Ukrainian Orthodoxy in Autocephalous Catholic Apostolic Lineage

Ohiychuk and Prazsky

In 988, the Baptism of Kyvian Rus occurred by Saint Vladimir of Kyiv (secularly Vladimir the Great). Ukraine continued under the Metropolitante of Kyiv under the Ecumenical Patriarchate until 1448. At this time, the Council of Moscow's Bishops appointed a Metropolitan of Kyiv without the Ecumenical Patriarch's blessing. Further changes to the territory came in 1596, when there was a split among Orthodox believers. Part remained Orthodox and the remaining believers joined the Roman Catholic Church. 

In 1685, the formal absorption of Kyiv as a religious entity into the Russian Orthodox Church when Patriarch Dionysius IV issued a letter granting control over Kyiv to Moscow (apparently through simony). This status of subjugation continued until Ukrainian independence in as the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1917. At this time, the Ukrainian Autocephalus Orthodox Church was proclaimed. In 1921, an All-Ukrainian Sobor was called in Ukraine declaring independence from the Moscow Patriarchate. Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky was chosen as the head of the church Upon election, he used Ukrainian in the liturgy instead of Church Slavonic. Because of this, was was deposed by Russian bishops who also disagreed with his promotion of Ukraine and liberal views. 

 On October 23, 1921 Lypkivsky was consecrated as Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. No bishop would participate in his consecration so, in the Alexandrian model, he was consecrated by the laying on of hands of priests present. By 1924 the church had grown to 30 bishops and 1,500 priests and deacons in 1,100 parishes. However, it was not recognized because of the unorthodox consecration received by Lypkivsky and other bishops. By 1927, Lypkivsky was under house arrest by the Soviets until his execution on November 27, 1937 because of his Ukrainian nationalism.

Meanwhile, on November 13, 1924 the Ecumenical Patriarch Gregorios VII granted autocephaly to the Polish Orthodox Church and stated that the subjugation of the Kyvian Metropolia to Moscow was contrary to canon law. However, he did not recognize the established Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church despite appeals to do so. The church's situation changed when the Nazis invaded and took control of parts of Ukrainian territory. In 1942, in light of the 1924 Tomos, Bishop Polycarp (Sikorsky) of Lutsk (formerly of the Church of Poland) consecrated the first Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox bishops in apostolic succession. Around a dozen bishops were consecrated by 1944. As the Soviets advanced, however, those who did not escape to the West perished. 

Metropolitan Polycarp died in France in 1953 and Metropolitan Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) who was ordained by Polycarp made his way to Germany then to Canada and finally to the United States, where he settled at Bound Brook, NJ. Another bishop, Archbishop Hryhoriy Ohiychuk, formerly Archbishop of Zhytomyr fled to the United States. 

This begins the introduction of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into Autocephalous Catholicism. Archbishop Hryhoriy consecrated William Andrew Prazsky in May 1969. It has been alleged that Prazsky was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood by Walter Propheta, although Gary Ward's book lists him as a member of the Liberal Catholic Church (which is unproven; see here: https://sites.google.com/site/gnostickos/bbishopsprazsky2).

Prazsky went on to consecrate Bishop Andre Penachio who consecrated Bishop Joseph Fradale who, in 1983, consecrated sub-conditione Bishop Peter Paul Brennan (from whom many people descend). Prazsky also consecrated Alexis Nizza who, in 1999, consecrated Metropolitans Stephen Petrovitch and Michael Champion. They went on to form the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Sobornopravna). They consecrated Bishop Oleh Kulyk (Patriarch Moses) who went on to declare himself Patriarch of Kyiv and consecrated or received numerous individuals (see here: http://www.soborna.org/). 

The lineage of the UAOC entered so-called Old Calendarist Churches as well. Metropolitan Mstyslav, later elected Patriarch in 1991 upon Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union and his successor, Patriarch Dymytry (Yarema), was consecrator of Bishop Raphael (Leonid Motovilov) of Krasnoyarsk in 1996. The Russian True Orthodox Church was part of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church but left their jurisdiction. Bishop Raphael joined this group but left in 1999 to form the True Orthodox Church in Russia, and became Metropolitan Raphael and leader of this jurisdiction (see: http://ipckatakomb.ru/pages/577/). 

The True Orthodox Church of Russia later joined up with the Church of Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece under Metropolitan Angelos of Avlona. Also in the union was the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles. The Metropolia was a member of the Holy Synod of Milan, itself under the Patriarchiate of Kyiv from 1995-1996. 

Unfortunately, because of this history the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been condemned by other groups because of its tumultuous history. However, this is to be expected of a country which has been invaded numerous times and subject to frequent destabilization. As mentioned, Metropolitan Mstyslav was elected Patriarch in 1991 and in 1992 there was a Unification Synod between the UAOC and part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). Part of the UAOC did not accept the unficiation and continued under Patriarch Dymytry (mentioned above) while the unified group continued under Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk) and later Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko). This group, in 2018, joined the Ecumenical Patriarchate and was re-named the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Most of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church joined the OCU as well, leading to stabilization in the country of Ukrainian groups independent of Russia. 

Please note: this is a gross oversimplification of the situation. It has been simplified and reduced for space and time.