www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology New Martyr Patapios Emilianov, priestmonk

Glory to God for all things.

The Catholic bishops in Russia are considering formally promoting the cause of the martyred Priestmonk Patapios Emilianov (1889-1936.) He was the pastor of a Russian Old Believer parish in Eastern Ukraine. He led his parish of about 1000 into full communion with Rome. He journeyed to Petrograd to make a profession of faith before Exarch Leonid Feodorov on June 29, 1918. He was imprisoned several times during the Russian Revolution and ensuing Russian Civil War. His parish changed hands (Ukrainians, Russians, Bolsheviks, Whites, etc.) several times. He finally served 9 years in Solovki (1927-1936.) He fell asleep in the Lord August 14, 1936. Apparently, he is venerated not only by Catholic Old Believers, but also by Russian Orthodox Catholics.

Has anyone ever seen an icon or photograph of him?

Is there anything unique about Old Believer iconography of priest martyrs?

Do Old Believer priests wear distinctive vestments?

[ 02-06-2002: Message edited by: PaulOrthCathConfessor ]

Welcome back, Doulos/PaulOrthCathConfessor! Добро пожаловать!

From what pictures I have seen of priested Old Believers in liturgical settings, the only difference I can see in vesture from the Russian Orthodox norm is the Old Believer bishops wear an older form of mitre that's lower and many-sided (rather than curved/rounded) with fur trim on the bottom. A little like an old Russian crown.

The OCA's Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas wears one (a gift) though he follows the OCA version of standard Russian usage and not AFAIK the Old Ritual.

Also, as far as non-liturgical clergy attire goes, you see Old Believer clergy wearing black shoulder capes with red piping/trim, interestingly like Roman Catholic clerical shoulder capes.

The priested Old Believers still have their own Church and hierarchy (metropolitan of Moscow) today.

http://oldworldrus.com

I'll keep my eyes open for one.

Father Chris Zugger mentions him in his book "The Forgotten". (pp. 159, 165, 168.)

Dear Doulos,

Yes, welcome back!

The Old Believer vestments also, if I'm not mistaken, include a long belt in the same style as the phelonion that hangs to the side, and I've not seen this on our clergy. The priests wear the traditional embroidered belt around their cassocks otherwise.

All Old Believers wear an embroidered belt to Church especially and the Bielaya Krinitsa Old Believers do sell them!

http://www.old-shop.chat.ru

I'm still trying to find a source to indicate if Bl. Leonid Fyodorov himself was an Old Believer Orthodox Catholic or not.

The canonical Old Rite Orthodox at Moscow canonized a Greek bishop not too long ago, St Ambrose, who joined them in the last century and have otherwise glorified as Saints the various Old Believer martyrs since the time of Patriarch Nikon, assigning them feast-days in their calendar, especially, of course, St Avvakum the Hieromartyr and Confessor.

God bless,

Alex

Dear Alex,

I don't know if I'm on to something, but there's a picture on this website of a priest in red vestments with something hanging off to his side that looks like it might be what you're talking about...although it looks like some kind of sleeve or bag.

Here\'s the page, it\'s the first picture...the priest in red. [russianchurchusa.org]

If that's not what you're talking about, then what is that? Thanks!

Dear Catholicos,

Yes, that is, if I am not mistaken, the "epigonation" that looks like the old Roman "thigh-shield" that was attached under the sword in the Roman soldier's uniform.

It is a specific privilege for a priest to be able to wear one of these.

It represents the Spiritual Sword and when a priest who is designated to wear one puts it on, he prays: " Gird Thy Sword on Thy Thigh, O Mighty One. "

The Old Believers wear this as well but include their characteristic long belt.

I bought one from them and now wear it to Church all the time.

I like them so much that I assisted them on making a video about their history.

I have a copy of it and they mentioned me in the credits.

Working for politicans as I do, I'm not used to that . . .

God love 'em all!

Alex

Thanks for that detail about Old Believer vestments, Alex.

That the MP's Old Rite community has its own canonized saints who were violently (literally) opposed by the official Church authorities of their time is a sign of hope that such apparent contradictions in saints (Josaphat of Polotsk, Job of Pochaev, Peter the Aleut, the men of Pratulin, Alexis Toth and the Ukrainian and Ruthenian martyrs under Soviet rule) can be overlooked in a restoration of communion in the apostolic family.

Blessed Leontij (Leonid Feodorov) grew up not as an Old Believer but regular Russian Orthodox. Fr Patapios was the Old Believer connection in the Russian Catholic story.

Somewhere online, I believe on PaulOrthCathConfessor's Yahoo! club "fatimabyzantinecatholics', there is the statement issued at the one and only Russian Catholic coбop (council) held in 1917. Frankly, I found it Roman-centric, falling short of the ideal ( "100% Orthodox but in communion' ) advocated by traditional, Orthodox-oriented Byzantine Catholics today, including here on the forum. Basically it says, "Russian Orthodox in rite, Roman in dogma', a hybrid. I invite all to find and read this document and give their thoughts. Perhaps Paul would like to repost it here or in a new thread.

http://oldworldrus.com

[ 02-07-2002: Message edited by: Serge ]

Bless me a sinner, Reader Sergius,

Your first paragraph about the saints is a most worthy and exemplary statement of deep Christian faith that we have come to expect from someone of your great spiritual stature!

