

There are the New Martyrs of Kholm glorified by the Polish Orthodox Church (?)

Dear Friends,

Would Bl. Pavel Goydicz be considered a Carpatho-Rusyn Saint?

Alex