Epiphanius I of Ukraine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Epiphanius |
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| Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine | |
Epiphanius I in 2019
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| Native name | Епіфаній |
| Church | Orthodox Church of Ukraine |
| Metropolis | Kyiv and All Ukraine |
| See | Kyiv |
| Elected | 15 December 2018 |
| Enthroned | 3 February 2019 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 January 2008 |
| Consecration | 15 November 2009 by Filaret (Denysenko) |
| Rank | Metropolitan bishop (2013– ) |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Serhii Petrovych Dumenko Сергій Петрович Думенко |
| Born | February 3, 1979 Vovkove, Ivanivka Raion, Odesa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Previous post | Secretary of the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine Filaret (25 January 2008) Governor of the Vydubychi Monastery (20 March 2008) |
| Education | Doctor of Theology |
| Alma mater | Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy |
| Signature |  |
| Coat of arms | .png) |
| Styles of Metropolitan Epiphanius I of Kyiv and All Ukraine |
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| Reference style | His Beatitude |
| Spoken style | Your Beatitude |
| Religious style | Metropolitan |
Metropolitan Epiphanius (born Serhii Petrovych Dumenko on 3 February 1979) is the main leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). He holds the important title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
Before becoming the head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphanius served as a Metropolitan bishop in the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) from 2013 to 2018. He was in charge of the Pereiaslav and Bila Tserkva region since 2010.
He was also a professor at the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy. He was a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Serhii Petrovych Dumenko was born on 3 February 1979 in Vovkove, a village in southern Ukraine. He spent his childhood and school years in the village of Stara Zhadova. He finished high school there in 1996.
In 1996, he began studying at the Kyiv Theological Seminary and graduated in 1999 with top honors. He then continued his studies at the Kyiv Theological Academy. In 2003, he earned a doctor of theology degree. His PhD paper was about how church rules were put together in early Christian times.
From 2006 to 2007, he studied in Greece at the Athens National University. In 2012, he earned another Doctor of Theology degree for his work on the Orthodox Church's teachings about salvation.
Church Service
From 2003 to 2005, Epiphanius worked as a secretary for the Rivne church administration. He also taught at the Rivne Seminary during this time.
Between 2003 and 2005, he managed an online religious news site called "Rivne Pravoslavne." He also helped edit a religious newspaper. In 2005, he became a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
In 2007, he started teaching at the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy and became the head of the language department.
On 21 December 2007, he became a monk at the Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. He chose the monastic name Epiphanius. On 20 January 2008, he became a hieromonk, which is a monk who is also a priest. Soon after, on 25 January, he was appointed secretary to Patriarch Filaret.
In March 2008, he became an archimandrite, a higher rank for a monk-priest. He was also put in charge of the Vydubychi Monastery in Kyiv. In May 2008, he became a manager for the Kyiv Patriarchate. In October 2008, he was given the title of Associate Professor at the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
On 21 October 2009, he was chosen to be a bishop for the Kyiv area. He was officially ordained as a bishop on 15 November 2009.
In July 2010, he became the head of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy. He also became the leader of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky diocese. In November 2011, he was given the title of professor.
In January 2012, he was promoted to Archbishop. In June 2013, he became the Metropolitan of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Bila Tserkva. This meant he was a very important leader with the rights of a local bishop. In December 2017, he was named Metropolitan of Pereiaslav and Bila Tserkva.
In April 2019, he supported a law that helps the Ukrainian language be used more.
In August 2020, Metropolitan Epiphanius blessed the newly fixed Wall of Remembrance for Heroes in Kyiv. He also blessed a church in the Kyiv region. On August 29, he honored Ukrainian soldiers who had died defending their country.
Leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
On 15 December 2018, a special meeting was held at the Cathedral of St. Sophia. At this meeting, Epiphanius was chosen to be the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. This made him the first leader of the new, independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The official title for the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is "His Beatitude (name), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine."
Receiving Independence
On 5 January 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Epiphanius held a church service in Istanbul. After the service, a special document called a tomos was signed. This tomos officially made the Orthodox Church of Ukraine an independent church.
After the tomos was signed, Metropolitan Epiphanius gave a speech. He thanked the then-President Petro Poroshenko for his help in making the church independent.
On January 6, 2019, after another church service, Patriarch Bartholomew read the tomos and then gave it to Metropolitan Epiphanius.
The tomos was brought back to Istanbul on 8 January 2019 so that all the members of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate could sign it. They all signed it on 9 January 2019. The signed tomos was then brought back to Ukraine on 10 January 2019.
Becoming the Leader
Epiphanius was officially installed as the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on 3 February 2019. This day was also his 40th birthday. The first meeting of the OCU's Holy Synod took place on 5 February 2019.
During the War
When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Epiphanius decided to stay in Ukraine. As the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, he asked his Russian counterpart, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, to help remove the bodies of Russian soldiers who had died.
Metropolitan Epiphanius has strongly spoken out against Russia's actions. He has asked for help from other countries and suggested that those who committed crimes against Ukraine should be put on trial. He and other bishops offered their churches as safe places for people to hide from bombings. He also said that he was a target for Russian forces.
Academic and Community Work
Epiphanius is in charge of the editorial boards for two important academic journals: Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Theological Bulletin of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
He has written more than 50 articles and several books about Orthodox theology.
Epiphanius is a very active religious and community leader. He takes part in many scientific and educational events. He has greatly helped the development of religious education and science in Ukraine. He has also worked to strengthen the Ukrainian state. For his efforts, he has received awards from both the government and the Church.
Awards and Honors
Orders
He has received several important church awards, including:
- The Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
- The Order of the Holy Equal-to-apostles Knyaz Volodymyr the Great of the Third Degree
- The Order of the Holy Archangel Michael
- The Order of the Holy Cross of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church
He has also received awards from the Ukrainian government, such as:
- The Order of Merit of ІІ and III degrees
- Letters of honor from the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine and the Prime Minister
- A letter from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukraine's parliament)
- Awards from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
In 2019, he received the Athenagoras Human Rights Award.
Academic Honors
In March 2019, he was given the title of Honorary doctor by the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University.
See also
In Spanish: Epifanio de Ucrania para niños
- Unification council of the Orthodox churches of Ukraine
