Permanent member of the Holy Synod
In the world - Mykola Stepanovych Rusnak
Born 18.04.1921
Name
Day- Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers
Consecration
Date - 10.08.1961
In the Diocesan See since 13.09.1989
Metropolitan of Kharkiv and Bogodikhiv Nycodym was born on April 18, 1921 in
the village of Davydivtsy, Kitsman district, Chernihiv region, in the family of
peasants.
He graduated from the secondary school in 1935.
From 1938 he was a novice in the St. John the
Theologian Khreshchatitsk Monastery of the Chernivtsi Diocese, where on January 6, 1945 he was tonsured a monk with the name Nycodym after the Holy Reverend Nicodemus.
On April 29, 1945 he was ordained to the holy diaconate,
getting the rank of hierodeacon by Bishop of Bukovyna and Chernivtsi Theodosy (Kovernynsky, †1980) and on Februaury 23, 1946 - ordained to the holy priesthood, getting
the rank of hieromonk.
From 1950 till 1955
he bore obedience of the Superior of the
St. John the Theologian Monastery.
Since 1955 he studied in the Moscow
Theological Seminary, and at the same time was a temporary Dean of the MTA&S.
In 1958 on graduation of the Academy with
the degree of Candidate of Theology he was appointed Deputy Head of the Russian
Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, where on October 15 he was elevated to the rank
of archimandrite.
By the decision of
the Holy Synod of the ROC on August 10, 1961 he was consecrated Bishop of
Kostroma and Galych.
From April 21, 1964 -Bishop of Argentina
and the South America.
On February 25, 1968 he was elevated to the
rank of archbishop, and appointed Exarch of the Cenral and Southern
America.
On December 1, 1970 he was appointed
Archbishop of Kharkiv and Bogodukhiv, at the same time holding temporary appointment of Exarch of the Cenral and Southern America (till 1977).
From November 23, 1983 - Archbishop of Lviv and Ternopil, temporary administrator
of the Kharkiv Diocese.
On April 9, 1985 he was elevated to the rank of
Metropolitan.
From December 27, 1988 - Metropolitan of Lviv and Drohobych, Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Dormition
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
On September 13, 1989 he returned to the Kharkiv Cathedra.
From April till May 27, 1992 by the Decree
of His Holiness the Patriarch Alexy II, he temporarily hold the office of
Primate of the UOC.
In 1992 he presided over the Kharkiv
Council of the UOC, where the schismatic actrivity of the former Metropolitan
Philaret (Denisenko) was condemned.
From June 20, 1992 - permanent member of the Holy Synod of the
UOC.
From 1994 - Chairman of the Canonization Committee. By the decision
of the Holy Synod of the UOC of November 22, 2006 he was removed
from the office of Chairman of the Synodal Committee for Canonization in
connection with workload of diocesan affairs.
Honorary professor of the Kharkiv State
Institute of Culture and of the Kharkiv Institute of Art after
I.P.Kotlyarevsky, Honorary professor of the Kharkiv National University after
V.N.Karazin, Doctor of Theology 'Honoris Causa' of the Warsaw Theological
Institute, Doctor of Theology 'Honoris Causa' of the Kyiv Theological
Academy.
The activities of His Eminence Vladyka Nycodym are commemorated with numerous church and state awards.
Literary and scientific works of Metropolitan Nycodym.
1. Two pieces in Ukrainian language:
"Mother-murderess", "Looked for happiness - found the grave, or the Judgement
of consciousness" written in 1947-1949, but not published due to the hostile
attitude to religion in those times.
2. The Candidates
Thesis
"Administrative and evangelical activity
of St.John Chrysosotm on the Constantinople Throne, 1966).
3. Epistles, words,
sermons. - Three
volume edition. - Kharkiv: Prapor, 1995-1998.
4. Collection of
services and akathists. - Kharkiv: Edition of the
Kharkiv Diocesan Administration of the UOC, 1999.
