The piece is about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora, the people who, having found themselves in exile, exploited, and in political emigration against their will, never lost their human dignity or abandoned their faith in Ukraine, praying to God for it.
So, where and how did the UOC in the Diaspora originate?
The UOC in Diaspora was founded in Germany in 1945. It is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Constantinople) and is in canonical and eucharistic unity with all canonical Orthodox Local Churches, including the OCU. During the Second World War, 12 bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which arose in its so-called second revival during the time of Metropolitan Polikarp Sikorskyi, ended up in Germany. At that time, he was a bishop with the Polish Orthodox Church, which in 1924 received the Tomos of autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Those clergymen who fled from the Soviets through the territory of Poland, namely approximately 12 bishops, 120 priests and several deacons, ended up in German camps for displaced persons. Those who were young, healthy, and able-bodied, went on to emigrate to the United States, Canada, Australia or Great Britain. And the older ones stayed in Germany.
The UOC had already existed in the United States and Canada. And in Western Europe, there was no such structure. However, the number of refugees from Ukraine during the war years was only growing. Many fled from hostilities to Belgium, France, Britain, and even Australia, many were exploited in Germany. Having gone through all the suffering of the Second World War, Ukrainians sought spiritual support and prayers, so they rallied around Metropolitan Nikanor Abramovich. He lived in Germany (and had the title of metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine.) As early as the summer of 1945, it was possible to organize divine services in the camps and start work on the organization of Orthodox parishes. A significant number of Ukrainians were amassed in German Bavaria – the American zone of occupation. So the first parishes of the UAOC in the diaspora appeared in Munich, New Ulm, Ingolstadt, Regensburg and other cities.
The Church in Western Europe considered itself the Church in exile and planned to return to its pulpits in Ukrainian lands after the departure of communists. But, unfortunately, no one lived to see this happen, except for the only bishop – Mstyslav Skrypnyk. He was ordained a bishop of the Pereyaslav UAOC in 1942 in Kyiv in St Andrew’s Church. After his enthronement in 1969 as the First Hierarch of the UOC in the Diaspora, he had the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. In 1990, at the age of 92, he returned to Ukraine to head the Local Ukrainian Church.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora has always been a Church for refugees, not migrant workers. It’s been for those who found themselves far from home against their will. Therefore, it did not prosper as much as others, such as the Romanian Orthodox Church in Europe, which has 160 parishes in Germany alone. And it is considered one of the most developed Orthodox Churches in Germany.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora today
The oldest parish of the UOC in Diaspora is the Parish of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Munich. Archpriest Palladiy Dubytskyi performed the first divine service on the Feast of the Ascension in 1945.
Today, the head of the parish is Mitrophorian archpriest Valentyn Smoktunovych, who has been serving God and the Ukrainians who have been here for more than 30 years.
According to parishioners, his sermons are always full of deeply religious and patriotic content.
Previously, Father Valentyn served parishes in Regensburg and Ingolstadt, where his son, priest Oleksandr Smoktunovych, who was born in Munich and grew up in the diaspora, currently serves. The Spiritual Front of Ukraine reported on his ordination on June 5, 2022.
The Ukrainian Church in Ingolstadt was founded on the Pokrova feast in 1945.
How many priests does the UOC in Diaspora have?
In the times of its creation, the Church had no more than two dozen priests. But over the years, their number has halved. Until 2018, the UOC in Diaspora clergy was not replenished at all. In the 1990s, only one deacon was ordained. After Ukraine received the Tomos of autocephaly for the OCU from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, three priests joined the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora. It was in March 2019. At that time, there were 11 UOC parishes in Diaspora in Western Europe.
What did Russian aggression change in 2022?
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians fled to Europe. The German state accepted a million refugees from Ukraine. Mostly, these are people who were left without a roof over their heads. Ukrainian parishes also took an active role in helping their compatriots. Priests and parishioners of churches literally tried to resolve the issues of accommodation, food, and obtaining relevant apperwork from the German social security agencies. Tonnes of humanitarian aid was sent by parishes to those in need through the social service of the OCU.
Of course, church life also began to thrive from such an influx of Ukrainians. Over the past 11 months, the UOC in the diaspora has opened 15 parishes in Germany alone. And now there are 26 of them. To date, 20 priests are serving in Germany.
Among the new parishioners who came from Ukraine, there are also priests who ended up in the diaspora due to the war. In Germany, there are 16 of them who were accepted into the UOC in Diaspora. Eight previously belonged to the OCU and eight – to the UOC (MP) but no longer wish to have anything to do with Moscow. These priests cannot understand the UOC (MP), which maintains spiritual unity with the Russian Orthodox Church.
In general, the UOC in Diaspora are proud of the fact that their church unites Ukrainian priests and the faithful, regardless of which Church in Ukraine they belonged to. Here the door is open for everyone and everyone prays together, with one mouth and one heart for the suffering mother Ukraine.
Spiritual unity with OCU
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Church is in canonical and eucharistic unity with all canonical Orthodox Local Churches. Its ruling archbishop, Bishop Daniil, worked hard for Ukraine to be granted the Tomos of Autocephaly. Therefore, a strong unity and prayer communication has been established between the churches. UOC parishes in the diaspora, as well as the UOC of the USA, selflessly help the needy in Ukraine through the clergy of the OCU. As is known, with their help, several vehicles were purchased for the needs of the Armed Forces and front-line medics. Humanitarian aid was transferred to the southern regions immediately after de-occupation. For residents of Mykolaiv and the smaller cities of Donbas, drinking water has been delivered. The UOC of the USA and the UOC in Diaspora actively raised money for Ukrainian wounded soldiers.
UOC in Diaspora always stands with Ukraine
According to father Oleksandr Smoktunovych. who himself was born and raised in Germany, it doesn’t matter where a person lives as the soul always remains Ukrainian.
“You know, my family has been out of Ukraine for over a hundred years. Since the 1920s, my relatives have fled from various regimes. We already feel at home here, and we know the language well, maybe better than Ukrainian, but still our culture, our tradition, our Christian Orthodox faith, into which our nation was baptized more than a thousand years ago – all this is preserved. It identifies us. Faith, language and traditions are what have preserved our identity. When someone is abroad, believe me, they appreciate it even more. Perhaps they respect it more than in Ukraine. Because you have the Ukrainian language there every day, you have churches, cathedrals, and you see them every day. And we are far from all that and we miss all of that, Father Oleksandr explained in a comment to the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.
How to find Ukrainian churches in Germany?
Every parish in Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Neue Ulm, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, and other cities runs social media pages. For example, the schedule of services in Munich churches can be seen here. The site also contains information on the performance of the Sacraments of Marriage, Baptism, visiting the sick, and funerals.
The list of Parishes can be found here: https://www.uokd.de/uk/parafii
By the way, all services have been led in Ukrainian since 1945.
