Twenty years ago the Polish Catholic monks, Fr. Nikodim and his brother
monk Fr. Afanassy, were living in Krakow. They had been monks at the
Czestochowa monastery in Poland, but in studying liturgics, they realized
that the Roman Church had slipped away from ancient liturgical practice,
which, they concluded, had been preserved in the Eastern Rite. For a year
and a half, whatever the weather, they made the trip by tram to the grave
of Saint Faustinia, located at the convent where she had lived. They prayed
that she might help them to found an Eastern-rite monastery.
In 1985 Fr. Afanassy had a dream. 'I was asleep', he recalled, 'in my room
in Krakow. The saint appeared and, although I recognized her, I asked, 'Who
are you?' 'I'm a saint', she replied. 'If you are a saint,' I said, 'then
help us to find a place to build a monastery'. She said that a monastery
would indeed come into being. 'It is not dependent on my prayers or yours.
'The monastery is needed and it will be built, because', she added, 'it is
the will of God.'
This gave the monks great encouragement, and they set out to find a
suitable piece of land. Responding to ads in newspapers, they looked over
several properties (some of the owners, on learning they were monks,
increased the prices), but none o
f them struck the monks as being suitable.
Then on 5 July, the feastday of St Athanasius of Mt Athos, they came to
Ujkowice, three miles from Przermysl and not far from the Ukrainian border.
They climbed a hill and could see forests, fields, villages - and an old
Eastern-rite church in ruin. The monks nodded their heads: 'Tbis is the
place!' A month after Fr. Atanazy's dream, they secured the property, eight
and a half acres.
There was an old barn and cowshed on the property. Adjacent to the barn,
the monks built a small, stone chapel and placed an icon of the Mother of
God over the doorway.
One day in late autumn, two women passing by on the road stopped before the
chapel and, making the sign of the cross, began to pray. They prayed and
wept. When the monks made their acquaintance, one of the women explained:
"My father, Mikolaj Kania, died a long time ago, but as long as he lived
here, he used to say, 'Here in this place, the Mother of God will appear.
There will be a monastery here.' Here was another sign.
In establishing their monastery, the monks encountered all kinds of
obstacles. Just a week after they purchased the land, the Roman Catholic
Curia sent a letter to the court in Przemysl, claiming that it had been
purchased illegally, since Uniats in Poland could not buy land in Poland
without the permission of the Roman Catholic Church. Fortunately, the monks
had bought the land not as clerics but as private individuals, for
agricultural use. So the Roman Catholic claims were rejected.
Some people began to come to the monastery. Women and children would come
regularly for evening devotions to the Mother of God. There was even talk
about possibly renovating the derelict Eastern-rite church, which had been
closed in 1946. In May 1988, however, the Roman Catholic priest forbade the
children from going to the monastery. Rumours began circulating against the
monks.
On 18 August, 1988, the eve of the Feast of Transfiguration, some boys from
the village came to the monastery: 'Oh, fathers, tomorrow at noon there
will be a lot of flags and protest signs, and people will come and destroy
the monastery walls'. It.was already nearing eleven o'clock. The monks took
seriously the threat and, in spite of the late hour, they drove to the
police station for help. When they arrived, relates Fr. Nikodim, 'we saw a
woman talking on the phone, explaining to someone that all the phones in
front of the post office were out of order. As she was leaving she saw us,
stopped, and greeted us in Ukranian: 'Glory to Jesus Christ'. We responded,
'Glory forever'. She then added, 'Who is with God, him will God help'. And
she left.
After a police officer had taken down our report, we drove back, thinking
about the woman. What was the meaning of her words? Was this God's way of
telling us not to trust 'in princes and the sons of men', in physical
force, but to trust in Him?'
The monks decided to increase their prayer and fasting. 'Because prayer',
they said, 'is a force more powerful than any other - the mightiest. It is
a spiritual rocket that always aims at the right target'.
The protest against the monks took place the next day. Black ribbons were
placed on red and white Polish flags. And there were slogans: 'Do not
destroy the legacy of generations', 'We don't want the people of our
village to be at odds', and, 'Down with the monks!'
