A Traveller in Carpathia

Not far from Andriivka, about five minutes by car, is the small village of Irlyava. That was our destination this afternoon. We had just finished Divine Liturgy and had lunch. And, as though on cue, the storm which had been hammering the region all morning passed on so we could head to Irlyava for Liturgy. An inquiring mind might ask why mentioning the storm was relevant was relevant, that would be because where we were going there was no church.

During the suppression of the Greek Catholic Church in Transcarpathia many priests were faced with the decision to either convert to the Orthodox Church or be arrested and sent to the gulag, where quite likely they would die. At that time the priest who was assigned to Irlyava also had pastoral care of the smaller church in Andriivka because of their close proximity. However, when faced with the choice of converting or going to the gulag the priest, who’s rectory was in Irlyava, chose to convert. He would soon inherit eight other parishes from the surrounding area after their priests had been arrested.

Soon after the fall of communism the parishioners in Andriivka presented a petition to have their church returned to the Greek Catholic Church which was eventually approved, but the Greek Catholics in Irlyava were not so fortunate. Seeing the need to maintain an Orthodox parish as an outpost among many Greek Catholic parishes in the area the Orthodox refused to return the church. One of their arguments was that it was infact the Orthodox Church who had built the church to begin with, though this becomes a rather strange idea when viewing a painting on the outside of the church with the Theotokos pointing to her heart. Latinizations in our Church are generally looked at rather harshly, but in this case the latinization was proof perfect – Catholics had indeed built this church.

Generally speaking, whether there be rain or shine, this community continues to gather where its family and forbearers are laid to rest in the cemetery surrounding the church. These days, despite only having a half dozen people attending regular Liturgy, the Orthodox refuse to allow the Greek Catholics to have access to or worship in the church. Over the years this community has faced intimidation on many different levels, and even at times outright violence. A fragile agreement has been reached in which the Greek Catholics are permitted access to the land that the church is on and to celebrate Divine Liturgy outside. Rain or shine this community continues to gather where its family and forbearers are laid to rest in the cemetery surrounding the church. Even in winter they don jackets and erect a tent to serve a their makeshift church, all in the hope that some day their church will be returned to them.

Today, eighteen people gathered to celebrate Liturgy. A small wooden table was brought out. A woman from the village brought an embroidered table cloth to cover it. Then the Gospel and Antimension, all brought from Andriivka, were placed on the altar along with the gifts to be offered. Soon the priest vested, said the preparatory prayers, and took the Holy Gospel into his hands and intoned in Old Church Slavonic, “Blessed is the Kindom of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…”

As people sang I thought of how much we can take for granted. Some of our temples in the United States aren’t the most beautiful, some are rather latinized, or even too small, but atleast we have a temple to worship in. These people here can’t even take a single step into their church today, but that doesn’t deter them from coming. The next time you start to think about how unpleasant your temple is, or what you would change, or that maybe going to Liturgy today just wouldnt be all too convenient; I challenge you to think about these people and to pray for them. But don’t just remember them, pray for the whole Church, especially here in Transcarpathia, that unity may one day be achieved and communities like this can find peace.

Today, on June 28th, we celebrated the thirteenth anniversary of the Feast of the Translation of the Holy Relics of Blessed Theodore Romzha.

In 2003, the relics of Bishop Romzha were transferred from the Greek Catholic seminary in Uzhhorod to our Cathedral, after their finding in 1998. Tens of thousands of people came to bear witness to this great Ruthenian martyr. A man, who by refusing to become Orthodox and for his undying faithfulness to the See of Peter, was beaten and ultimately murdered.

Today, thirteen years later, over one hundred and fifty priests, several Bishops, and thousands of the faithful came together again to carry his relics back to the Cathedral. The procession began after Matins and Divine Liturgy, with the youth carrying banners, followed by monks, the clergy, bishops, and finally the faithful. The route of the procession was approximately 6km in length, stretching from the seminary, across the river Uzh, and through downtown Uzhhorod.

There was, however, one point along the route that specifically stood out to me – the towering blue onion domes of the Orthodox Cathedral. It’s not my intent to sound polemical, but I don’t recall a time in recent memory that I felt more proud to be a Greek Catholic than when we processed passed the Orthodox Cathedral triumphantly singing the Troparion of Blessed Theodore Romzha;

“O priest martyr Theodore, following the apostles’ path of piety, As a good shepherd guarding Christ’s flock, you laid down your life, For having been slain by the godless, o Blessed One, Adorned with wounds you entered into eternal joy, o Long-Suffering One, And received from the Lamb of God the crown of glory. Pray to Him to save our souls.”

I am so glad and thankful that I was blessed to be able to spend this Feast day here among the people of Carpathia. It is a memory I will not soon forget.

Blessed Theodore Romzha, pray to God for us!

