Permanent
member of the Holy Synod
In the
world - Mykolay Ivanovych Petrovtsyi
Born
06.12.1951
Name Day
- May 8
Consecration
- 28.07.1988
In the Diocesan See since 14.12.2007
Archbishop of Khust and
Vynohradiv Mark was born on December 6, 1951 in the village of Zadne (now Pryborzhavske) of the Zakarpattya region.
His father - Petrovtsyi Ivan Ivanovych was a peasant, an Orthodox
god-fearing man. His mother - Petrovtsyi (maiden name Bodorovych) Hanna Andriyovna
was a housewife and a pious woman. The whole family received spiritual counseling at the St.Seraphim Convent.
In 1958 he entered the 8 year school. Further on he continued his studies in the secondary school of Dolzhansk. After graduation from school he worked in the Dolzhansk wood
production farm together with his father. From May of 1970 till June 1972 he served
in the ranks of the Soviet army.
In August 1972 he came to Zagorsk with an intention to prepare for entering the Moscow
Theological Seminary and in September of the same year he started working in
the Holy Trinity St.Sergius Lavra. He bore different kinds of obedience: in the frater, in the library, and of the
cellarer to the Superior of Lavra.
In August 1973 he entered the Moscow Theological
Seminary, and was enlisted at once the fourth year student.
In September 1973 he submitted an application for entering the
monastery. On March 6, 1974 he was tonsured a monk with the name of Mark, after
the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark.
On March 17, the same year Archbishop of Dmitrov
Volodymyr, Rector of the Moscow Theological Schools (now His Beatitude
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine) ordained him hierodeacon, and on April 7
- hieromonk.
In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with a degree of Candidate of Theology for the thesis "Image and
likening of God in the doctrine of holy fathers and teachers of the Alexandrian
schools". The same year he was assigned
teacher of the New Testament in the Seminary.
On April 16, 1982 he was appointed Dean of the Holy Trinity St.Sergius Lavra. He had combined this obedience with the work of
teacher in the Seminary untill June 1985, when
he was appointed Deputy Abbot of the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 19, 1988 he became Bishop of Kremenets, Vicar of Metropolitan
of Lviv and Ternopil Nycodym (at present Metropolitan of Kharkiv and
Bogodukhiv). Bishop ordination took place in Kyiv, on July 28, the
commemoration day of the Holy Equal to the Apostles great Prince Vladimir.
On December 27, 1988 he headed the newly
established Diocese of Ternopil and Kremenets.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of April 10, 1989 appointed Bishop of Argentine and South America, the Patriarch's Exarch of Central and Southern America.
November 1, 1993 - appointed
administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in Canada with a title of Bishop of Kashira.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the decree of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr
of May 24, 2005 appointed to the Sumy cathedra.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of May 31, 2007 (Journal № 47) - appointed permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of December 14, 2007 (Journal №122) -appointed to
the Khust cathedra.
Activity in the Diocesan See
By the decree of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr of May 24, 2005 Archbishop Mark (Petrovtsyi) was appointed to the Sumy cathedra, while Bishop Iov (Smakouz) was delegated to rule the
Patriarchal parishes in Canada. On May 29 of the same year in the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in course of the divine service the new ruling bishop was presented to the flock of Sumy.
During his tenure of office in the Sumy diocese Archbishop of Sumy and Okhtyrka Mark founded
and consecrated many churches and chapels. In 2006 Vladyka held more than 50
bishop services.
With support of the ruling bishop many pious
traditions are observed.
Every year on the invitation of Archbishop of Kursk
and Rylsk Herman Vladyka Mark and the clergy take part in the meeting at the state border of the sacred
procession with the Wonderworking Pryazhiv Icon of the Mother of God. The
procession starts at the Holy Trinity church of Sudzhi in the Kursk region and proceeds to the Gornal
St.Michael Bilogirya Monastery and follows to the St.Michael's Church of the village of Myropillya of the Krasnopils disctrict, the Sumy region.
On the commemoration day of the Wonderworking image of the Mother of God named
Okhtyrsky (July 15), revered in the Sumy area, the solemn Divine Liturgy is
celebrated in the Holy Protection Cathedral of Okhtyrka, presided over by Archbishop Mark in co-celebration of the numerous clergy of the
diocese. After the liturgy the sacred procession with the wonderworking icon
follows to the chapel built in 2002 at the place of appearance of the image.
Every year on the feast of Theophany the sacred procession proceeds from the Holy
Transfiguration Cathedral of Sumy to the St.Elijah Church on the river Psiol near the Kharkiv Bridge, where in presence of the large amount of people the
Great Sanctification of the water takes place.
The sojuorn of the copy of the wonderworking icon of
the Mother of God of Molchensk from the Nativity of the Theotokos Convent of
Molchensk was dedicated to the 600 years of
appearance of the Molchensk Icon of the Mother of God and to 350 years of erection
of the first church in the city.
In August 2006 the relics of the Holy Great Martyr and
Unmercenary Healer Panteleimon were brought to the diocese. The shrine was exposed for worship in the
cathedral, hereafter it was taken to the main cities of the diocese.