Not long after the monks had purchased their land, they were confronted
with a slanderous declaration signed by a committee of thirteen. At this
point, says Fr. Nikodim, 'we knew who it was we were fighting with. It was
not these people, but someone else. We knew how to fight him - by prayer
and fasting. We wrote these thirteen names on a sheet of paper and placed
it on the altar, under the relics of the saints that we had gathered here:
Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, the Great-Martyr Barbara,
Saint Stanislav, Saint Paul the Hermit, Saint Anthony of Egypt, and a
particle of the True Cross'.
Several days later, a policeman from Przemysl arrived at the monastery. 'I
have heard that there is a sheet of paper fixed to the altar here, and that
on it are names of those who will be punished by God', he said to Fr.
Nikodim.
Fr. Nikodim was astonished. 'Only the two of us knew about the sheet of
paper on the altar. We realized that if Satan told people things that could
not have been known by anyone else, it meant that this place must be
exceptional'.
The brothers continued to meet with obstacles. They had to go to trial for
building the wall around the monastery. Fortunately, the court decided in
their favour, stating that the wall had been built according to an approved
design, so that no one could tear it down.
Before the wall was built, some people who harboured ill-will toward the
monks would come at night and steal supplies. On one occasion, just before
an impending storm, someone ripped open bags of cement the monks were using
in building their wall. By God's mercy, the clouds scattered, and there was
no rain to ruin the cement.
But along with the obstacles, the monks also received encouragement.
'We were in Kalnikow for the celebration of the one thousandth anniversary
of the Baptism of Rus', recalls Fr Nikodim. 'Bishop Adam of the Polish
Orthodox Church was there. We were in need of encouragement, and he gave it
to us'.
'You have already won', the bishop told them, 'just by persevering and
staying on in that place. But remember, don't accuse the people; they are
the least guilty. Someone entirely different is behind it'.
These were beautiful words', recalls Fr. Nikodim. 'To this day I bear no
resentment towards the people who caused us so much harm. I can shake hands
with each of them, because I know that my enemy is not material man, but
immaterial spirit - the Evil One. He knows perfectly well what the role of
this monastery is to be, and he wants to prevent it'. Indeed, he explains,
'a monastery is like a spring from which the grace of God and love flows,
purifying people and changing them. That, in fact, has been our experience.
The people here are different from what they were in 1986 when we first
came'.
monk Fr. Afanassy, were living in Krakow. They had been monks at the
Czestochowa monastery in Poland, but in studying liturgics, they realized
that the Roman Church had slipped away from ancient liturgical practice,
which, they concluded, had been preserved in the Eastern Rite. For a year
and a half, whatever the weather, they made the trip by tram to the grave
of Saint Faustinia, located at the convent where she had lived. They prayed
that she might help them to found an Eastern-rite monastery.
In 1985 Fr. Afanassy had a dream. 'I was asleep', he recalled, 'in my room
in Krakow. The saint appeared and, although I recognized her, I asked, 'Who
are you?' 'I'm a saint', she replied. 'If you are a saint,' I said, 'then
help us to find a place to build a monastery'. She said that a monastery
would indeed come into being. 'It is not dependent on my prayers or yours.
'The monastery is needed and it will be built, because', she added, 'it is
the will of God.'
This gave the monks great encouragement, and they set out to find a
suitable piece of land. Responding to ads in newspapers, they looked over
several properties (some of the owners, on learning they were monks,
increased the prices), but none o
f them struck the monks as being suitable.
Then on 5 July, the feastday of St Athanasius of Mt Athos, they came to
Ujkowice, three miles from Przermysl and not far from the Ukrainian border.
They climbed a hill and could see forests, fields, villages - and an old
Eastern-rite church in ruin. The monks nodded their heads: 'Tbis is the
place!' A month after Fr. Atanazy's dream, they secured the property, eight
and a half acres.
There was an old barn and cowshed on the property. Adjacent to the barn,
the monks built a small, stone chapel and placed an icon of the Mother of
God over the doorway.
One day in late autumn, two women passing by on the road stopped before the
chapel and, making the sign of the cross, began to pray. They prayed and
wept. When the monks made their acquaintance, one of the women explained:
"My father, Mikolaj Kania, died a long time ago, but as long as he lived
here, he used to say, 'Here in this place, the Mother of God will appear.
There will be a monastery here.' Here was another sign.