5. The service
(project) to the confessor of the Holy Orthodoxy, Doctor of Theology
protopresbyter Gavryil Kostelnyk, who laid down his life for the faith of
fathers in the initially Orthodox land of Galychyna on September 7/20, 1948. The life of
the Confessor of the Holy Orthodoxy protopresbyter Gavryil Kostelnyk // Vira I Rozum. - 2000. - p. 277-288.
6. Epistles, words,
sermons. - Seven volume edition. - Kharkiv: Maydan, 2001-2005.
7. A lot predestined by
God (A
story about the entwinement of human fates). - Kharkiv: Maydan, 2002.
8. New pages on the entwinement of human fates. - Kharkiv: Maydan, 2003.
9. A lot predestined by
God. -
Kharkiv: Maydan, 2003.
10. A sigh of heart unto the Lord: selected poetry. - Kharkiv: Maydan,
2004.
11. A sigh of heart unto the Lord: in 6 volumes. - Kharkiv: Maydan, 2004-2006.
12. Seeds of love and
goodness: selected quotations from the works of Metropolitan Nycodym / Under the editorship of Lyudmila Petryk. - Kharkiv: Crossroad, 2005.
Audio-disks with
songs on the verse of Metropolitan Nycodym were issued:
1. Let a Candle of Love Burn (2004).
2. The Lord Himself protects you, dear Kharkiv (2005).
3. The Memory of Heart (2005).
4. Time, Events, Fate. (2006).
AWARDED
By the Orders of the Local Orthodox
Churches:
- three highest orders of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
- of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Mary
Magdalene (the Antiochian
Orthodox Church).
- of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Mary
Magdalene of the 1st and 2nd degrees (the Orthodox Church of Poland).
- of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.
The order of the Old Catholic Church.
By the Orders
of the Russian
Orthodox Church:
1981 - of St.
Sergius of Radonezh of
the 2nd degree.
1991 - of the Holy
and Right-Believing Prince
Daniel of Moscow of the1st and 2nd degrees.
1999 - the silver Order of the Holy Equal to the
Apostles Great Prince Vladimir of
the 2nd degree with
granting the titile «Commander of the Order of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Great Prince
Vladimir
».
2001 - of St.
Sergius of Radonezh of the 1st
degree.
2005 - for the 60th anniversary of the priest ordination - of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov of the 2nd degree.
2006 - of the Holy
Hierarch Innocent of Moscow of the1st degree; the Order «For Faith and Fidelity».
By the Orders
of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church:
1992 - of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of
Pechersk of the 2nd degree.
2000 - «Nativity of
Christ - 2000» of the 2nd
degree.
2001 - of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of
Pechersk of the 1st degree; of the Venerable Nestor the Chronicler.
2005 - of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the
Theologian of the 2nd
degree.
2006 - of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the
Theologian of the 1st
degree.
State and
public awards:
1. Diploma of the
honorary member of the Association of Lebanon citizens for the peace-making
activity and strengthening of friendship between the peoples of different
confessions.
2. During his tenure of
the Argentine and South-American cathedra awarded by the
Certificates of Merit from the governments of Argentine and the
Republic of Chile.
3. Certificate of Merit of the Soviet Fund for Peace (1981).
4. During his tenure of the Lviv and Kharkiv cathedras awarded by
the medals of the Peace Fund, by the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1987-1988).
5. By the decision of the council of the Marshal Kozhedub Commemoration
Fund awarded by the Medal of Marshal of aviation Ivan Mykytovych Kozhedub. (1995)
6. Honorary distinction
of the President of Ukraine (1996).
7. Award of the
International Organisation "The Union Chornobyl of Ukraine" - badge of honour "Humanity and mercy" (1996).
8. Chevalier of the
Kharkiv Officer Club "Giving a salute" for ever with handing the silver distinction mark (1998).
9. Honorary distinction
of the President of Ukraine, the
Order "For Merits" of
the 2nd degree (1999).
