Third Sunday after Pentecost: sermon of bishop Job about st. Vasylii of Kholm.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Dear brothers and sisters:

New Hieromartyr Very Rev. Basil Martysh of Kholm (21.02.1874-+4.05.1945)

Today, on the third Sunday after Pentecost, the Orthodox Church continues to celebrate the memory of all Saints and, in particular, the local saints from various dioceses. In North America we venerate the saints of America and Alaska: it gives us an opportunity to have a closer look at the lives of saints that were directly connected with the lives of our ancestors and, therefore, are being a part of our heritage. There are many saints, whose lives would be of a spiritual benefit for us to inspect closely, but let us look, on the first place, at those saints, whose efforts directly affected the land, where we work and worship.

Today, for the first time, we celebrate in our cathedral the memory of Holy Martyr Vasylii of Kholm (pol. Khelm – Chełm), who served in our parish almost 100 years ago. This sermon will tell you about the service and spiritual efforts of this priest, who was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Poland. Today His Holy Icon is displayed in the center of our cathedral. Some information, regarding his serving in our parish, can also be found in the 100th anniversary book of St. Barbara’s church, titled “A Century of Faith”.

Fr. Vasylii was an experienced priest and a missionary. From 1901 to 1906 he served in Alaska, exactly where Saint Herman had previously conducted His ascetic life. In 1911, His Eminence Platon, archbishop of Aleutian Islands and North America, named Fr. Vasylii rector of the newly built St. Barbara’s church in Edmonton. The archbishop’s appointment was based on the fact that Fr. Vasylii was born in Western Russ, where from the most of St. Barbara’s parishioners came to Alberta. Fr. Vasylii understood their language, traditions and culture. Under his leadership a choir was formed, a reading hall was created and new books began to fill the church library. Through his efforts, as well as the efforts of the parishioners, a boarding school (boursa) was opened, where young orthodox people, who wished to serve in the Church as psalmodists and readers, were living. Fr. Vasylii’s service to our parish ended the following year, in 1912. The future Holy Martyr had served in Alaska, the U.S.A., and Canada for 12 years.

The Holy Martyr was born in the long suffering land of Kholm, in the town of Teratin, Hrubieshov region of Liublin (Lublin) province, in 1874. His father Alexander, initially a judge, later became a priest. In 1884 his father had taken his 10-year-old son for a short visit to New York. There, during the service, bishop Vladimir noticed the boy’s beautiful voice. The hierarch pointed out that Vasylii should become a priest, and promised to invite him to serve in his diocese in America. Indeed, Vasylii, who was brought up in a God-loving family, following in his father’s footsteps, chooses for himself the Holy Priesthood. In 1897 he graduated from the Kholm seminary. At that time the rector of the seminary was Fr. Tikhon (Belavin), the future Patriarch of all Russia and the future enlightener of North America, who was the first of Russian bishops to visit Canada and who blessed the first Canadian Orthodox Church – Holy Trinity Church in Wostok, Alberta. After graduating from seminary at the age of 26, Vasylii Martish married young Olga Novik and soon after – on December the 10th – was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

At the invitation of His Grace bishop Tikhon (future Patriarch of all Russia) the priest Vasylii and his matushka made their way, by boat, to America. The young priest expected to serve near New York, only to find out that the Holy Synod was sending him to serve in Alaska. This is how he began his service in far away Alaska, next to and under the authority of bishop Tikhon – his former rector at the seminary of Kholm. Fr. Vasylii provided spiritual care to a huge parish, strewn over several Aleutian Islands. His main two churches were that of Holy Resurection in Kodiak, and the Birth of the Mother of God on the island of Afognak. To each of these churches were attached 7 small chapels in different villages. He built a new church in the village Afognak, on the same-named island. This church survived the earthquake and sunami of 1964, but today no one lives in that village and the parish ceased to exist… In each church Fr. Vasylii opened a Sunday school. Each school had about 50 children. On Kodiak Island he directed the first Alaskan boarding school for women, named after venerable Herman. He taught girls “God’s Law”. Ministry in Alaska required great efforts and sacrificial love from clergy. For his efforts Fr. Vasylii was awarded a “nabedrenik” and “kamilavka”.

After his return to the homeland Fr. Vasylii was named rector of a parish in the city of Sossnovtsy (Selezia). Soon afterwords The First World War – with the onslaught of peaceful population in many European countries and the hard times – followed… Fr. Vasylii left Poland and settled in Moscow at the Andronik monastery and, in order to provide for his family, he worked as a simple laborer, unloading wagons. After the war he returned to serve in Sossnovtsy. In 1921 he became a chaplain, serving the orthodox believers in the Polish armed forces, and later was promoted to ‘the head chaplain”. Later still, as head chaplain of many orthodox clergy, serving in a mainly Catholic country, he was elevated to the high clergy position of “Protopresbyter”, which he successfully held for he next 20 years. It was extremely difficult for him to serve amongst Polish people, who often acted aggressively towards Russians and Ukrainians. During this time he maintained a close contact with the first two Metropolitans of Warsaw and All Poland – Their Eminences George and Deonosii. In his old age Fr.Vasilii returned with his wife and daughters to his homeland in Teratin.

A tragic end of the life of this “Equal to The Apostles” cleric came about when many Europeans already were living in peace. The enemies of Orthodoxy had a devilish hatred for this old orthodox priest. In the year the Second World War ended, on Holy Friday, May 4th, 1945, nationalist Polish catholic hoodlums broke into his home and killed him. Farther Vasilii had become a martyr for Christ, whom he had served for 45 years. He had suffered for the Holy Orthodox faith, which he had preached in Alaska and Canada.

On March the 20th, 2003, the Polish Orthodox Church canonized Protopresbyter Vasylii to the rank of new martyrs of Kholm and Podlasie (Podlachia). His relics are laid to rest in the church of Saint John, the Ladder, in Warsaw.

Holy Martyr Vasylii, our Heavenly Protector, pray for us, Edmontonians. Help us to become real Christians in these complicated times. Amen! 

St. Barbara’s Russian Orthodox Catherdal, June 21, 2015.