View source for Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)


[[File:Patr Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) 1.png]]

'''Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) (1898-1993)'''


Mstyslav may be spelt Mistislav, Mystyslav.


==Early life of Stepan Skrypnyk==

In 1898, Stepan Skrypnyk was born in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltava Poltava], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine Ukraine], at that time in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire Russian Empire]. He was a nephew of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symon_Petliura Symon Petliura], a prominent Ukrainian military and political figure.  However, his family also included many priests and bishops.  

Being raised in a firmly believing Orthodox Christian family, he was frequently at worship in both parish Temples and monasteries, and a participant in pilgrimages.  He was familiar with the [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CM%5CO%5CMonasticism.htm monastic life in Ukraine], and of the history of the [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CK%5CY%5CKyivmetropoly.htm Kyiv Metropolitanate].

==Early education ; military service==

Stepan first attended the "lower seminary" (an ecclesial version of the gymnasium) .  He then attended the Poltava First Classical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnasium_(school) Gymnasium] and prepared for a military career throughout his youth. During the years of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I World War I], he studied at the Officers’ School in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orenburg Orenburg], located near the Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_Mountains Ural Mountains], and by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_River Ural River] which marks the division between [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe Europe] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia Asia].

Following the 1917 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution Bolshevik Revolution], Stepan became a diplomatic courier for the army of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_People's_Republic Ukrainian People’s Republic].  He then served as first sergeant for special missions for his uncle, [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkPath=pages\P\E\PetliuraSymon.htm Symon Petliura].  Mr. Petliura became the President of the [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CU%5CK%5CUkrainianNationalRepublic.htm Ukrainian National Republic], and he advocated for a Ukrainian [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Autocephaly Autocephalous] Orthodox Church.  


[[File:Pic S K Skrypnyk Stepan (Mstyslav) 1920.jpg]] '''In the military'''


In the early 1920s, Stepan was incarcerated by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland Poland] in an internment camp in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalisz Kalisz].  Later, he briefly settled in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volhynia Volhynia], but he had to leave under the pressure of the Polish authorities.  He then moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Eastern_Europe) Galicia], and he became an activist for the Ukrainian movement in Poland which controlled the ethnically Ukrainian territories of Galicia and Volhynia between the world wars. 

==Displacement ; further education ; political activity==

Following his attendance at the [http://www.inp.uw.edu.pl/?q=en Warsaw School of Political Sciences], on 16 November, 1930, Stepan was elected as ambassador to the Polish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejm "Sejm"] (Parliament) (his nomination was made by the Polish-Ukrainian-Czech-German Volyn united public election committee on the list of the Non-Party Bloc of Cooperation with the Government (BBWR)).  

He became a member of the Volyn Parliamentary Group, and he served as the Secretary of the Sejm.  The political credo was loyalty to the authorities, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism  federalism], the struggle against [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism communism] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism nationalism].  

From 1932, he was chairman of the [https://libr-rv-ua.translate.goog/index.php?name=Pages&op=page&pid=122&_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=uk&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Rivne Society "Ukrainian School"], a member of the [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CV%5CO%5CVolhyniaeparchy.htm Volyn Eparchial] Council.  He served there until 1939.  


[[File:Skrypnyk Stefan Ambassador of the Sejm S.png]]  '''Stepan Skrypnyk at the Sejm'''


He also served as vice-mayor of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivne Rivne] (Rovno) (now in Ukraine) in the 1930s.  In this period, Stepan Skrypnyk collaborated with the Polish "voivode" (warlord) of [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CV%5CO%5CVolhynia.htm Volhynia], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_J%C3%B3zewski Henryk Józewski] in his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheism Prometheist policies] supporting moderate Ukrainians as a counterbalance to Soviet [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism communism].  As he served in the "Sejm", Stepan Skrypnyk attained the reputation of being the defender of the Ukrainian minority rights in Poland (especially of the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Introduction_to_Orthodox_Christianity Orthodox Christian Faith] in the predominantly Orthodox Volhynia) against the assimilationist policies ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonization Polonisation]) of the Polish authorities.  

Following the death of his wife, and the Nazi-German occupation in 1941-1944, Stepan Skrypnyk dedicated the rest of his life to the development of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church.  An attempt had been made to establish such a church by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasyl_Lypkivsky Metropolitan Vasily Lypkivsky], but it self-dissolved under extreme Soviet pressure in 1933.  This was followed by the systematic killing of much of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligentsia intelligentsia] by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NKVD People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs] (NKVD).  At this time, much of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ukraine Western Ukraine] was under Polish authority.  