With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan
Volodymyr Archbishop Mark took part in
the Nativity readings which took place in Moscow, and also in celebrations of
discovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius, Hegumen of Radonezh in the
Holy Trinity St.Sergius Lavra (July 18,
2006).
Archbishop Mark together with the clergy visits the
convict colonies, military units, hospitals, orphanages and the secular
educational establishments.
Social service
On June 30, 2005 the Department of Charity and Social ministry was founded at the Sumy
Diocesan administration. In the period
of existence of the department the kitchen facilities for the charity refectory
for the homeless; the premises of the younger group of the regional orphanage were
repaired and equipped, the facilities for the video-hall of the Sunday school
of the village Bilovody of the Sumy region; the Orthodox centre for resocialization for homeless and alcohol dependable was established.
Catechization work with convicts and employees of the
penitentiary institutions is always in progress. On the commemoration day of the St. Michael
charitable actions in the homes for elderly people of the village of Synivka of the Lypova Dolyna district are held. Besides, the teachers and students of the Sumy Pastoral Theological School read lectures and hold workshops on prevention of the
negative effects among the young and on the work with the HIV-infected.
The agreements on cooperation of the diocesan administration
with the Department of Administrating punishments, the Chamber of Commerce of
the Sumy region were signed, and the work of priests with the
heads of the Collective Labour Colonies and Investigatory Isolation wards was organised.
The Orthodox Sisterhood of Mercy in honour of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God at the Holy Transfiguration cathedral has existed already for 12 years. The sisters of mercy prepare the disabled for
the holy communion, carry out the children's matinees and prepare charitable
dinners for orphans and disabled; carry out missionary work in the hospitals of Sumy, and the
patronage work in the infection wards of the children's hospital; they organize
meeting of the orphans with priests; visit the convicts in the correctional
institutions and the patients of the mental health clinics of the village Vysoke
of the Okhtyrka region, they collect and distribute things among the needy.
The priests of the diocese visit on the regular basis
the pre-school institution and the secondary school for the orphans and for the
children with no parental care; they provide these institutions with clothes,
footwear, toys and food.
In the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Church of the village of Kamyanka, Trostyanets district, the parish asylum for the aged
functions with the warm church in favour of the Righteous Sampson the Hospitable, of Constantinople. The asylum was founded in 1995. There 20 lonely women live. The diocesan Department of Charity and Social Ministry bought for the asylum the
farming equipment (a rototiller, ploughs, a potato harvesting machine),
an electrical stove for kitchen and a boiler.
In the Holy Trinity parish of the village Moskovskyi
Bobryk of the Lebedin district the asylum for aged was opened in 2006.
In 2005 the community of the women's Convent of Mercy
in honour of the Venerable Martyr Elisabeth was registered in the village of Zhuravne, Okhtyrka district.
In 2006 the half-ruined St.Archangel Michael Church and the village balneary
were transferred to ownership of the convent.
Here the sisters' pavilion and an asylum for girls are to be built.
On January 3, 2006 the charitable institution "Gift of Life" headed by the nun Elisabeth
(Stensfield) hold a workshop in Okhtyrka, at which gynaecologists of the city and
regional medical workers were present. At the workshop the questions of improving the
demographic situation in Ukraine were considered.
Activity in the field of Religious work and
catechization
Under the guidance of Archbishop of Sumy and Okhtyrka Mark
the workers of the Diocesan Department of Religious Education and Catechization
demonstrate Orthodox films for the youth with their further discussion.
The Department issues the newspaper "Pravoslavna
Sumshchyna" (Orthodox Sumy land), distributed in the region. In 2006 the Orthodox web site of the Sumy Diocese was
launched (pravoslavie.sumy.ua).
In July-August 2006, with the blessing of Archbishop of Sumy
and Okhtyrka Mark, in the village of Kuleshivka, Nedrygayliv district the
children recreation educational camp "Kitezh-grad" was held, and by the joint
efforts of the diocesan Administration and the workers of the Ministry of
Emergencies the recreation patriotic cams was held.
In the summer of 2006 an agreement between the diocese
and the regional broadcasting company for establishment of the Orthodox radio programme "Orthodox
Calendar", was signed, which is broadcast twice a month.
The Sumy Department of Catechization co-operates with
the organization of the Veterans and the Disabled War Veterans of
Afghanistan. In October 2006 the
festival "By the Roads of Afghanistan War" took place with an active support of
the clergy.
On the premises of the Sumy Diocesan Administration
the traditional International Exhibition-fair "Orthodox Sumy land" is held, in which the dioceses of Ukraine, Russia and Byelorussia take part.
The IV festival of spiritual music "The Entrance chants" went
down into history. In particular the performance of the bishop choir of the
stauropegial nativity of the Theotokos Monastery "Glinka Hermitage" and the
performance of the choir of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Saviour Cathedral
are to be mentioned.
Awarded
Church Awards:
- of the Holy and
Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir of the 3rd degree;
- of the Venerable
Sergius of Radonezh of the 2nd degree;
- of the Holy and
Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow of the 2nd
degree;
- of the Holy Equal
to the Apostles Mary Magdalene (Orthodox Church of Poland);
- of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius (Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia).
State awards:
- the Order of
Friendship of Peoples (Russian Federation). | |
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