International Orthodox Christian News

"Ascetism of Orthodox Women and Way of Philanthropy Live Forever in People's Memory"

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church

On September 16, the historians, the theologians, the clergy and all those interested gathered at one of the lecture halls of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to take part in the conference "Ascetism of Orthodox Women and Way of Philanthropy Live Forever in People's Memory", dedicated to the blessed memory of the newly glorified saint - the Venerable Dimitra of Kyiv. The forum was made possible through the joint effort of the Holy Presentation Monastery, founded by the Venerable Dimitra in its time, and of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The event was held at the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

The meeting began with the opening word of Deputy Abbot of the Monastry of the Holy Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple archimandrite Damian (Davydov). He noted that on that very day 48 years ago -on September 16, 1960 the communists-atheists removed the relics of mother Dimitra from their deposition in the monastery walls and buried them in the cemetery of Zverynets, in order to stop their veneration by the believers. Reverend Damian also said: "This year we celebrate four interrelated 130^th

The floor was given to Bishop Iriney (Semko) of Nizhyn and Pryluky, who had been Dean of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra for many years; he delivered the report on the Ukrainian women's monasticism at the end of the 19^th - beginning of the 20^th centuries. Vladyka Iriney defended the thesis on this subject at the Kyiv Theological Academy in 2006. Then Tatyana Kochubynska, administrator of the scientific-methods department for tourist work of the Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve. Proceeding from the studies archive documents she told those present of the life journey of nun Dimitra (Egorova). The ascetic came from Bulgaria, she was a widow, since her husband died in the war. She was secretly tonsured by the spiritual fathers of St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Peretsburg. She founded the community of the Holy Entrance of the Theotokos so that the orthodox women, who did not want to reduce their service to the Lord to weekly attendance of the Liturgy, could work in the field of charity, care for the weak, sick and wounded during the military actions.

The Venerable Dimitra was glorified among the saints by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the decision of the Holy Synod of April 18, 2008. Her honourable relics rest in the native monastery of hers, the Holy Presentation Monastery and are open for veneration by the believers.

Present at the conference were the scientists from Kyiv, Odesa, Sebastopol, Simferopol, Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine), Moscow and Borodino (Russia). The collection of reports made is planned to be published after the conference.

Ivan Verstyuk
for ORTHODOX.ORG.UA