Ukraine

The Ukraine became part of Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th Centuries was the most powerful nation in Europe.  Eventually Kyivan Rus became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  The Ukraine had a period of independence from the mid-17th to the mid-18th Centuries before being absorbed by the Russian Empire.  The Ukraine remained under Russian control until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Even now, since 2014, parts of the Ukraine have been controlled by Russia.

The Vikings introduced Catholicism to the Ukraine and St. Adalbert of Magdeburg (Germany) came to the Ukraine in the 10th Century to further evangelization.  St. Vladimir made Catholicism the state religion in 989.  Over time, many of the Catholics became Orthodox Christians.  About two-thirds of Ukraine’s 44 million people are Orthodox Christians today.  Catholics account for over 10 percent.  About 78 percent of the Catholics belong to the Ukrainian-rite, 15 percent are Roman-rite, and 7 percent are Ruthenian-rite.  There is also an unknown number of Armenian Catholics.  About 84 percent of the Ukrainian-rite Catholics live in western Ukraine and 13 percent live near Kiev.  Most of the Roman Catholics also live either in western Ukraine or Kiev.  Almost all Ruthenian-rite Catholics live in western Ukraine.

Ukrainian-rite Catholics are mostly in the Ukraine, Poland, the United States, but also in several other countries.  Ukrainian-rite Catholics reunited with Rome in the late 16th Century.  The Ruthenian or Carpatho-Russian Rite has several members in Ukraine and the United States, but are in other countries as well. The Ruthenians reunited with Rome in 1596 and in 1646.  There is information about Eastern-rite Catholic churches in my April 19, 2017 blog.  

Roman-rite Catholics are served by the ecclesiastic Province of Lviv.  Ukrainian-rite Catholics are served by four ecclesiastic provinces:  Ivano-Frankivsk, Kiev-Halyc, Lviv, and Ternopil-Zboriv.  

Also, over 300,000 Ruthenian-rite Catholics are served by the Diocese of Mukacheve, which was established in 1689 as an apostolic vicariate before being promoted to a diocese in 1771.  It is immediately subject to the Ruthenian Metropolitan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The Diocese has cathedrals in Uzhgorod and Mukacheve.  The Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv was established in 1630 and is immediately subject to the Armenian Patriarch in Lebanon.  There has not been an archbishop since 1938 and the cathedral in Lviv is now an Orthodox church.  

Roman-rite Province of Lviv

The province consists of all Roman-rite Catholics in Ukraine.  The Diocese of Lviv was established in 1361 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1375.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv was built in the late 14th Century in a Gothic style under the direction of King Casimir III of Poland.  Between 1761 and 1776, the Cathedral was redecorated in a Baroque style and a bell tower was added.  In 1776, the Cathedral became the home for an icon of the Mother of God.  In the 1890s, the Cathedral was redone in a neo-Gothic style and stained glass windows were added.  Pope Pius X declared the Cathedral to be a minor basilica in 1910.  The Cathedral remained open during the Soviet occupation, although the bishops were deported.  The miraculous Madonna icon was taken to Poland after the Second World War and remains there, but the Cathedral now contains a copy.

 

The first four pictures are from Wikipedia, the fifth is from TripAdvisor, the six from Pinterest, and the last from Dreamstime.

The Province has six suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Kiev-Zytomyr was created as the Diocese of Kiev in 1321.  It was suppressed in 1798 before being restored under its current name in 1998.
• The Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilsky was created in 1375, but was suppressed in 1866.  It was restored in 1918.
• The Diocese of Lutsk was created in 1404, although it was suppressed for 20 years during the 18th Century.
• The Diocese of Mukacheve was created as an apostolic administration in 1993 and became a diocese in 2002.
• The Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia was created in 2002.
• The Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol was created in 2002.

Ukrainian-rite Province of the Major Archdiocese of Kiev-Halyc

The province consists of Ukrainian-rite Catholics in central Ukraine.  It was established as a metropolitan archdiocese in 1596, suppressed in 1838, restored in 1995, and became the Major Archdiocese for Ukrainian-rite Catholics in 2004.

The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kiev is the cathedral for the Ukrainian-rite patriarch.  The Cathedral opened in 2011 after 12 years of construction.  Its towers rise nearly 200 feet and the Cathedral can seat 1,500.

The first two pictures are from a local website and the last is from Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of the Virgin Mary is in Vyshhorod, a suburb of Kiev.

From TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan apostolic exarches.

• Donets’k was established in 2002 for far southeastern Ukraine.
• Odessa was established in 2003 for south central Ukraine.
• Lutsk was established in 2008 (although it was a diocese in the 16th Century) for parts of northeastern Ukraine.
• Kharkiv was established in 2014 for northeastern Ukraine.
• Krym was established in 2014 for southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian-rite Province of Lviv

The province is in western Ukraine.  The Diocese of Lviv was established in 1677 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1807.  It was promoted to a major archdiocese in 1963 before being demoted to an archdiocese in 2004.  It once again became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2011.  

St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv was built in a combination of Baroque and Rococo styles between 1746 and 1762.  The church served as the Cathedral for the Ukranian-rite patriarch from the 1800s until 2004.  From 1945 to 1990, during the Soviet occupation, St. George’s was an Orthodox church.  The Cathedral has a statue of St. George the Dragon-Slayer by Johann Pinsel.  There is also diversity of iconography and a 17th Century icon of the Virgin Mary.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Sambir-Drohobych was created in 1993.
• The Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva was created in 2000.
• The Diocese of Stryi was created in 2000.

Ukrainian-rite Province of Ternopil-Zboriv

The province is in western Ukraine.  The Diocese of Ternopil was established in 1993 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ternopil-Zboriv in 2011.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ternopil was built in a Baroque style between 1749 and 1779.  For most of its history it served either the Dominicans or the Jesuits.  It was heavily damaged during the Second World War and was used for secular purposes during the Soviet occupation.  It again became a church in 1989.  The Cathedral has nine altars and several icons and frescoes, as well as an Italian courtyard.

The first three pictures are from Pinterest and the last is from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilsky was created in 1789 as the Diocese of Kamyanets.  It was suppressed in 1793 before being restored under its current name in 2015.
• The Diocese of Bucac was created in 2000.

Ukrainian-rite Province of Ivano-Frankivsk

The province is in western Ukraine.  The Diocese of Ivano-Frankivsk was established in 1885 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2011.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Our Savior in Ivano-Frankivsk was built in a Baroque style between 1752 and 1761.  It has two towers. 

Pictures are from Flickr, Pinterest, and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Kolomyia was created in 1993.
• The Diocese of Chernivtsi was created in 2017.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also archdioceses that are not part of a province that are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope.  There are also missionary territories below the level of a diocese including apostolic vicariates, apostolic administrations, and apostolic exarchs.

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy or an apostolic exarch and is led by an exarch. 

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell.  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.