Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan was buried on July 7, 2014 at the monastery cemetery of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra over the Far Caves, right behind the bell tower, opposite the entrance to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This cemetery is very ancient, and only those who have special services to the church and the state are buried in it. Here lie the heroes and participants of the Patriotic War of 1812, icon painters, abbesses and archimandrites. On this day, an endless stream of people with flowers rushed to say goodbye to their beloved archpastor. His Beatitude Vladyka died at the age of 79 from cancer.
Vladimir Sabodan: biography
Metropolitan Vladimir in the world was called Victor Sabodan. He was born on November 23, 1935 in the Ukrainian village of Markovtsy, in the Khmelnitsky region. In 1954, he went to study at the Odessa Theological Seminary, then, since 1958, he studied already at the Leningrad Academy, which he graduated in the degree of candidate of theology. In 1962 he was ordained a priest and tonsured a monk. Since 1965, he headed the Odessa seminary, where he was rector.
In 1966, he was ordained bishop and took the post of representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Since 1968, he served as bishop in Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, and a year later - at the Chernigov department. From 1973 to 1982 he was appointed rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, then Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassky. Since 1984, he served as the patriarchal exarchate of Western Europe. Then, from 1987, he became the managing director for the Moscow Patriarchate.
In 1992, the UOC Bishops' Council elected him to the high post of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, Primate of the UOC.
Sermon by Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan
After himself, he left a huge number of sermons, which remained sealed in his manuscripts and speeches before his flock, graduates of theological seminaries and academies.
The selected sermons of Vladimir Sabodan comprised two volumes of a book entitled “The Word Dissolved by Love,” which captures the spiritual experience and the teachings of his 30-year-old bishop's ministry. The first volume includes Vladyka’s selected sermons dedicated to the twelfth holidays, on which you can get a general idea of his preaching work.
The second contains selected holiday, Sunday, and other sermons that Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan has ever delivered before believers in his life. These sermons are intended for a wide range of readers: laity, clergy, for all who are interested in matters of spiritual life.
A bit about his personal life
Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan was very fond of daisies; he devoted poetry to these snow-white flowers and composed a song. But this was preceded by a special story.
In his youth, even then Victor, twice wanted to marry. Paradise became his first bride, he met her while studying at the Odessa Theological Seminary. No one then assumed that he would become a monk. He had a namesake friend, also Victor, his last name was Petlyuchenko, now he is the archpriest of the Odessa Holy Trinity Cathedral. And interestingly, the brides of these two friends were called Paradise. Then trouble happened, and the bride of the future metropolitan died for unknown reasons. When his friends were married in the church, he cried quietly, standing at the altar.
But after some time, Vladimir Sabodan again wanted to marry and found a bride for himself - a pretty priest's daughter. But after the match, she suddenly also died suddenly. At that time, he was already studying at the Leningrad Theological Academy and did not have time for the funeral, he arrived when the coffin with the body of his beloved was covered with earth at the cemetery. After this death, he wrote a very beautiful and moving song, "White Daisy."
The elder Kuksha of Odessa, comforting him, said to him: "One must be in Kiev." With these words, he predicted a great future for him.
Now, whenever Metropolitan Vladimir came to his native village, his fellow villagers, former classmates and relatives always sang this song for him, she became their favorite.
Parent house
Vladimir Sabodan grew up in an ordinary rural family, and he had three more brothers: Mikhail, Alexander and Stepan. My father loved fishing, and he even had a boat. The mother was mainly occupied with the house, she got married at sixteen and was younger than her husband. It was very difficult for her to cope with the five men, but, thank God, everyone was healthy. Saved a plot on which they grew potatoes, and fishing. Vladimir Sabodan was the youngest in the family, and his main task was cleaning the house.
Once Vladimir asked his father for the oarlock from the boat. The guys sailed to the middle of the Bug River, swam, and drowned them by accident. In the evening, Vladimir received from the head of his head and in a “soft spot”. Mother cried, but father raised his boys in severity. A few years later, Vladimir Sabodan, already a seminarian, came home with friends on vacation and caught a big fish, even a photograph remained in memory of such a catch.
Youngest
From childhood, Vladimir had love and a special interest in the church. They lived together, went to church with the whole family and observed fasts. In the evening, if mother was not too tired, she read the gospel to her sons. And my father even once worked as a headman in the temple. Being in the 4th grade, Vladimir Sabodan began to understand. Then in the church there was a priest, an old archpriest Sylvester, it was he who taught Vladimir the Church Slavonic language, and then instilled in him a love of poetry and much more, which was useful to him in priestly life.
That he would become a priest was predicted to him in childhood. On the other side of the Bug stood the Transfiguration Monastery, in which Vladimir was baptized. In 1943, when his mother brought him to church, one old woman, a blind Archilayan nun, put her hand on the boy’s head, and then taking his mother’s hand, said that her son would be sensible and would become a priest.
Faith in God
Faith for Metropolitan Vladimir is something invisible, it helps to find landmarks in life, and you have to rely on it. Behind her are love and hope. After all, the relationship between God and man is very deep.
In 2009, when Patriarch Alexy II died, they began to choose a new primate at a local cathedral in Moscow. His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev Vladimir won the most votes, but he withdrew his candidacy in favor of Metropolitan Cyril of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.
He joked about it and explained the refusal by the fact that he wanted to die in the Kiev department and appear before God as the 121st Metropolitan of Kiev, and not just the 16th Patriarch of Moscow. But the true reason for the refusal was his state of health.
Disease
In the fall of 2011, Metropolitan Vladimir became very ill. At first he was tortured by Parkinson's disease, then, in 2013, gastric cancer in the last stage was discovered. He underwent an emergency operation in France, where doctors stated that the diagnosis was made too late. In February, the Holy Synod of the UOC for health reasons removed the Metropolitan from fulfilling his duties and Metropolitan Onufry (Berezovsky) was appointed Locum Tenens of the Kiev Department.
July 5, 2013 Vladimir Sabodan rested in peace. His Beatitude Metropolitan lamented all his life that he had not learned to play the violin and speak a foreign language. However, he, like a real archpastor, was able to give people real comfort, wise advice, help and fervent prayer.
Awards
July 9, 2011 he was awarded the honorary title of Hero of Ukraine. January 23, 2010 he received the Order of Liberty. Metropolitan Vladimir is the full holder of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. July 11, 2013 received the Order of Alexander Nevsky. This list of awards, orders and diplomas can be continued and continued, because it was an outstanding personality who left a bright mark in the hearts of people.