One of the UOC’s oldest clerics reposes in the Lord
Archpriest Mykhail Makeev served without interruption at St. George’s Church in the village of Selyshche for more than 60 years, restoring the ancient shrine from ruins.
On May 19, 2026, one of the oldest clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Archpriest Mykhail Makeev of the Boryspil Eparchy – reposed in the Lord at the age of 92. This was reported by the UOC’s Information and Education Department.
The future pastor was born on October 31, 1933, and devoted his entire life to serving God. From 1965 onward, Fr. Mykhail served continuously as rector of St. George’s Church in the village of Selyshche, Baryshivka district, Kyiv region. When the young priest first arrived in the village, the majestic wooden church, built in 1914, was in a dreadful state: the roof leaked, the windows were shattered, and bats lived beneath the dome. Almost single-handedly, in the postwar years, Fr. Mykhail undertook the immense work of restoring the shrine, rebuilding it literally nail by nail.
During the Soviet era, the priest endured repeated harassment and pressure from the atheist authorities. He was accused of espionage, dissident activity, and possessing banned literature, yet he did not abandon his flock and continued to perform baptisms and weddings despite direct threats of arrest. Over decades of ministry, Fr. Mykhail became a spiritual mentor to many generations of believers and helped restore several other churches in the Kyiv region.
A special chapter in the priest’s life was the second finding of the wonderworking Zvirynets Icon of the Mother of God. Fr. Mykhail recognized the missing holy image in an icon kept in his church and, in 2000, transferred it to Kyiv’s St. Jonah Monastery. In 2010, the icon was moved to the Archangel Michael Zvirynets Monastery.
For his many years of service, the mitred archpriest received high Church honors, including the right to wear a second jeweled pectoral cross. Archpriest Mykhail Makeev was also awarded Church honors of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Archpriest Anatoliy Marushchak, spiritual father of the Kryvyi Rih Eparchy, has reposed in the Lord.
