Christianity was introduced into Ukraine long before it became the official
state religion. St. Andrew, the first apostle called by Christ, preached
in the hills of what is today's Kiev (about 50 AD). After blessing the
area, he prophesied that a great city would be built on this ground.
St. Olga, wife of Prince Ihor, accepted Christianity in 945 and was baptized
by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Her grandson, St. Vladimir the Great,
Prince of Kievan Rus, accepted Christianity from Constantinople in 988
and made it the state religion.
The Ukrainian Church enjoyed considerable autonomy from Constantinople.
The Great Schism of 1054, where Pope Leo XI of Rome and Patriarch Michael
Celerius of Constantinople mutually excommunicated each other had little
effect on the Ukrainian Church at first. However, the estrangement of the
Ukrainian Church from the Church of Rome took place gradually over time.
With the demise of Kievan State (about 14th century), Ukraine came under
the dominance of the Polish Commonwealth.
In 1596, the Ukrainian bishops gathered in the city of Brest for a synod
where a Union with Rome was concluded (the
Union of Brest) . The Ukrainian Church would retain the Byzantine Rite
and its full autonomy as a "Particular" Church was guaranteed. The Ukrainian
Catholic Church became (and still remains) the largest Eastern Church in
communion with Rome. However, not all Ukrainians had accepted this union
which caused friction between the Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox Communities.
After the partition of Poland (1795), eastern Ukraine (the regions of Kiev,
Podillja, and Volyn) were incorporated into the Russian Empire. This began
a period of persecution of the Ukrainian Catholic Church which was liquidated
in 1839 by imperial decree throughout the Russian Empire. The Ukrainian
Catholic Church continued to flourish in western Ukraine which became part
of the Austrian Empire.
Coming to America -. In the early 1870's, Ukrainians began immigrating
to the United States and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church rapidly grew.
The first parish (St. Michael the Archangel) was established in 1884 in
Shenandoah, PA. The first parishes were under the authority of the Latin
Rite Bishops. In 1907, a Ukrainian Catholic diocese was established in
Philadelphia, PA. where an ecclesiastical structure was established in
the United States for Ukrainian Catholics. In 1916, there were 152 parishes.
In 1956, the diocese of Stamford, CT was created. In 1961, the diocese
of Chicago, IL was established. In 1983, the diocese of St. Josaphat in
Parma OH was established.
Persecution by Soviet Union: The Church of the Catacombs - The Soviet
Union occupied Western Ukraine after the Second World War. The Ukrainian
Catholic Church was singled out for persecution. It was closed, its clergy
was thrown into prison camps, and as a result, the entire Church went underground,
and became the modern day Church of the Catacombs. The Ukrainian Catholic
Church survived in this fashion for nearly five decades.
Resurrection of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine - The survival
of the Ukrainian Catholic Church under the severe persecution of the Soviets
is a modern day miracle. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the
early 1990's and the establishment of a Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian
Catholic Church emerged from the catacombs 5 million faithful strong. The
Church organization is reestablished, a seminary has reopened its doors,
and new priests are being trained to meet the needs of the faithful.