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Dionysius_(Waledyński)_of_Warsaw Metropolitan Dionysii (Waledyński)] appointed [[Metropolitan Polikarp (Sikorski)]] to head the new UAOC, and at about the same time, a Ukrainian [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Autonomy Autonomous] Church in Ukraine was established by an assembly at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochayiv_Lavra Pochaiv Monastery].  

At the beginning of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II World War II], Ukrainian life in some Nazi-occupied territories of Poland initially experienced a significant degree of revival, since the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism Nazi] policies pitted the ethnic groups with a historically complicated relationship against each other, giving an upper hand to the Poles or to the Ukrainians in different regions, as the Nazis saw fit.

When the Ukrainian Committee and the Temporary Church Council was formed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che%C5%82m Kholm] (Chełm), Stepan Skrypnyk was elected a council deputy head (1940).  

From August, 1941, Stepan became the publisher of the magazine "Volyn", in which he at one time published the following statement : 
  And today, freed by the blood and labour of the German warrior from the terrible shackles of 23 
  years of Muscovite-Jewish Asian captivity, we, Ukrainians, with proudly raised brows, turn to a 
  new Europe, to that Europe that appeared in the brilliant vision of the Great European - Adolf Hitler. 
  We believe in such a Europe, we preach such a Europe, we have been dreaming about such a Europe 
  for 23 years, a sea of the most valuable Ukrainian blood has been shed for such a Europe.

==Diaconal ordination, 1942==

In April, 1942, Stepan Skrypnyk was ordained to the Holy [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Deacon Diaconate]. 

==Presbyteral ordination, 1942==

On 10 April, the Deacon Stepan Skrypnyk was ordained to the Holy [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Presbyter Priesthood].  

==Monastic tonsure, 1942==

On 6 May, 1942, the Priest Stepan Skrypnyk was [https://orthochristian.com/101607.html tonsured] to be a [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Monk monk], and he was given the name Mstyslav.

==Episcopal ordination, 1942==

Very soon after that, Archimandrite Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) was ordained to the Holy [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Episcopate Episcopate]  by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Autocephalous_Orthodox_Church Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] (UAOC). This ordination took place in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Andrew's_Church,_Kiev Church of Saint Andrew] in [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CK%5CY%5CKyiv.htm Kyiv].

==Episcopal service==

Bishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) was assigned to serve as the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Bishop Bishop] of Pereyaslav ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pereyaslav-Khmel’nitskiy]), Ukraine.  

Later in 1942, the German occupational authorities banned Bishop Mstyslav from the Kyiv General-Governorate.  Because he disobeyed the order, Bishop Mstyslav was arrested in Rivne.  Because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapo Gestapo] accusations, he spent half a year imprisoned in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernihiv Chernihiv] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pryluky Pryluky]. He was freed in the spring of 1943, but he was ordered not to leave Kyiv, and he was banned from conducting religious services.

==Exile ; move to North America, 1944==

In 1944, Bishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw Warsaw] and later to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany Germany], where he was the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Diocese eparchies] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesse Hesse] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%BCrttemberg Württemberg].  

In 1947, he left for [https://www.britannica.com/place/Canada Canada].  There, he was elected to be the Archbishop of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg Winnipeg], [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/manitoba Manitoba], and the first resident hierarch of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_of_Canada Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church] (UGOCC). 


[[File:250px-Архиепископ Мстислав (Скрипник) в 1948 году.jpg]]  '''Bishop Mstyslav, 1948'''


However, within 2 years, he left the UGOCC because of a conflict about the balance of power between the bishop and the administrators of the church. The focal point of this conflict was between Bishop Mstyslav and [https://uk-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%87%D1%83%D0%BA_%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80?_x_tr_sl=uk&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Father Semen Sawchuk], who was the administrator of the UGOCC Consistory.