(No, the much-revered Reader didn't have to pay me anything for that . . .).

It is interesting to note that it was the RC Church itself that insisted on translating St Josaphat's relics to Vienna and then Pope Paul VI who had them taken to Rome.

Some have suggested that Rome did not want those relics in Eastern Europe as they became a source of upset for the Orthodox, especially when some unscrupulous Eastern Catholics would openly parade them and otherwise use them for purposes of proselytism among the Orthodox.

They also did this with the relics of a group of Basilian martyrs, killed by Peter the Great when the Tsar, in a less than sobre state, entered a Basilian church where they were serving a moleben to "Blessed Josaphat."

He walked up to the monk serving the moleben and asked who the saint depicted on the icon was. The monk told him. Peter asked him who martyred him. The monk told him.

Peter didn't like that, and had the monks tortured and killed. There were five in all, I believe, their names and this story is in the Ukrainian book, "Kyivan Metropolitans" by Fr. Irenaeus Nazarko, OSBM.

But Rome was not interested in canonizing any more "St Josaphats" including Meletius Smotrytsky who opposed Josaphat, but later died a uniate and a local cult developed to him.

I have a most recent edition of the Akathist to St Josaphat from L'viv and it seems to have stripped the earlier one of all thrusts at the "schism-loving" Orthodox!

And that's a good thing . . .

I have always loved it when a Ukrainian Catholic Church would openly commemorate (such as during a Litia) Orthodox saints such as St Job of Pochayiv and others you mention.

St Michael's in Welland gives a very full rendering of Orthodox saints in its prayers and calendar.

Fr. Roman Galadza in Brampton used to commemorate all the saints listed in the St Herman Calendar. I don't know if he still does.

And if you can say what you have said here today, I truly do believe there is hope for us all in this respect!

Alex

[ 02-08-2002: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

Dear Friends,

Speaking of Old Believers, the Cross on the title page of the Byzantine Catholic website is an excellent example of Old Believer iconography.

Alex

For some reason, probably my ignorance, I cannot access the site: http://www.old-shop.chat.ru
Is it me or the site?
Silouan

Bless me a sinner, Venerable Father in Christ!

Yes, I think it must be down for repairs or something, as I cannot myself access it now, but could two days ago.

I'll keep tabs on it.

Alex

Dear Friends,

There is an excellent article on the history of Old Believers and the Old Believer Eastern Catholics by Fr. Serge Keleher at:

http://www.krotov.org/engl/2001/keleher.html

Among other things, it shows how much Saint Andrew Sheptytsky (I couldn't wait any longer and canonized him in my home church!) loved and supported the Old Rite in union with Rome.

I raise two fingers for all these efforts . . .

Alex

Dear Dr. Alex, Please email me privately. I tried to use the email feature on the site but it comes back as undeliverable. Thank you!
rhop@hbeark.com
Silouan, old monk

Of course, the Old Believers in union with Rome were (past tense) a tiny aberrational and exotic splinter group within the Old Believers greater community and, certainly, the whole bizarre (from the Old
Believer's perspective) episode of union with an ecclesiastical organization completely foreign to their culture was an insignificant event, at least as far as true Old Believers are concerned.

Most Old Believers in Russia ( who have retained the priesthood) seem to have been reconciled to the Patriarchal Russian Church. It is within that community that they truly belong and (with no disrespect intended) not within the Roman communion.

FG

Dear Free Greek,

You are doubtless correct on the level of spiritual culture, to be sure.

But the Old Believers were horribly persecuted by the Tsarist government and the Nikonian Orthodox Church.

They have canonized their martyrs, but the hard thrusts at the official Church and state that persecuted them remain in their lives that they print in their calendar.

Peter the Great hated the Old Believers as they represented "backward Russia" to him and his gaze was directed toward western Europe.

He couldn't stand their beards, the Old Believers had to pay a tax to keep them. Heaven help anyone who showed up at an imperial banquet with Peter wearing a beard. He was known to pin such a man to his chair with the knee and shave off his beard. Peter constantly carried a black bag with barber's implements!

Peter also hated Russian traditional costume which the Old Believers wore and defended.

Peter likewise didn't like the Orthodox three-bar Cross, the only Cross the Old Believers recognized, the Latin Cross being, for them, the "Latin Chrism." Old Believer studies often show period cartoons with Peter holding a Latin Cross and the bearded Old Believers the Orthodox Cross.

It is therefore not surprising that the Russian Old Believers, as deeply and spiritually Russian as they were and are, could look beyond the unfriendly and harsh context of their Russian national situation to Rome.

For one thing, the Old Believers loved Ukraine where they experienced much more freedom than in Russia. It is here that they printed their religious and spiritual texts without hindrance, even though the Saints of the Kyivan Baroque did oppose them in writing (although they didn't seek them out to torture and burn them ).

St Andrew Sheptytksy of Galicia could put together the collection of Old Believer spiritual culture that he did because of its abundance in Ukraine. The Bielaya Krinitsa was founded in Ukraine as well, there are many Old Believer cemeteries over there.

From a psychological point of view, given the harshness of the Russian Tsarist regime toward them, the "Old Believers in union with Rome" wasn't such an incredible phenomenon.

Alex