BENEDICTINES IN THE UKRAINE FLEE

 

                                                . Benedictines at Zhytomyr - Christmas 2021

News of our Benedictine sisters in the Ukraine  has been spotty at best. At the outbreak of the war they were holding the fort in Zhytomyr, but as of the weekend were fleeing westward.  Then came news they had arrived at the monastery in Lviv.  Benedictines in the USA have scrambled to get funds to them. So far over $100,000 has been raised.

We continue to pray for their courage, perseverance, strength and faith in the uncertainty of what they will one day return to.

In the East Slavic lands, the first appearance of the Benedictines dates back to the VII century. These were Irish missionaries who set foot on these lands before the official Baptism of Kiev Rus. Later, around 977, at the request of Prince Yaropolk (nephew of St. Olga), Pope Benedict VII sent ambassadors to organize the first monastery. These were the Benedictines, the first to establish a Christian diocese in Kiev Rus. This mission did not last long, until 979. It is possible that the reasons for the beginning and end of this mission were economic and political - the establishment of relations between Europe and Byzantium.

 In 1616 there was a Benedictine nunnery in Lviv. The school at the monastery was the first educational institution for women in these lands. The nuns were mainly engaged in the education of girls of the nobility. In Soviet times, the monastery premises were used as a warehouse, and educational institutions were located on its territory.

 The beginning of the monastic life of the Benedictine sisters in Zhytomyr dates back to 1988 when two nuns came from the Abbey of St Catherine in Vilnius, Lithuania, a monastery dating from 1620. The foundress of the monastery in the Ukraine was the Abbess of Vilnius, Mother Gabriel OSB, who recognized the will of God in an invitation to make a new foundation in Zhytomyr.

 The sisters' lives were initially marked by great financial hardship, yet despite the difficult circumstances, the community began to develop. The sisters worked as catechists with children and young people. They sewed and embroidered liturgical vestments not only for their own church, but also for the whole diocese. In 1995, construction began on a new monastery with a chapel for parishioners.

 On December 8, 1993, the formal erection of the enclosure in accordance with Benedictine tradition  took place,  one of the most important events in the history of the Benedictines in the Ukraine.

In 2014 the monastery received the status of an Abbey. In 2016, on the initiative of the Archbishop of Lviv, Metropolitan Mechyslav Mokshytsky, the building of a new Benedictine monastery began.. 

As of 2018, the  Abbey is affiliated with the Benedictine Congregation of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, among the founders of which was the Blessed Columbus Marmion.

In 2019, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Lviv, three sisters were sent to set up in a monastery built by a Swiss family which was standing empty. 

On June 4, 2020, the Metropolitan of Lviv consecrated the cross prepared for the church tower. On March 19, 2021, was the consecration of the church of St. Benedict and the monastery of St. Joseph, as well as the bell for the tower. Thus, for the first time in its post-war history, the Lviv Archdiocese once again has a contemplative monastery.This new foundation was supported by the arrival of Polish Benedictines who at present occupy the chaplaincy buildings, before constructing their own monastery.

(below:  Monastery and Church Lviv)

March 10 : A brief update on the Benedictine Sisters in Ukraine: 18 Sisters and 3 Brothers remain in L’viv.  They welcome, give food, basic care and overnight lodging to more than 100 refugees every day