In the world- Rostislav
Pylypovych Shvets
Born 22.04.1939
Name Day - March 21
Consecration Date - 18.04.1980
In the Diocesan See since 1992
Metropolitan of Simpheropol and the Crimea was born on April 22, 1939 in the village of Komaryn Krements district of the Ternopil region in the family of
peasants.
After graduation from school he became a novice in the
Holy Spirit Hermitage of the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra, and later - in the
Holy Dormition Convent of Zhyrovtsi of the Diocese of Minsk. In 1957 he entered the
Minsk Theological Seminary.
Throughout 1958-1961 he did his military service in the Soviet Army.
In 1964 he graduated from
the Odesa Theological Seminary, and in 1968 - form the Leningrad (St.Petersburg) Theological Academy, received
the scientific degree of a Candidate of Theology for the research paper "Orthodox
Theological Analysis of the Protestant Theologists' Interpretations of the
books of the prophet Daniel".
From 1968 till 1971 he took his postgraduate course in
the Moscow Theological Academy, worked the executive assistant to the Chairman of
the Department for External Church Relations.
On March 5, 1972 he was ordained to the holy diaconate, and on March 12 - to the holy
priesthood. He performed his pastoral ministry in the Holy Protection Convent
and the St. Vladimir Cathedral of Kyiv
In 1975 he was appointed clergyman of the Diocese of
Argentine, where he held the office of the Secretary to the Archbishop of
Argentine and the South America.
From 1978 - protopresbyter.
On April 1, 1980 he was tonsured a monk and on April 7 of the same year he
was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
He was consecrated bishop on April 18, 1980 and appointed Bishop of Argentine and the South America, the Patriarch Exarch of the Central and South America.
In 1985 elevated to the rank of Archbishop and
appointed administrator of the Ivano-Frankivsk Diocese. The same year appointed
to the Argentine Cathedra again.
In 1989 he was appointed Archbishop of Ternopil and
Kremenets; in 1991 - of Odesa and Izmayil, later on the same year - of Odesa
and Kherson, and in 1992 - Archbishop of Sympheropol and Crimea.
In 2000 he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC from January 24, 2007 he was appointed rector of the Tavriysk Theological
Seminary (Journal №75).
Activity in the Diocesan See
2007 is the 15th anniversary of Metropolitan Lazar's tenure of the cathedra. All this time Vladyka spent in diligent
and multifold labour for the benefit of the Holy Mother Church.
Thus, for the first time for more than 1000 years in
the Crimean land the triumphant glorification of a new saint - Archbishop Luke
(Voino-Yasenetsky) took place. In 1996 his holy relics were found to be
incorrupt. In the centre of Simpheropol near the representative office of the
President of Ukraine in the Republic of Crimea the monument in honour of the Holy Hierarch was
founded, and in its opening ceremony in 1997the Ukrainian bishops with His
Beatitude, the Most Blessed Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr at
the head took part. Also one of the gardens in Simpheropol was given the name
of the eminent Crimean Archpastor.
In 1997, with the blessing of the Holy Synod of the
UOC the synaxis of the New Martyrs of the Crimea was glorified,
with the Holy Great Martyr Porphyrius (Gulevich) at the head. In 2000 by the
Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church the Holy Hierarch Luke
and the synaxis of the new martyrs of the Crimea were enlisted to
the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and the Confessors of Russia for the all-church
veneration.
In 2001
the restoration works in the reopened Chersonese St. Vladimir Cathedral were
completed. Then His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr in
co-celebration with Vladyka Lazar and in the presence of two presidents - the
President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and of Russia Volodymyr Putin performed the
rite of consecration of the domical cross, after which the cross was installed
on the central tower of the cathedral. On April 3, 2004 the main altar of
the cathedral was consecrated.
In the Diocese of Simpheropol and the Crimea functions the Department of Social Ministry which coordinates charitable
work, cooperation with the health protection agencies and the social services
of the Crimea. The Fellowship of
the Orthodox Doctors was organized. The partnership agreement between the
Diocese of Sympheropol and the Ministry of health protection was signed. From
now on the diocese has a right for free treatment for sick parishioners in the
largest hospitals of the Crimea, preferentially from the most distant villages.
At the Holy Trinity Convent the diocesan charity fund
and the refectory for the poor are kept, where every day about 300 persons get
the free food. This newly created parish took under patronage the Bilogirsk
tuberculosis dispensary.
The missionary group of mercy, which consists of
parishioners of the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, provides hot dinners every
day (the believers prepare them at home by turns), provides clothes, spiritual
literature, crosses and icons to the wards for serious patients and homeless at
the city hospital № 7. Many parishes perform such activities. In most of the
secondary schools not only the Christian ethics is taught but also the special
course "Bases of the Orthodox Culture of the Crimea" according to the program approved by
the Ministry of Education and science of the Autonomy.
