Parish History

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The history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in Karaganda dates back to the time of the mass deportations of Ukrainians from Western Ukraine to Kazakhstan during the Stalinist repressions.

Beginning in 1955, priests served in Karaganda almost continuously. Among them were Bishop Alexander Chira, Father Oleksiy Zarytsky, Father Mykola Shaban, Father Stepan Pryshliak, Father Mykhailo Suliatytsky, and others. At first, the faithful gathered in dugouts and private homes. In 1978, Catholics succeeded in obtaining permission to build a church in Karaganda. As a result, from 1980 to 1985, Greek Catholic priests celebrated public services in the Roman Catholic church. However, in 1985, the authorities forbade Greek Catholic priests from serving in the Church of St. Joseph, and the priests continued to celebrate services in private homes.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, priests from Ukraine began arriving in Karaganda, among them Father Volodymyr Hesh and Father Vasyl Durda. In 1996, at the request of the Greek Catholics, the German charitable organization Renovabis built a small wooden chapel in Karaganda. At the end of that same year, the Apostolic See appointed Bishop Vasyl I. Medvit, OSBM, as Apostolic Visitor for Greek Catholics in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. At Christmas 1997, Bishop Vasyl made his first visitation to Karaganda, and in April of the same year Father Vasyl Hovera arrived in Karaganda to serve the community.

On Palm Sunday 1997, Bishop Vasyl Medvit, together with Archbishop Marian Oles, Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, and the local Roman Catholic Bishop Jan Paweł Lenga, consecrated the wooden Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in Karaganda. A few months later, at Bishop Vasyl’s request, Father Vidal Klymchuk, OSBM, came from Brazil to serve in Karaganda for two years.

In 2000, the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate arrived in Karaganda and established the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. The sisters provide catechesis for children and young people, assist in the church, visit the sick and the lonely, and organize concerts and festive programs for religious and national holidays.

Gradually, the community in Karaganda began to grow. It was especially joyful that middle-aged people began attending the church, and that the number of children and young people increased. Since Karaganda is a very large city, it was difficult for many parishioners to travel to the church for services. For this reason, it was decided to open a chapel in one of Karaganda’s districts, Maikuduk, where many Greek Catholics lived close to one another. On June 3, 2001, Bishop Vasyl Medvit, together with Roman Catholic Bishop Jan Paweł Lenga, consecrated the new chapel. The chapel operated from 2001 to 2013.

Both in Ukraine and in Kazakhstan, the Church cares not only for people’s souls, but also for preserving the national identity of new generations of Ukrainians living far from their homeland. At the end of 2000, a building for a Ukrainian Sunday school was constructed near the church in Karaganda. The sponsors of this noble initiative were our compatriots from the United States, Joanna and Yaroslav Parakhoniuk, who were contacted by Ivan Burtyk, Chairman of the Council for the Aid and Defense of Ukrainians. On June 3, 2001, Bishop Vasyl blessed the first two classrooms of the school: one for the study of the Ukrainian language and one for children’s catechesis. The school also houses a Ukrainian library, where anyone interested may read Ukrainian books and periodicals.

On September 23, 2001, during his visit to Kazakhstan, His Holiness Pope John Paul II blessed the cornerstone for the construction of a new Greek Catholic church in Karaganda.

On August 9, 2002, the Head of the Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Lubomyr, blessed the site for the construction of the church. Construction began in September 2002.

On September 18, 2005, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius Moussa I Daoud, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, consecrated the newly built church in Karaganda. The solemn Divine Liturgy was presided over by Bishop Vasyl Semeniuk, representative of the Head of the Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Lubomyr.

Thanks to the support of German charitable foundations, summer camps for children and young people are organized at the parish every year. Beginning in 2000, the camps were first conducted by students from Stamford together with the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. Later, seminarians from Ukraine also began coming to help.

During school holidays, the parish hosts children’s camps called “Vacation with God” for preschool and school-age children.

Since 2008, the parish has had a Mothers in Prayer group.

From 1997 to 2022, the parish priest was Father Vasyl Hovera. Since 2022, the parish priest has been Father Dmytro Kozak. At various times, the following priests also served at the parish: Father Vidal Klymchuk, Father Roman Khurtov, Father Stepan Uhryn, Father Oleh Pyhiy, Father Ivan Chyzhyk, and Father Cyrill Grigoriev.

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Schedule of Divine Services:

Monday

10:00    Divine Liturgy

 

Tuesday

09:00    Divine Liturgy

 

Wednesday

09:00    Divine Liturgy

 

Thursday

09:00    Divine Liturgy

 

Friday

09:00    Divine Liturgy

 

Saturday

09:00     Divine Liturgy. Panakhyda — Memorial Service for the Departed.

17:00     Vespers.

 

Sunday

                           09:00      Orthros.                             

10:00      Divine Liturgy.

 

On feast days:

                          17:00 Great Vespers with Litia (in the evening on the eve of the feast)

10: 00 Divine Liturgy.

 

Contacts:

Greek Catholic Parish of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God

Parish Priest: Fr. Dmytro-Roman Kozak

1 Pishchevaya Street

100022 Karaganda

Republic of Kazakhstan

Tel./Fax: +7 (7212) 51 25 64

Mobile: +7 771 373 77 87

E-mail: dmytrokozak@gmail.com

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