In the
world - Victor
Volodymyrovych Vashchuk
Born
01.03.1953
Name Day
- July 13
Consecration - 24.02.1990
Chairs
Cathedra since 27.07.1995
Archbishop of Rivne and Ostrog Varfolimiy was born on March 1, 1953 in the village of Gorodno Liuboml district in a peasants' family.
Upon graduation from secondary school in 1970, he served in the
army (1971-1973). After the term of
regular service he worked in the wagon depot of Kovel.
In 1975 he entered the
Odesa Theological Seminary, on graduation from which in 1979 he was enlisted to
the Moscow Theological Academy. He graduated from the MTA in 1983 with a Candidate
of Theology degree for the course paper "Niametsky Monastery in the history of
Russian and Romanian Churches".
He was a subdeacon to Bishop of Podillya Nicanor
(Yukhymyuk) (†1997).
On October 16, 1983 he was ordained deacon by Archbishop of Volyn and Rivne (Marchuk,
†1987), and on October 18 of the same year - ordained to the holy priesthood.
On October 25, 1983 he was assigned for the parish service to the Holy Transfiguration Church in the village of Stara Vyzhivka, the Volyn Region, and became its rector soon.
On March 1, 1989 he was assigned
secretary of the Diocesan administration of Rivne and Volyn.
On April 15, 1989 he was elevated to the rank of
protopriest, in September of the same year - was appointed rector of the Holy
Trinity Cathedral of Lutsk.
On December 22, 1989 he was tonsured monk with the name Varfolomiy after the Holy Apostle
Bartholomew.
On January 18, 1990 he was elevated to
the dignity of archimandrite.
On February 8, 1990 by the decree of
the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Exarchate he was appointed Bishop of Volyn and
Rivne. On February 19, 1990 this decision
was approved at the session of the Holy Synod of the ROC.
On February 24, 1990 he was consecrated Bishop of Volyn and Rivne.
In April of the same year the division of the Diocese
of Rivne and Volyn was made. His Grace Varfolomiy remained ruling bishop of the
Diocese of Volyn with the title Bishop of Lutsk and Volyn.
In the period of 1990 - 1992 - rector of the Volyn
Theological Seminary.
In August 1992 the autocephalous schismatics with
tacit support of local authorities captured the Cathedral of Lutsk, the
diocesan administration building and the premises of Theological Seminary.
At the request of Bishop Varfolomiy he was reassigned
to the Diocese of Mykolayiv with the title Bishop of Mykolayiv and Voznesensk
in August 1992.
In June 1993 Vladyka Varfolomiy became Bishop of Sumy
and Okhtyrka.
On July 27, 1995 he returned to the
Diocese of Rivne and Ostrog.
On November 23, 1996 he was elevated to
the order of Archbishop.
He is the participant of all the Councils of the
Russian Orthodox Church.
Activity
On September 6, 1990 the Sviatogirsk Holy Dormition Convent (now stauropegial) was opened in
the village of Zimne, Volodymyr-Volynskyi district of the Volyn region.
During his tenure of the Volyn Diocese Vladyka Varfolomiy opened in October 1990 the Volyn
Theological Seminary in Lutsk, and became
its Rector.
With the blessing of Bishop Varfolomiy the Volyn
Diocese in 1991 started issuing the diocesan newspaper "Bells of Volyn"(Dzvony
Volyni).
At the Cathedra of Rivne:
Since December 1998 the diocesan newspaper "Orthodox Polissya" (Pravoslavne Polissya) has been published.
In April 1999 for the needs
of the diocese the local authorities consigned the premises which remain in the
ownership of the ROC diocese according to the judicial decision instead of the
diocesan administration building captured by schismatics.
Area study articles by Archbishop Varfolomiy:
The cross at the outskirts of the village // Volyn. - 2000. - January 11.
What did father Meletiy write to Nikita Khrushchev
about? // Volyn. - 2000. - November 11.
The great Prince became a monk in Polonka // Volyn. - 2001. - April 24.
Books:
1. Archbishop Varfolomiy (Vashchuk). St. Nicholas Monastery of Milets. Historical and Area-study outline. - Rivne, 2000.
2. Archbishop Varfolomiy (Vashchuk). The Native Church. Historical informational outline on the Church of
the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the village of Gorodno, Liuboml district of the Volyn region. - Rivne, 2001.
3. Nyametsky Monastery in the history of
Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches. Course paper at the department of History of the
Balkan Churches. Holy Trinity St.Sergius Lavra, 1982-1983. - Rivne, 2003.
4. Archbishop Varfolomiy. The Native shcool. Historical
Informational outline on the occasion of 160 years of Gorodne general education
secondary school of the 1-2 levels. - Rivne, 2002.
5. Archbishop Varfolomiy. Epiphany Cathedral of Ostrog.
- Rivne, 2004.
Published with the blessing of Archbishop Varfolomiy:
1. Volyn. Historical
destinies of the South-West lands. - Uzhgorod: Edition. Batyushkova 1992.
2. Akathist to the
Iveron Icon of the Holy Theotokos. - Lutsk, 1991.
3. Law of God: part 3. - Kyiv, 1991.
4. Akathist to the Holy Righteous Forefathers
Joachim and Anne. - Rovno, 1996.
5. A prayer of mother
for her children. - Rovno 1997.
6. Prayers to the Holy
Theotokos for every day. - Rovno, 1997.
7. Akathist to the Holy Great Martyrs
Gurias, Samonas and Abbibas - Rovno, 1998.
8. Priest Sergiy Filimonov. Advise to aching in
modern hospital. - Rovno, 2000.
9. A Tragedy of the
Orthodox Church. - Rivne, 1998.
10. Protopriest Mykolay
Molis. 900 years of Orthodoxy in the Dubno land. - Dubno, 2000.
Awarded
State Order
2001 - "For Merits" of the
3rd degree.
Church Awards:
On June 25, 1998 awarded the Order of the Holy Equal to the Apostles
Mary Magdalene of the 3rd degree by His Beatitude Basil Metropolitan
of Warsaw and All Poland.
On February 24, 2000 - the Order of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir of the 3rd degree.
2000 - the Order "Nativity of Christ - 2000" of the 1st degree.
2003 - the Order of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh of the 2nd degree; the Order of the Venerable Anthony and
Theodosius of Kyiv Caves of the 2nd degree.
March 2, 2005 - the Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John
the Theologian of the 2nd degree.
On April 7, 2005 on behalf of the
Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Church awarded the Order of the Holy Equal
to the Apostles Mary Magdalene of the 2nd
degree.
Civil and public awards:
By the Supreme Cossack Chieftain of the civil organisation "Cossacks of Zaporizhzhya":
2002 - the Order "Cossack Glory" of the 3rd degree.
2003 - the Order "Cossack Glory" of the 2nd degree.
2006 - the Order "Cossack Glory" of the 1st degree.
By the international charity organisation "Philanthropists of the year":
May 2006 - the golden class order "Philanthropist"; the golden class order
"Good Angel of Peace".
October 2006 - the Order "Star
of Philanthropy". | |
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