The diocese
prepared and published a special handbook on this subject. Regularly on the
basis of the Crimean Republican Institute of Post-graduate Pedagogical
Education the advanced training is held for the teachers of the special
courses. Often the Church Pedagogical Seminars and conferences take place. One of
such conferences took place a few months ago in the big Assembly Hall of the
Rada of Ministers of the Autonomy with participation of the administration of
the Supreme Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, of the Rada of Ministers of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea, of the Ministry of Education, of
directors and teachers of the Crimean schools.
In all the schools of Crimea the regional quizzes on the Bases of the Orthodox Culture were held
among the senior pupils, and shortly before in Simpheropol the All-Crimea
competition of the experts in the Orthodox culture of the Crimea "What? Where? When?" was held, where the strongest team out of 24 was
defined. The winner of the competition was the team of pupils from the distant
villages of the Kirovske Deanery, situated at about 100 km from Simpheropol. So,
we have all reasons to state that the competition is popular among the
teenagers. The Fellowship of the Orthodox Pedagogues of the Crimea that coordinates the educational activity in the area also promotes it.
April 27 is the 130th anniversary of St.Luke,
Archbishop of Simpheropol and the Crimea. The first issue
of the Chronicles "Orthodoxy and Medicine" published with the blessing of
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr will be dedicated to the
anniversary of this great God-pleaser. This magazine will be edited by the
Diocese together with the Ministry of Health Protection of the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea and the Crimean State medical University. In November 2007 the
International Church Medical conference, dedicated to the prominent scientific
medical paper of the Holy Hierarch - "The Outline of the purulent surgery", for
which he received the Stalin's award in the years of persecutions.
Traditionally, for more than 10 years from the moment
of glorification of this God-pleaser on his commemoration day June11, lots of pilgrims from the near and far abroad gather
in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Convent where Archbishop Luke
served and where his holy relics rest. It has become a good tradition for the Crimean medical
workers and the students of the Crimean Medical University after S.I. Georgievskyi to come to the prayer to the shrine with his
relics on June 10, on the eve of his commemoration day. After the Moleben with akathist the ruling bishop
performs the rite of sanctifying the medical gowns. The doctors consider the Holy Hierarch to be
their heavenly patron. In many countries of both CIS and Eastern Europe (Greece, Byelorussia, Russia) medical fellowships in honour of the
Holy Hierarch Luke are organized.
In the Diocese of Simpheropol and the Crimea the latest volume of sermons of the Holy Hierarch is being prepared,
the collections of materials of the Church medical conference "Science and
Religion", which took place in 2006 as well as the collection of the duly
documented testimonies of the wonderworking of the Holy Hierarch.
In 2005 and 2006 the I and II International Church
Historical Conferences "Spiritual Inheritance of the Crimea" dedicated to
the memory of the Venerable John, Bishop of Goths, and 150th anniversary of the
Sts Kosma and Damian Monastery. Numerous scientific workers and priests from
the Crimea, Ukraine and Russia took part in the events.
In 2007 according to the decision of the Holy Synod of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the Tavriysk Theological Seminary founded 135
years ago by Archbishop Gurias (Karpov) was reopened. The Holy Hierarch spent
many years in the Orthodox Mission in China, where he was engaged in the translations of the
liturgical texts and the books of the Holy Scripture into Chinese. The Diocese
of the Crimea presented the materials of the life history of the
Holy Hierarch Gurias for canonization to the holy synod of the UOC. The theological
heritage of the Holy Hierarch, his sermons and translations are of the special
interest for the scientists.
One of the important points in the succession of the
spiritual feat of the Crimean saints is the revival of the temples and the
ancient monasteries, which has preserved in the great number in the territory
of the Crimean Diocese. Today in the Crimea more than 500 parishes
and 8 monasteries are open. Thus within 16 years since the day of proclaiming
the independence of Ukraine the number of parishes has more than 100 times
increased. This period can be compared only to the one after proclamation of
the Milanese edict in times of the Holy Equal to the Apostles emperor
Constantine.
Awarded
1989 - the Order of the Holy and Equal to the Apostles
prince Vladimir of the 2nd degree.
For the service in Argentine bestowed the orders of
the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh of the 2nd and 3rd
degrees. The government of this country awarded Vladyka Lazarus by the medal
"San-Martino". He received the state Certificate of Merit from the Embassy of the USSR in Argentine.
Awarded by the government of the USSR for the peace-making activity with the Order
"Friendship of Peoples".
Awarded by His Beatitude Volodymyr, Metropolitan of Kyiv
and All Ukraine by the Order of the Venerable Theodosius and Anthony of Pechersk.
Awarded with the Orders "For Merits" of the 1st,
2nd and 3rd degrees by the President of Ukraine (1997, 2000, 2002).
2004 - the Certificate of
Merit of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine.
2006 - the Honourable Cross "Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky" from the
Ukrainian Fund of Scientific economical and Legal Cooperation.
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