10. The International Award «St. Sophia» for the personal
contribution into the national culture and spirituality (1999).
11. Honorable distinction "Humanism and Mercy" (1999
).
12.Certificate of Merit of the Mercy
Fellowship "Kharkiv".
13. Certificate of Merit of the Zmiyv Disctrict state administration(1999).
14. Certificate of Merit of the Kharkov region state adminisration (1999 р.).
15. By the decision of the Kharkiv City Rada he was given a title of "Honorary citizen of Kharkiv" (1999).
16. By the decision of the International Staff Academy he was given a title of Honorary
Academician of the International Staff Academy (1999).
17. Awarded with the
golden medal of the Fund for Peace by the regional department of the Fund for
Peace
(1999).
18. Kharkiv Regional Department for the Mass Media and Information
awarded Metropolitan Nycodym - the
Editor in Chief of the newspaper "Kharkivski Eparhialni Vedomosti" (Kharkov
Diocesan Bulletin) - with the Certificate of Merit as a regional
prize-winner of the journalist creative competition "Chronicles 2000" for the
considerable contribution in the affair of firming up the Orthodoxy and
Christian Moral in Slobozhanshchina on the occasion of the 2000 anniversity of
the Nativity of Christ (2000).
19. Admitted to the
National Union of Writers of Ukraine (2001).
20. Acknowledged "Person of the XX century" (2001).
21. Admitted to the
National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (2001).
22. the Order «For Merits» of
the 1st degree, handed
by the President of Ukraine L.D.Kuchma (2001).
23. Certificate of Merit of
the State Committee for Information issues of Ukraine (2001).
24. The medal "10 years of Independence of Ukraine" (2001).
25. Certificate of appreciation of the President of Ukraine for self-sacrificing work
and considerable personal contribution to the spiritual development of the Ukrainian
state (2001).
26. Honourable distinction "Slobozhanska Slava" (2002).
27. Laureate of the regional rating "Citizen of Kharkiv of the Year"
(2002).
28. Lapel badge - commemorative
medal "10 years of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine" (2002).
29. Reward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine "For assistance to the organs of Internal Affairs of Ukraine» (2002).
30. Certificate of Merit for the prominent services to the Ukrainian
nation
(2002).
31. Certificate of Merit of
the Kharkiv regional organisation of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine "For the years of
service in the field of spiritual revival of Ukraine, the development of the
Orthodoxy, fruitful literary activity, personal contribution to the renewal of
the edition of the magazine "Faith and Reason" and for
publication of the famous memoirs which are an outstanding event in the
Orthodox world (2002).
32. Certificate of Merit of
the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the significant personal contribution
to the spiritual revival of Ukraine, active charitable work, assertment of an
idea of mercy and concordance in the society" (the Prime-Minister of Ukraine
V.F.Yanukovych, 2003).
33. Certificate of appreciation of the President of Russian Federation V.V.Putin "for
the considerable personal contribution into the extending of spiritual
relations between the Russian and the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches,
strengthening of friendship and cooperation between nations" (2003).
34. Awarded a title of
Honorary Professor of the Academy of Fire Protection and awarded with the
honorary distinction of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine and the
Academy of Fire Protection of Ukraine "For
Merits" of the 1st degree (2003).
35. Honourable distinction of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine (2004).
36. Badge of honor of the Kharkiv City Principal "For Diligence", on the occasion of 350th anniversary of
foundation of the city of Kharkiv
(2004).
37. the Order of Prince Yaroslav
the Wise of the fifth degree (2004)
38. The Order of Badge of Honor of the 1st degree of the
Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region (2005).
39. the Order of Prince Yaroslav
the Wise of the fourth degree (2006).
40. the Order of Friendship (Russian Federation) (2006).
41. the Order "Great Victory" (Russian Federation) (2006).
42. Awarded a title "Honorary member of the Union of
Writers of Russia" (2006).
43. Awarded a title "Honorary
citizen of the Kharkiv region"
(2006).
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