Pilgrimages to Ukraine

[Stephentlig]

Magellan is a world traveler, similar to Christopher Columbus. He is Portuguese but this particular voyage that brought him to the Philippines and his demise (he was killed in a tribal battle) was for Spain. He is the first person to navigate around the southern tip of South America and get to the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean (thus it is known today as the Strait of Magellan).

The Catholic Church in the Philippines is still the dominant faith today although its been slowly eroding. Philippine society has envied American society and has painstakingly tried to mimic American society including secularization. There are now “freethinkers” in what was once and overly religious culture. Also with the Americanization is the entrance of Protestant denominations including Pentecostals and Evangelicals and Non-Denominationals who have been tirelessly converting Filipino Catholics to their side. Poor catechism is to blame. The country is mostly poor and the Church’s efforts are mostly concentrated on helping the poor. Plus, being a dominant faith means every other group out there is armed to the teeth with anti-Catholic apologetic and propaganda. Its now estimated that only about 80% of the population are Catholics, down from over 90% just a couple of decades ago. And only about half of that number are actual practicing Catholics.

But despite that grim picture, with the large population, parishes are still overflowing with people and Masses start as early as 5am on Sundays and the last Mass is as late as 9pm. Just because there is so much people. Also, there are many cultural practices that are intertwined with the faith.

Must read up on Magellan. Sounds interesting.

I fail to find one country that does not try to mimic America ( the modern day Sodom and Gommarah ) and its bad habits and ideals. It can be a difficult thing to keep back. I understand what you mean by ‘‘freethinkers’’. It is always the ‘‘freethinkers’’ that are unbelievers or agnostic. Those who ( as Pope Paul VI put it ) ‘‘are of one homily with/in the world’’.

I would love to be able to attend Mass all day like that. lol. It’s Catholicity sounds a far cry better than Irelands which is on its knees at the moment. I have found that a lot of philippines are of great faith and great lovers of Mysticism, such as Our Lady of Fatima, Garabandal, Medugorje and True Life In God and so on. They have such a believing child like spirit that I wish I had also. If I had choice I would jump ship and travel the world with my rosary and visit all these Holy places. But one can only dream lol.

Thanks for sharing with me the nice history about your country I’ve enjoyed it.

Pax
Stephen

 

[ConstantineTG]

Must read up on Magellan. Sounds interesting.

I fail to find one country that does not try to mimic America ( the modern day Sodom and Gommarah ) and its bad habits and ideals. It can be a difficult thing to keep back. I understand what you mean by ‘‘freethinkers’’. It is always the ‘‘freethinkers’’ that are unbelievers or agnostic. Those who ( as Pope Paul VI put it ) ‘‘are of one homily with/in the world’’.

I would love to be able to attend Mass all day like that. lol. It’s Catholicity sounds a far cry better than Irelands which is on its knees at the moment. I have found that a lot of philippines are of great faith and great lovers of Mysticism, such as Our Lady of Fatima, Garabandal, Medugorje and True Life In God and so on. They have such a believing child like spirit that I wish I had also. If I had choice I would jump ship and travel the world with my rosary and visit all these Holy places. But one can only dream lol.

Thanks for sharing with me the nice history about your country I’ve enjoyed it.

Pax
Stephen

Part of the reason that the Philippines loves America so much is they are seen as a savior and an ideal society. They freed us from the Spanish and then the Japanese in World War 2. Our best economic years where during the time of the Americans and the short time after. Sadly its not just economic progress that people try to get, but everything thats in America including Protestantism and now, secularism. Another problem also is how the Catholic Church is tied down to the Spanish government. So despite a deep devotion to the faith, there is a prevailing image of the Catholic Church as conspirators with the Spanish monarchy in the oppression of the Filipino people in those 333 years. It also doesn’t help that we selected a Freemason as our national hero who’s most famous novel put the Catholic Church and the priesthood in a very bad light.

But through it all we’ve been blessed for those who have kept the faith. We had a bloodless revolution 25 years ago that deposed a dictator. The revolution was flanked by the Archbishop of Manila and nuns with rosaries were stopping tanks on the street. We then installed a simple (but very well educated) housewife who was also a very devoted Catholic as president back then. We dedicated the success of the bloodless revolution to Mary and thus at one of the sites of the revolution a monument was erected for Our Lady of Peace.

 

[Alexander_Roman]

Magandang Hapon (a relative of mine married a wonderful Filipino woman . . .)

The Cathedral of St George in Lviv, the Shrine of Zarvanytsia and that of “Hoshiv” are good places to visit that are Eastern Catholic.

But I wouldn’t limit myself to those while in Ukraine.

When in Kiev, the Kievan Caves Lavra is a MUST SEE. There are over 150+ Venerable Fathers in the underground Caves plus 61 miraculous relic-Skulls (some of which exude holy oil). I understand that one of them is the skull of Pope St Clement I and this is shown to RC delegates who visit the Metropolitan of Kiev.

Then there is the St Sophia Cathedral from which for about 500 years the Metropolitans of Kiev oversaw their Church of Kievan Rus’.

The greant Orans icon in that Cathedral of the Mother of God with upraised arms is miraculous, as is the Annunication icon on the sides of the apse. The icon of St Sophia with the Mother of God on the iconostasis is miraculous as well.

The relics of St Macarius Met. of Kiev, martyred by the Tartars when he was serving the Divine Liturgy, used to be enshrined there. There was a miraculous icon of St Nicholas (the Drenched) and the relics of St Yaroslav the Wise, but these are now in New York City, apparently.

There is the Cathedral of St Barbara where her relics rest. She used to be a patron of Kiev and her akathist was once regularly handed out to tourists. Then there is the Cathedral of St Michael, a patron of Kiev and his icon once adorned the Kings of Kievan Rus’ (called “Knyaz” or the Slavic version of the Scandinavian “Konigyaz” for “King”).

Then the ancient Zverynetsky Monastery which predates the Baptism of Kievan Rus’. They have their own Choir of Saints, archaeological digs continue. The Mongols destroyed the place and martyred a number of the monks who are all saints, but their names are unknown to us (something like what happened on the Isle of St Honoratus, Lerins where 500 monks were martyred).

There are other holy Orthodox shrines there, you can find out more when you get there.

Nizhyn and Chernihiv to the north is also replete with many saints, as is Poltava and Kharkiv as well as Odessa.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Alex, can you be our tour guide?

 

[Alexander_Roman]

Alex, can you be our tour guide?

Would love to be - I’ve never been to Ukraine and am the only member of my family who hasn’t.

The Pochaev Monastery is also a must-see. There is the great miraculous icon hanging over the Royal Doors there which is lowered for the veneration of the faithful on chains. There is another with the miraculous foot-print on the side, the Holy relics of Sts. Job and Amphilochius of Pochaev and the Foot-print itself under the Church from whence holy water flows. Truly the Lourdes of Eastern Europe!

Salamat!