“During my priestly life, I have baptized more than two thousand adults and children”

Archpriest Vsevolod Rybchynsky – the oldest cleric of Kyiv. Photo: UOJ

The honorary rector and builder of Kyiv’s Holy Olga church complex, Archpriest Vsevolod Rybchynsky, on the day of the holy Theophany, spoke about the meaning of this great feast, and also about the Sacrament of Baptism itself for a person’s soul.

“Happy feastday, my dear ones!” – with these words, blessing us, Fr. Vsevolod greeted us in his office in the parish building of the Sunday school.

To begin our conversation, it should be said that Archpriest Vsevolod is one of Kyiv’s oldest priests, known for his prayers and labors not only in Ukraine’s capital, but far beyond its borders.

When the newly elected Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Onufriy, arrived at the first assembly of clergy of the Kyiv eparchy, the task of presenting a bouquet of white roses was entrusted to Archpriest Vsevolod – as the oldest and most honored priest.

The author of these lines remembers the celebrations of Fr. Vsevolod’s 80th birthday, when his spiritual children gathered from many countries of the former Soviet Union, from Greece and the USA. As a rule, batiushka greets everyone with a smile and a joy that always shines on his face. You are won over by his simplicity and warmth, by his ability to speak plainly and clearly – so much so that you do not at once notice the spiritual wisdom and inward prayerfulness hidden beneath his straightforward words.

He has walked a long and difficult priestly road – from a village priest to the rector of the largest church complex, crowned by St. Olga Cathedral, where 10 priests and 7 deacons carry out their obediences – something you would sooner expect of a large monastery.

Services are held in four churches of the complex – St. Olga Cathedral, the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena, the Church of the Right-believing Prince Vsevolod (in holy Baptism, Gabriel), and St. Barbara’s Church. A multi-profile school for children and adults functions at the parish: the Law of God is taught; for toddlers and schoolchildren there are classes in drawing, handicrafts, sewing and tailoring; and boys learn the first skills of woodworking.

On Sundays and feast days, the divine service is usually led by the vicar hierarch, Metropolitan Antony (Fialko) of Makariv. And on solemn commemorative days, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, His Beatitude Onufriy, together with a host of bishops and clergy, presides at the services.

And so, on the feast of Theophany, many hundreds of Kyiv residents hurried here to pray and to draw holy water – the agiasma.

God’s humility

“Batiushka, tell us: what is common between the feast of the Lord’s Baptism and the sacrament of baptism of an ordinary mortal?”

“First, the Lord Jesus Christ came to the Jordan to be baptized at the hands of John the Forerunner in order to reveal Himself to the world and to bear witness that He is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. Second, He showed all people an example of great humility and obedience to the Heavenly Father.

Third, at His Baptism the consubstantial and undivided Holy Trinity was revealed – in the voice of God the Father; in the Son being baptized in the Jordan; and in the Holy Spirit descending upon the Son in the form of a dove.

When an infant or an adult is baptized, the Holy Spirit likewise descends upon them. And a person is baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, for the remission of sins and unto eternal life.”

The calendar dispute

“Batiushka, explain right away: why do we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism on January 19? And the so-called OCU, by the Gregorian calendar, together with the Catholics, does so 14 days earlier.”

“The thing is, there is a political element here: that we, supposedly, celebrate the Nativity of Christ together with the ROC, while the OCU celebrates with the whole foreign world. That is not true. We have celebrated this way for many centuries together with the entire Orthodox world – with all the Orthodox Churches of the world, such as the most ancient Church of Jerusalem and others.

But our ‘wise’ – in quotation marks – Ukrainian secular media interpret this fact in their own way, explaining that the Orthodox Church allegedly always celebrated the Nativity of Christ on December 25, and then moved to January 7. Yet the USSR officially switched to the new style only in 1929, and the date by the new style falls on January 7.

So this is another lie of the OCU people. By the way, the same Filaret, with his pseudo ‘UOC-KP’, also celebrates Christmas on January 7. The Lord, to the shame of heretics and schismatics, reveals to the world His miracle precisely on January 19, the feast of Theophany, when the holy Jordan on that day turns its waters back, and the river flows in the opposite direction once a year. Our educated journalists ought to know this.”

A river of people

“Batiushka, and how many people – infants and adults – have you baptized in your life?”

“Ah, my children, you can’t count it! I don’t keep special records. I think more than two thousand – perhaps more. In the 1990s, we had to baptize ten and more at once; people streamed to the churches by the thousands. And on Theophany the parish courtyard would be a sea of people!..

And today too, glory to God, as you can see – it’s packed!.. There’s nowhere for an apple to fall. It’s not like that among the schismatics. A living, believing soul cannot be lured by the false tales of journalists and politicians.”

“Tell us, Father: in your view, when will the war end?”

“If millions of Ukrainians in a single day lifted their eyes on high, repented, and prayed for peace, peace would come at once. I think all of us must believe in God’s mercy – pray, ask, and believe. And the Lord will say to us, as to that harlot: ‘Go, and sin no more!..’ May the Lord save you all; may peace abide in your families. Amen.”

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