On Sunday morning we had Matins, Divine Liturgy, and Vespers at the Church of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God in Andrašovtcy. When we arrived Father went inside the Church while I remained outside to take some photos. One of the men from the village came up through the cemetery on his way to Church and stopped to talk to me. The only thing I understood from the first gentleman that approached was “far”. He said a lot more than that, but that was all that I understood. “Kah-nah-dah?” Oh, I get it now. I replied that I was an American and that my name is Marc – the extent of my Rusyn. Other men joined in shortly after having made the walk up the road from the village exchanging greetings of “Slava Isusu Christu! – Slava na viki!”

As I began to drift in thought another gentleman turned to me and asked what I thought of the town, but before I could say anything, or think of something to say, he pointed to the town then to the cemetery we were standing in. The town is dead, he intimated, they all sleep here. I looked around and saw all the headstones – The statement was profound. I wondered how towns like Andriivka would fare in the future, would there even be a church here in forty or fifty years? This town, like many other small villages, on the outskirts of cities like Uzhhorod and Mukachevo are all facing the same problem. There just isn’t any work in these villages anymore, and families must commute into the city, which means more and more people are picking up and moving to the city to live.

The men having drifted further towards the entrance of the church I continued to ponder what he said. What are the implications of this? Are we witnessing the slow death of a culture? A people that withstood a thousand years of magyarization, latinization, and then suppression by the Soviets are now to be snuffed out of existence because of modernity? You can’t help but admire these people, and their sacrifices, without falling in love with them. They are hard workers and have great souls. I can’t begin to imagine what impact their vanishing would have on Carpathia, if not the world.

Да исполнятся – Церква Покрови Пресвятої Богородиці в Андріївка.

Иерей: Всегда, ныне и присно и во веки веков.

Хор: Аминь. Да исполнятся уста наша хваления Твоего, Господи, яко да поем славу Твою, яко сподобил еси нас причаститися Святым Твоим, Божественным, Безсмертным и Животворящим Тайнам; соблюди нас во Твоей святыни, весь день поучатися правде Твоей. Аллилуиа, аллилуиа, аллилуиа.

—-

“May Our Mouth Be Filled With Your Praise” at Church of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God in Andrašovtcy.

Priest: Always, now and ever, and forever.
Choir: Amen. May our mouth be filled with your praise O Lord, so that we may sing of your glory, sing of your glory. For you have deemed us worthy to partake of Your holy, divine, immortal, pure, and life creating mysteries; Keep us in Your holiness, so that all the day long we may live according to Your Truth. Allelujah, allelujah, allelujah.

 

 

This church was originally built in 1813 by Dmitry Hasynets in the village of Neresnytsia in the region of Tyachiv. By 1822, an iconostasis had been completed by Michael Mankovych. In 2003, the church burned down, however plans for the original church had been preserved. Construction of the new church began in 2011 and completed in 2013. The church, a copy of which had burned down ten years prior, was consecrated by Bishop Milan on April 7th, 2013 on the Veneration of the Cross and the Feast of the Annunciation.

This morning we headed back out to Andriivka for 8:00am Divine Liturgy with procession and mirovanja. Then, immediately after Liturgy we headed to Lyakhvitsi because their temple is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and thus today was their patronal feast. I guess I should say that in the past tense, because their temple was taken during the suppression of our church in Transcarpathia and was never returned. The spot we celebrated liturgy at was the foundation for the new temple that they are in the process of slowly building. All the while, just off in the background, is their former church which now belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church. There were probably over a hundred people there today, and just as in Andriivka it was Divine Liturgy with procession and mirovanja.

What a busy day today has been! Can’t believe it!

We started out with Divine Liturgy in Korytnyany because it was the feast day of their temple. Father went to hear confessions and I went into the church, making my way amidst a sea of babushkas to the front so I could get some pictures of this beautiful temple. Still getting used to (or trying to understand) some of the differences in tradition, such as kneeling during the proclamation of the Gospel, or during Holy, Holy Holy, and the consecration. It was the very first time I had seem people rush to the front to kneel before the Gospel as it was being proclaimed – but then again Transcarpathian Divine Liturgies are new to me.

I wanted to give a short update as I just haven’t had the time to write about my train ride from Lviv to Uzhhorod. I arrived here on 6/17 and was welcomed by my hosts with a wonderful feast of Carpatho-Rusyn treats. They are just amazing, gracious, and kind people. This morning I went with Father to his country parish in village of Andriivka dedicated to the Holy Protection of the Mother of God (Церква Покрови Пресвятої Богородиці) to celebrate Divine Liturgy for All Souls Saturday. It is a beautiful small church located on a hill with a cemetery surrounding it. Pictures are attached to the post, despite not bringing my DSLR with me this morning. The Church was originally dedicated in 1791 and then again un 1986 after reconstruction. This morning there were about twelve babushka present, all dressed in black, and two male cantors. Father left Liturgy with lots of dairy goods (cheese, eggs, etc.), as well flour and rice. He told me it is a custom on All Souls Saturdays for the people to bring these gifts to the priest as a way of thanking him. I will write more about the experience tomorrow when I get the opportunity.