In 1949, Bishop Mstyslav moved to the USA, and joined the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_of_the_USA Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America] (UOCUSA), then headed by [http://orthodoxhistory.org/2011/03/15/bishop-joseph-zuk-a-brief-biographical-overview/ Bishop Joseph (Zhuk)].  At the 1950 Council (Sobor) in New York City, he succeeded in bringing about unification of the UOC in America with the much larger archdiocesan eparchy of [[Archbishop John (Theodorovych)]], that is, with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of the USA).  Archbishop John was elected as metropolitan of the newly united UOC of the USA. Archbishop Mstyslav became his deputy, and the head of the consistory. 


[[File:Metropolitan Mstyslav in his office S.png]] '''Metropolitan Mstyslav in his office in South Bound Brook'''


In the USA, Bishop Mstyslav began extensive ecclesiastical activity : the building of the Ukrainian Orthodox Centre, with a publishing house, library and seminary in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bound_Brook,_New_Jersey South Bound Brook, New Jersey].  After the repose of  [http://www.uaocamerica.org/our-history-statutes--polic/our-deceased-hierarchs.html Metropolitan Nikanor (Abramovych)] in 1969, the authority of Bishop Mstyslav was extended to include the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Churches of [https://www-uaoc--diaspora-com.translate.goog/Istoria.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=uk&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Europe and Australia].  

During his meetings with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_Patriarch_of_Constantinople Ecumenical Patriarch] in 1963 and 1971, he brought up the concern about the canonical recognition of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_diaspora Ukrainian Diaspora Churches] (the UAOC was banned in the USSR, and hence in Soviet Ukraine at that time).

==Return to Ukraine : Ukrainian patriarch, 1990==


[[File:91S.png]]  '''Upon return'''


In 1990, at the age of 92, he was elected in absentia to be the first Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine of the UAOC.  

'''Patriarch of Ukraine, 1990'''

Metropolitan Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) was enthroned as Patriarch Mstyslav I (Skrypnyk), on 6 November, 1990 in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sophia's_Cathedral,_Kiev Cathedral of Saint Sophia] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyiv Kyiv].

==Patriarchal service==

In 1992, a unification Sobor was convened, which united the UAOC with one part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), at that time led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filaret_(Denysenko) Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko)].  Patriarch Mstyslav personally signed and affixed his seal to the merger documents, which formed the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_%E2%80%93_Kyiv_Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate] under his leadership.

However, the status of the new church as well as the overall situation with the Orthodox faith in Ukraine became a subject of a wide controversy (see “[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity_in_Ukraine History of Christianity in Ukraine]”), which the patriarch was unable to resolve within his lifetime. 


[[File:Patriarch-Mstyslav-(Skrypnyk).jpg]]

==Repose, 1993==

Patriarch Mstyslav returned to North America, where he reposed in 1993 at his daughter’s home in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimsby,_Ontario Grimsby], [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ontario Ontario], Canada, at the age of 95.  

He was entombed at the [https://www.uocofusa.org/metropolia_center.html Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Centre] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bound_Brook,_New_Jersey South Bound Brook], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey New Jersey]. 


[[File:Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Andrew in South Bound Brook 1.jpg]]  '''Saint Andrew Memorial Church, Saint Andrew Cemetery, South Bound Brook'''

[[File:Tomb of Patriarch Mstislav (Srkypnyk) 1.png]]  '''Tomb of Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)'''
 



— Bishop of Pereyaslav 1942 (UAOC).  See created.  Succeeded by : ___. 

— Bishop of Hesse and Württemberg 1944-1947 (UAOC).  Temporary sees created.

— Archbishop of Winnipeg, Primate of the UGOCC (UOCC) 1947-1949.  Preceded by : [[Archbishop John (Theodorovych)]] (Acting primate).  Succeeded by : [[Metropolitan Polikarp (Sikorski)]].

— Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine (UAOC) 1990-1993.  Title created.  Succeeded by : [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Dymytriy_(Yarema) Patriarch Dymytriy (Yarema)]. 

— Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine (UAOC–KP) 1992-1993.  Title Created.  Succeeded by : [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Volodomyr_(Romaniuk) Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk)].

==Reflections==

After his repose, the UAOC-KP ([https://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Ukranian_Autocephalous_Orthodox_Church_in_Ukraine&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Kyivan Patriarchate]) elected [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_(Romaniuk) Archbishop Volodymyr (Romaniuk)] to be patriarch.  At the same time, a portion of the UAOC which had broken away after the 1992 union elected [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Dymytriy_(Yarema) Bishop Dymytriy (Yarema)] to be the patriarch of a newly-formed UAOC. 


