Celebration of St. Basil the Great in the Kyivan Archeparchy

In the day of feast of St. Basil the Great, on January 14, men’s and women’s communities of the Order of Saint Basil the Great (OSBM) in Ukraine renew their monastic vows, in order to once again declare their devotion to God and at the same time in a special way the Basilian fathers pray for God’s blessing and zealous vocation to the monastic life. There is a church of St. Basil the Great in the Kyivan Archeparchy in Kyiv, which is ministered by Basilian fathers. On the patron’s feast Archbishop Ivan Yurkovych, the pope’s nuncio in Ukraine, and Bishop Joseph (Milyan), auxiliary bishop of Kyivan Archeparchy of the UGCC, prayed together with all the priests, nuns of different communities, and laity. At the completion of Liturgy the pontifical nuncio wished God’s blessing for the fathers, brothers, and sisters who belong to the Order of St. Basil the Great.  It is worth mentioning that except for the Basilian fathers in the Kyivan Archeparchy minister the Basilian sisters from the Croatian province of Saint Michael the Archistratege, who recently marked fifteen years of their missionary activity in Kyiv. At the beginning of their ministering the sisters engaged in the catechization of children and adolescents in the schools of Vyshgorod and Fastiv. In addition, they engaged in sacrificial and many-sided spiritual work at the parochial churches of Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv. The work of these sisters at the churches and in their monastery included the conduction of biblical hours, organization of prayer groups, retreats for girls, women, and men, pilgrimages to miraculous places, acquaintance with the Ukrainian customs, showing of films on religious subjects, catechization of children, and so on... They also helped families with many children and visited orphan’s houses and hospitals.  Currently in Kyiv the following sisters minister: Sister Yanuaria (Isik), OSBM, Sister Navkratia (Pap), OSBM, and Sister Zinovia (Sapun), OSBM, who fervently continue the work of their predecessors. On this day in their monastery of St. Michael the Archistratege Fr. Makariy (Leniv), OSBM, abbot of the Basilian monastery of St. Volodymyr the Great in Kherson, celebrated the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, during which the nuns renewed their monastic vows.

Fr. Panteymon Salamakha, OSBM, abbot of the monastery of Krekhiv
Fr. Joachim Koval’chuk, OSBM, chaplain of the Association of the Ukrainian Youth of the Kharkiv Center