ALL SAINTS OF UKRAINE: How Many Saints Are There?
Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey) - now with Muslim minarets.
In preparation for the feast-day (храмове свято) celebration of our Chapel - All Saints of Ukraine (second Sunday after Pentecost), we will spend the next few weeks learning more about this special feast-day.
The Legend
It is likely that almost each of us grew up with the famous legend of how Ukraine became Orthodox (Christian): Prince Volodymyr (980-1015), looking to unify his nation in one faith, sent out emissaries to Rome to see the Western Christian Church, to the Muslim community and to Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church (while the Church had not yet divided both regions had developed distinct local traditions over the 9 centuries). The men, who likely visited the great Hagia Sophia church (hagia means ‘saint’ in Greek) in Constantinople (currently occupied by Muslims who have only recently started using it as a mosque rather than as a museum), returned to their king reporting that during the Divine Liturgy they had not known whether they were in heaven or on earth. Such is the legend that has inspired the Orthodox Christian faith tradition in Ukraine!
But what else do we know of the Church and its many saints in Ukraine (other than the fact that the Moscow Patriarchate is begrudgingly ceding our foremost monastery of Печерська Лавра (Kyivan Caves)?
How Many Saints?
According to Fr. Anrrii Pokotylo (UOC of the USA), the Pecherska-Lavra Monastery has produced more saints than any other place in the world: 123 incorruptible remains of saints who lived within the monastery and another 61 myrrh-bearing skulls of unknown saints, preserved there by the fathers. And this number does not even include the saints from other notable monasteries! Here is a list of the Ukrainian saints commemorated throughout the year from a book by Borys Sambor (2009) {Alas, only 7 of those recorded are female (we will learn about them in forthcoming weeks). However, that is NOT to say that there have not been other female saints}.
But Why Venerate Saints?
It is not enough that saints existed, that they lived their saintly lives, did what seems to be impossible to us, and fell asleep in the Lord. We must remember as Orthodox Christians that (1) we believe in life after death, and as such, these saints are still in contact with our world and are available to us; (2) saints have achieved holiness and therefore can provide miracles to us through their remains (undecayed clothing or bones, myrrh or even sweet-smells that are emitted from icons or burial stones etc.) and even through their prayers alone!; and (3) that the saints are mentors, of sorts, to us, even if deceased. Not only can we learn from their life stories about how they thought and acted in the world, but also when praying to them and asking for their guidance and/or intercession (this is also why we have the ‘akathist’ service - praying for the intercession of a specific saint). Our Church is not for the dead but for the living, even if living seem ‘asleep!’ We are constantly surrounded by the saints even if unseen.
What Can We Do to Commemorate Them?
The Church, after almost 2000 (it is only 10 years until we celebrate 2000 years of Christianity!) years of practice has developed several ways of remembering the saints.
We attend the Divine Liturgy, vespers, matins, moleben or akathist to a saint (but note that city parishes do not generally celebrate Divine Liturgies for each saint of the Church; just for whom are considered to be “major” saints)
We keep their icon at home in our icon corners
We read their life stories (hagiography)
If we share the same name with them then we celebrate our namesake day (день ангела) by bringing treats to work or school (just as we did as children for our own birthdays)
If it is the name of the temple, then we celebrate their memory by having a patronal feast-day (храмове свято) with a special Liturgy (including a visit from the Bishop) and a concert, or a neighborhood festival to connect with locals, continuing the work of that saint - sharing that Christ is the light of the world and so people know who we are.
We visit (or make pilgrimage) to their burial site or relic location
We kiss/bow (venerate) their holy undecayed relics - knowing that the very touch could heal us (note that the practice of having skulls at halloween came from the Christian monastic practice of keeping the skulls of the deceased)
We are anointed with the oil of the myrrh from their icon/relics/burial (if any)
And many more ways. Please speak with our parish priests to learn more.
Relics at St. Volodymyr Cathedral
While we do not have any relics of saints of Ukraine, we do have relics of St. Panteleimon (305 A.D.), St. Gregory Palamas (1359 A.D.) in addition to the relic that is sewn into the fabric on the altar table. Please contact our parish priests if you wish to venerate the relics of these saints.
Read more about the veneration of relics here - Healing from Mere Bones. And also Why the Incorruptible Body Is Not Necessarily a Sign of Holiness and Other Questions about the Holy Relics