Photo from open sources
Odesa diocese of the OCU is a region where the Ukrainian Church (then Kyiv Patriarchate) originally started with 23 parishes, and where there are now 130 parishes. And despite the dominance of Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, there is a demand for the Ukrainian Church and the potential for its development in the Odesa region.
This opinion was expressed in an exclusive interview with Orthodox Ukraine by the secretary of Odesa diocese, who is also the director of one of Odesa schools, Archpriest Theodor Orobets, who was a participant and witness of many dozens of transitions from Moscow Patriarchate to Kyiv Patriarchate and now to the OCU.
“I would give the following periodization of the Ukrainian Church’s development,” said Father Theodore, “the beginning from 1992 to 2000. We had neither preferences from the authorities nor opportunities, but from 2002 to 2004 we were rebuilding our cathedral. I went on the broadcasts (there were many new channels), tried to organize protests, and demanded equal development conditions with the Moscow Patriarchate.
And then the city authorities began to help us on the terms that “we will give you the premises, help you put it in order, but you must not disturb Agafangel.” Well, we were satisfied with such conditions. That’s how our cathedral appeared.” Father Theodor described the second stage as the time of Yushchenko, when the Ukrainian Church was not much interfered with.
“At the local level, there was a revenge of the white-blue, the Party of Regions faction in the regional council was headed by Bishop Agafangel. They began to call us godless, graceless, Yushchenko’s people, Filaret’s people, the hand of the US State Department. In the days of Yanukovych, officials pretended that we did not exist. We were developing and living our lives in spite of all realities. There were people who wanted to join autocephaly,” said Fr. Theodor who wanted to join Kyiv Patriarchate was oppressed and even beaten, titushkys (thugs) came to the church, led by Kaurov (a collaborator who fled to Moscow in 2014 – ed.), who then disrupted NATO military training.”
“So if these people were driving away NATO ships, they were also opposing us. But we were greatly nourished by the support of our believers. In Odesa, autocephaly was chosen by the reflective Orthodox believers with critical thinking and a willingness to discuss. Not long ago I reviewed the book of registrations and baptisms for 1998-2000. There were many baptisms, even though we lived and served in ruins. The church had no roof, and we served in the narthex, where 70 people were huddled together.
Despite the fact that there were large churches in Odesa, the Cathedral of Moscow Patriarchate, people brought children to us to be baptized. I began to look at people’s surnames, 50/50, Ukrainian and surnames with Russian endings – in, ov, yev. After the Tomos and the Russian invasion, the functioning of the Church stepped into a new phase. The region «moved» and transitions became more active,” said the priest.
However, Father Theodore is confident that the Ukrainian Church in Odesa will be established, because there is evidence that people are seeking spiritual independence in Odesa.
Specifically, he illustrated this with the following facts: “There is a town 170 kilometers from Odesa where there is no congregation, no people who know me, but when it became known in local groups that I would come and bless water and pray for the defenders from their city, more than one and a half hundred came to pray. In November 2024, we received a congregation from a completely pro-Russian village that had always voted for pro-Russian parties.
A military town, where retired officers were always waiting for the “Russian world”, from the hill where the village stands, you can see the tops of houses in Transnistria. They transferred calmly, with a priest, serve in the Church Slavonic language, use the old calendar, because they are not mentally ready. (And there are parishes that easily change both the language of worship and the calendar).”
The priest said that often priests of the Ukrainian Church had to take care of several villages. For example, Fr. Vasyl Yedin, who came to serve in Myrne village and was constantly persecuted and humiliated by the Moscow Patriarchate, decided to help build churches in other villages.
“I chose the strategy of building small churches in the vicinity of small villages. Our church in Myrne was in some ways a mother church for the neighboring villages, people from the surrounding villages came here. But today, with our help, the surrounding villages have their own structure, a community, ten active parishioners, and a treasurer.
Each one is developing. This was actually my strategy, if you will, small churches, but wherever possible. So I managed to organize 5 more parishes. But there were residents there who wanted the Ukrainian Church. I just joined in to draw up charters, arrange land matters and help with construction,” Fr Vasyl told Ukrainian Orthodoxy journalists.
Both clerics expressed their conviction that the Ukrainian Church will develop in Odesa region, as they see a keen interest and people’s demand for religious independence.