In establishing their monastery, the monks encountered all kinds of
obstacles. Just a week after they purchased the land, the Roman Catholic
Curia sent a letter to the court in Przemysl, claiming that it had been
purchased illegally, since Uniats in Poland could not buy land in Poland
without the permission of the Roman Catholic Church. Fortunately, the monks
had bought the land not as clerics but as private individuals, for
agricultural use. So the Roman Catholic claims were rejected.
Some people began to come to the monastery. Women and children would come
regularly for evening devotions to the Mother of God. There was even talk
about possibly renovating the derelict Eastern-rite church, which had been
closed in 1946. In May 1988, however, the Roman Catholic priest forbade the
children from going to the monastery. Rumours began circulating against the
monks.
On 18 August, 1988, the eve of the Feast of Transfiguration, some boys from
the village came to the monastery: 'Oh, fathers, tomorrow at noon there
will be a lot of flags and protest signs, and people will come and destroy
the monastery walls'. It.was already nearing eleven o'clock. The monks took
seriously the threat and, in spite of the late hour, they drove to the
police station for help. When they arrived, relates Fr. Nikodim, 'we saw a
woman talking on the phone, explaining to someone that all the phones in
front of the post office were out of order. As she was leaving she saw us,
stopped, and greeted us in Ukranian: 'Glory to Jesus Christ'. We responded,
'Glory forever'. She then added, 'Who is with God, him will God help'. And
she left.
After a police officer had taken down our report, we drove back, thinking
about the woman. What was the meaning of her words? Was this God's way of
telling us not to trust 'in princes and the sons of men', in physical
force, but to trust in Him?'
The monks decided to increase their prayer and fasting. 'Because prayer',
they said, 'is a force more powerful than any other - the mightiest. It is
a spiritual rocket that always aims at the right target'.
The protest against the monks took place the next day. Black ribbons were
placed on red and white Polish flags. And there were slogans: 'Do not
destroy the legacy of generations', 'We don't want the people of our
village to be at odds', and, 'Down with the monks!'
Not long after the monks had purchased their land, they were confronted
with a slanderous declaration signed by a committee of thirteen. At this
point, says Fr. Nikodim, 'we knew who it was we were fighting with. It was
not these people, but someone else. We knew how to fight him - by prayer
and fasting. We wrote these thirteen names on a sheet of paper and placed
it on the altar, under the relics of the saints that we had gathered here:
Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, the Great-Martyr Barbara,
Saint Stanislav, Saint Paul the Hermit, Saint Anthony of Egypt, and a
particle of the True Cross'.
Several days later, a policeman from Przemysl arrived at the monastery. 'I
have heard that there is a sheet of paper fixed to the altar here, and that
on it are names of those who will be punished by God', he said to Fr.
Nikodim.
Fr. Nikodim was astonished. 'Only the two of us knew about the sheet of
paper on the altar. We realized that if Satan told people things that could
not have been known by anyone else, it meant that this place must be
exceptional'.
The brothers continued to meet with obstacles. They had to go to trial for
building the wall around the monastery. Fortunately, the court decided in
their favour, stating that the wall had been built according to an approved
design, so that no one could tear it down.
Before the wall was built, some people who harboured ill-will toward the
monks would come at night and steal supplies. On one occasion, just before
an impending storm, someone ripped open bags of cement the monks were using
in building their wall. By God's mercy, the clouds scattered, and there was
no rain to ruin the cement.
But along with the obstacles, the monks also received encouragement.
'We were in Kalnikow for the celebration of the one thousandth anniversary
of the Baptism of Rus', recalls Fr Nikodim. 'Bishop Adam of the Polish
Orthodox Church was there. We were in need of encouragement, and he gave it
to us'.
'You have already won', the bishop told them, 'just by persevering and
staying on in that place. But remember, don't accuse the people; they are
the least guilty. Someone entirely different is behind it'.
These were beautiful words', recalls Fr. Nikodim. 'To this day I bear no
resentment towards the people who caused us so much harm. I can shake hands
with each of them, because I know that my enemy is not material man, but
immaterial spirit - the Evil One. He knows perfectly well what the role of
this monastery is to be, and he wants to prevent it'. Indeed, he explains,
'a monastery is like a spring from which the grace of God and love flows,
purifying people and changing them. That, in fact, has been our experience.
The people here are different from what they were in 1986 when we first
came'.
