Icon painter exposes shocking messages from OCU “hierarch”
Oksana Kuzyshyn alleges that OCU “bishop” Herman Semanchuk owes her more than €26,000 for painting a church and sent her messages containing profanity and flirtatious remarks.
Icon painter Oksana Kuzyshyn of Ivano-Frankivsk has published an open letter to OCU leader Epifaniy Dumenko, along with screenshots of her correspondence with Herman Semanchuk, the OCU’s “Archbishop of Kamianets-Podilskyi and Nova Ushytsia.” According to the artist, Semanchuk failed to pay her for painting the Church of the Theophany at the OCU’s St. John the Baptist Monastery in Kamianets-Podilskyi. She also alleges that he used profanity and made flirtatious advances toward her. Kuzyshyn shared the allegations on Facebook in a post titled “Maximum Public Exposure.”
According to Kuzyshyn, she reached an agreement with Semanchuk in mid-May 2025 to paint the church at a rate of €150 per square meter. The “bishop” stipulated that the work had to be completed before Epifaniy Dumenko consecrated the church in July 2025.
By mid-June, Kuzyshyn and her assistant had painted most of the walls and ceiling. She says they received only $1,000 throughout that period, paid three weeks after work began. With no further payments forthcoming, they stopped painting and applied a protective coat of varnish. Kuzyshyn claims Semanchuk repeatedly postponed signing a contract and eventually refused to sign one altogether.
When she demanded payment and threatened to make the dispute public during the consecration ceremony, the “hierarch” allegedly warned her that this would be the last church she ever painted, “at least within the OCU.”
The published screenshots offer a glimpse into the OCU “hierarch’s” exchanges with the artist. At around 1 a.m. on July 23, 2025, Semanchuk sent her a series of messages criticizing her work:
“I’m waiting for an expert assessment. A real slapdash paint job… Especially the stencil… Crooked… Not just crooked… Horrible.”
He then continued:
“And the Greek lettering is just fabulous!!! Greek, for f***’s sake!!! F***!!! !!!!!!”
In another exchange, when Kuzyshyn asked about payment, the “bishop” replied: “F***ing hell. Sorry. 38.5.” He then added, “Sorry for swearing” and “And I’m supposed to be a clergyman.” Later, he wrote that “swearing is the best part.”
The “monk” also made openly flirtatious remarks to the artist:
“If I weren’t a monk, you’d be mine – 10,999 percent. I adore creative people :)”
When Kuzyshyn became more insistent about receiving payment, the “hierarch’s” tone changed. He sarcastically dismissed her complaints: “They’ll definitely defrock me :) I’m already getting scared :) Sooooo scared!!!”
Semanchuk also allegedly threatened the woman: “And those pixels you’re threatening me with – the Lord Himself could paint them all over your pretty little face and your body, too. I wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.”
Recall that on July 27, 2025, Epifaniy Dumenko consecrated the altar and celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the monastery’s renovated Church of the Theophany. He also presented Semanchuk with a commemorative panagia.
As the UOJ previously reported, after the guests from Kyiv departed, Semanchuk celebrated a “hierarchical Liturgy” the following Sunday in a nearly empty church.
