www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Kyiv Consecrated

Dear Friends,

Here is a link with pictures and two videos of the consecration of the patriarchal sobor of the Holy Resurrection in Kyiv:

http://www.kyrios.org.ua/church/ugc...rshij-sobor-voskresinnja-hristovogo.html

The videos are further down the page. The second video, a newser, states that the head of the UGCC consecrated the main UGCC place of worship in Kyiv, the patriarchal sobor, which is the fourth such place of worship in the Ukrainian capital. More than 17,000 pilgrims came to Kyiv for the consecration from all over Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Argentina, Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere.

Patriarch Svyatoslav placed the Relics of Saints into the altar including those of Sts Peter and Paul, of St Andrew the Apostle who first consecrated the hills of Kyiv, those of Sts Clement and Martin, popes of Rome, who lived and died in Crimea, of St Josaphat and of the Blessed New Hieromartyrs, Nicholas Charnetsky and Josaphat Kotsylowsky.

After the Divine Liturgy, the faithful present renewed their Baptismal vows as the event also celebrated the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus'.

Alex

Where are all the icons?!

Desertman, it looks like it is very much still under construction.

Oh! That would explain it then!

More photos
Consecration of the Holy Table and the Cathedral [ugcc.tv]

Transfer of the relics [ugcc.tv]

Moleben at St Volodomyr's statue [ugcc.tv]

Dear Anhelyna,

Very nice!

In the background of the first photo is the "flag of St Andrew" with a light blue St Andrew's Cross against a white background (it could also be yellow ).

They included the relics of the two Popes Sts. Clement and Martin. It's interesting that the three popes ever to have set foot in Ukraine/Crimea are all Saints.

(Oh, there was also one Alexandrian pope, the Oriental Orthodox St Timothy Aelurus ("the Cat") of Alexandria who was exiled to the area.)

The relics of the Patriarch-Confessor Josyf Cardinal Slipyj were also interred in the Cathedral, as per his wish in his Last Will and Testament. UGCC leaders also wanted to place there the relics of Met. Isidore of Kyiv, a Greek who signed the Union of Florence and was later banished from his See by the ruler of Muscovy - but his remains have not yet been found. After the fall of Constantinople, Met. Isidore spent the rest of his life winning freedom for as many of his Greek compatriots as he could (indeed, in some sources he is called "Saint Isidore" as in Holweck's Dictionary of Saints, 1924).

Alex

You can thank my GodPapa for the links I gave - I've not managed to see any of the streaming from Kyiv this weekend having had a visitor , so he sent me the links to the piccies to satisfy my curiosity

Head of Ukrainian Catholics thanked Catholics in Lithuania for support during times of Soviet persecution


http://risu.org.ua/en/index/all_news/ukraine_and_world/international_relations/53412/
18 August 2013


Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), following the demand of the Greek Catholic priests and bishops who were serving in times of persecution (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was liquidated in 1946 by Soviet regime and operated as underground Church for more than 40 years), thanked the Lithuanian Catholic Church for their support at the time of the communist regime.

Words of gratitude Head of the UGCC delivered after the consecration of the Cathedral in Kyiv to the papal legate - Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis from Lithuania.

"I take advantage of this opportunity to accomplish a will of bishops, priests, monks and nuns of our persecuted Church. They bequeathed on behalf of our Church to express a gratitude to the Catholic Church of Lithuania ", - he said.

Patriarch Sviatoslav said that Lithuanians were showing the true Christian solidarity to Ukrainian Greek Catholics in times of persecution in the Soviet Union.

"How many of our bishops went there in order to become stronger in faith and how many books - spiritual literature, catechisms, prayer books were printed there in order to feed with the Word of God the faith of Ukrainian people. And now is the best moment in history, when we, on behalf of the whole Church, would like to say "Thank you."

He also thanked the papal legate for his presence at the dedication of the cathedral, adding that the visit to Kyiv of Lithuanian Cardinal also has a symbolic meaning, because "this year, Ukrainian eyes will look to Lithuania, Vilnius." Head of UGCC meant the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius which is to be held in November.

Dear Slave-Lady,

How old is your Godfather? The "piccies" are very nice!

Could we have one of you?

Alex

Lithuanian Catholics rock!!

My grandfather's family came from Lithuania . . .

And Vilnius was once part of the Kyivan Metropolia. Sts Anthony, John and Eustace of Vilnius, martyred by the pagan Olgerde, were glorified by the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

In Vilnius, there is the "Sharp Gate" over which is the beautiful Lithuanian icon of "Ostra Brama" (an icon of the Annunciation).

People would "break their hats" or take off their hats as they walked under the gate in honour of our Lady.

When the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko was there, he saw some students who refused to take off their hats in this way and later wrote a very brief poem about them: "... and they wouldn't break their hats at Ostra Brama . . . but you can always tell an idiot by the way he walks . . ."

Alex

Tsk Alex - my GodPapa is a little more than half my age - and that's all I'm saying

He finds lots of informative pictures for me and does a LOT of teaching using the content of some of these.

The 1025th anniversary of the Baptism will be a time of grace for the whole Ukrainian nation, Pope Francis

[Linked Image]

18 August 2013 | Vatican
http://risu.org.ua/en/index/all_news/catholics/vatikan/53411

On the occasion of the celebration 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus' and the consecration of August 18 in Kyiv, Patriarchal Cathedral Church Pope Francis sent the letter, read by papal legate Cardinal Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis.

Pope Francis wrote: "The celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus proves that the path to full unity among all the disciples of Christ is not a luxury but a deep need, a need for consistent and effective proclamation of the message of Christ and to witness the unity of that Christ asked the Father before his final act of sacrificial love".

Pope Francis hopes that the memory of the baptism of Rus-Ukraine will become a new impetus for the Church in evangelization and pastoral activities, and celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism will be a time of grace for the whole Ukrainian nation and for all the people.

"Let the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus will be a moment of grace for the whole Ukrainian nation and for all people who celebrate this great event, also for Orthodox brethren. But let it also be an appeal for real sense of personal responsibility on the part of all institutions and all people to follow the example of St. Volodymyr and to work for the common material and spiritual good of the nation; an appeal for ecumenical responsibility to pray to God for the gift of unity among all Christians and thus be builders of unity; an appeal to look with confidence and hope in the future God shows us; an appeal to intensify our work of evangelization and pastoral work in its various aspects, "- said the Pope in his greeting.

Full text of the message in Ukrainian -http://risu.org.ua/ua/index/resourses/church_doc/ugcc_doc/53410/

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II TO CARDINAL JOSEPH SLIPYJ FOR THE MILLENIUM OF CHRISTIANITY IN RUS -
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/j...p-ii_let_19790616_1000-crist-rus_en.html

Good

That will soon be four popes to become saints with the upcoming canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul II, who visited Ukraine in November 2001.

Don't wish to offend anyone, but to be perfectly honest, that rather modern looking church doesn't particularly impress me.