[[File:Патріарх Мстислав.jpg]]  '''As patriarch'''



==References==

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Mstyslav_(Skrypnyk)_of_Kiev Orthodoxwiki biography] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Mstyslav_(Stepan_Skrypnyk) Wikipedia biography]

[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=uk&u=https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25D0%259C%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D0%25B8%25D1%2581%25D0%25BB%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B2_(%25D0%25A1%25D0%25BA%25D1%2580%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BF%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BA)&prev=search Ukrainian Wikipedia biography] 

[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25D0%259C%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D0%25B8%25D1%2581%25D0%25BB%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B2_(%25D0%25A1%25D0%25BA%25D1%2580%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BF%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BA)&prev=search Russian Wikipedia biography]

[http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CK%5CSkrypnykMstyslav.htm Biography in the "Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine"]

[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=uk&u=https://church.net.ua/detalno/uapc/patriarkh-uapc-mstislav-skripnik.html&prev=search Church.net biography] 


'''Additional information :'''

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Ukrainian_Autocephalous_Orthodox_Church Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Autocephalous Church]  

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Autocephalous_Orthodox_Church Wikipedia article about the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church]  

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_of_Canada Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada]  

[http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CU%5CK%5CUkrainianOrthodoxChurchofCanada.htm Encyclopædia of Ukraine article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada]  

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_in_the_USA Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA]  

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_diaspora Wikipedia article about the Ukrainian diaspora] 

[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-patriarch-mstyslav-1492169.html “Independent” newspaper obituary]  

[http://www.risu.org.ua/ukr/resourses/library/internetlibrary/lis/1990/12_1/ RISU article “Patriarch Mstyslav of Kyiv and all Ukraine”, no. 12 (1990)] (in Ukrainian) 

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Volodymyr_(Romaniuk) Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk)] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Dymytriy_(Yarema) Patriarch Dymytriy (Yarema)] 

[http://orthodoxcanada.ca/Patriarch_Filaret_(Denysenko) Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko)]  

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasyl_Lypkivsky Metropolitan Vasily Lypkivsky]      

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Dionysius_(Waledy%C5%84ski)_of_Warsaw Metropolitan Dionysii (Waledyński)]  

[[Metropolitan Polikarp (Sikorski)]]

[http://orthodoxcanada.ca/Metropolitan_Bohdan_(Shpylka) Metropolitan Bohdan (Shpylka)]   

[[Archbishop John (Theodorovych)]] 

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_(Romaniuk) Archbishop Volodymyr (Romaniuk)]  

[http://orthodoxcanada.ca/Bishop_Joseph_(Zhuk) Bishop Joseph (Zhuk)]   

[http://www.academia.edu/3702947/A_Legacy_of_Struggle_Suffering_and_Hope_Metropolitan_Mstyslav_Skrypnyk_and_the_Ukrainian_Orthodox_Church_of_the_USA Denysenko, Nicholas, "A Legacy of Struggle, Suffering, and Hope: Metropolitan Mstyslav Skrypnyk and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA" (Saint Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 49-3 : Crestwood, New York, 2005)], pp. 335-351. 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity_in_Ukraine Ukrainian Christian history]

[http://www.soborna.org/history/en/001.html UAOC-KP web-site article]

[https://web.archive.org/web/20051123135418/http://ukrweekly.com/Archive/1998/199804.shtml 'Ukraine commemorates centennial of Patriarch Mstyslav's birth'], by Roman Woronowycz, in “The Ukrainian Weekly”, vol. 66, no. 19) (10 May, 1998) 

[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209409293/mstyslav-skrypnyk Findagrave reference to Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)] 

[https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/811041/saint-andrew-cemetery Findagrave reference to Saint Andrew Cemetery, South Bound Brook]

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Andrew_Memorial_Church_(South_Bound_Brook,_New_Jersey) Wikipedia article about Saint Andrew Memorial Church, South Bound Brook]  

[https://uocofusa.org/news_150612_1.html Twenty-Second Anniversary of the Repose of Patriarch Mstyslav Remembered] (11 June, 2015) 

[https://uocofusa.org/news_180209_1  Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Repose of Patriarch Mstyslav Remembered] (2 June, 2018)   

[http://archbishop-of-ottawa.org/content/canadian-orthodox-church-history-project Canadian Orthodox Church History Project, no. 24, pp. 90-92.]   






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