Festivities of reconsecration of the Uniate Sanctuary (Cerkiew) in Kostomloty

Who, When and Why?
The Uniate sanctuary (cerkiew) in Kostomloty dedicated to St. Nikita - the Martyr	The Uniate Church is an old and important part of the Catholic Church in Poland. Its communities, which originally belonged to the Greek (Byzantine) rite, adopted reunion with the See of Rome by signing in 1596 an agreement (the "Union") at the city of Brest (presently in Byelorus), and from that time on were called the "Uniate" Church (http://www.cyrylimetody.marianie.pl/parafia_e.htm). This Union was later abolished by the Russian Tzar in the area of partitioned Poland which came under his dominion. The Russian authorities were afraid that this Catholic United Church would be an obstacle in the russification process. An order was issued so that in January 1874 the Byzantine rite should be introduced in the Uniate Churches.
The Uniates, who resisted that order were persecuted and the clergy, who did not want to join the Orthodox Church had been deported to Siberia or put in prison. In many parishes there were victims of the persecutions, but the most complete historical documentation was collected about the 13 Martyrs from (the village of) Pratulin, who on 24 January 1874 gave their lives (shot by the Russian soldiers) (http://www.cyrylimetody.marianie.pl/blogoslawieni_e.htm), while defending their church. Between the two world wars, the Union was renewed in the Podlasie and Chelm regions; hence the term neo - Uniate. The Bishop of Siedlce, Henryk Przeździecki had chosen the 13 Martyrs from Pratulin to be beatified as the representatives of all people, who gave their lives for the faith and for the Unity with the Catholic Church. On October 6, 1996, they were beatified by the Pope John Paul II.
Events similar to that in Pratulin took place a few days earlier in January of 1874 in Drelow, where also 13 Uniate parishioners were shot while defending their church. My uncle, Fr. Karol Leonard Wajszczuk, (http://www.drelow.siedlce.opoka.org.pl/wajszczuk/ - in polish), who was a Parish Priest in Drelow during the years 1919 - 1940, (until the time of his arrest by the Germans in 1940 - he then perished in the Dachau Concentration Camp), was also involved in collecting documentation about those events (http://unici.republika.pl/zeznania.html - in polish).		Entrance to the Parish House - inscription above the door: "Cordial Welcome"
In modern day Poland, the neo - Uniate parish of Kostomloty is the living legacy of the Brest Union. This is the only neo - Uniate Parish in Poland, which survived the war and the subsequent Communist rule. It comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Primate of Poland. Since 1969 the parish has been administered by the Congregation of Marians and its Parish pastor is Rev. Archimandrite Roman Pietka, MIC). (http://www.cyrylimetody.marianie.pl/proboszcz.htm - in polish). The Uniate Parish of Kostomloty has recently been established as the Shrine of the Podlasie Uniates. More recently, thanks to donations from friends and pilgrims the interior was repainted with polychrome tempera and the iconostasis was re-gilded with gold leaf. The date of June 2, 2002 was selected for the re-consecration ceremony of the renovated church (cerkiew) by the Primate of Poland, His Excellency Cardinal Jozef Glemp. The village of Kostomloty is recorded in historical documents dating back to 1412 when Prince Witold of Lithuania (brother of the King Wladyslaw Jagiello) paid for the foundation of an Augustinian monastery in Brest. The parish of Kostomloty was established in 1631, thus later than the Brest Union. Invitation (for us and our friends) During our travels "Down the Wajszczuk Family Trail" (http://www.wajszczuk.v.pl/wycieczki/index_e.htm), while collecting materials for the Family Tree in the summer of 2002, we were guided around Podlasie by Pawel Stefaniuk. Pawel is a webmaster of our page - "The Wajszczuk Family" (http://www.wajszczuk.v.pl/) and also of webpages (http://www.drelow.siedlce.opoka.org.pl/) about the Podlasie Uniates, Kostomloty Sanctuary, Drelow Parish and about its former Parish priest - Fr. Karol Wajszczuk He and his family also live in Drelow and along with the other parishioners, preserve a live memory od Fr. Karol. During that trip, we visited Drelow and were also introduced to the history of Uniates in the Podlasie province and to the Rev. Archimandrite Roman Pietka in Kostomloty. In consequence of these visits and influenced by previous involvement of our uncle, we developed strong interest and an emotional bond, and were very happy to learn that the dates of our planned visit in Poland in June will coincide with the date of celebration in Kostomloty. We were also very honored by the invitations (see) issued to us and to our friends from the USA (originally from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Paraguay and one third-generation American with Polish grandmother) travelling with us, to participate in the festivities which will be also attended by the Primate of Poland (see). Kostomloty - her charm and mystery!

Picture of the Icon of the Martyrs from Podlasie - patrons of the Uniate Parish in Kostomloty	We left the distant Warsaw in the early morning on Sunday and drove across the picturesque landscape of Podlasie towards the borderland plains along the Bug river. Pawel joined us along the way to show the directions. Earliest records about Kostomloty date back to 1412, when Witold, the Grand Duke of Lithuania granted the village to the Augustian monastery located in the nearby city of Brest. The monks sold the property in the 16th century to the Sapieha Family (see the Koden page). A wooden Orthodox church ("cerkiew") was built there around 1620, which then served as an Uniate sanctuary during the years 1779 - 1875, to be again re-converted to an Orthodox church at the time of Uniate repressions. It became again Uniate sanctuary in 1927. Inside, there is a priceless icon dating back to 1631 and depicting St. Nikita (Nicetas), the patron saint of the Parish. We arrived on time, just before the beginning of the ceremonies. The procession with religious banners was getting readied and the assembled clergymen were putting on the official ceremonial garments. Those of the Greek-Catholic (Uniate) rite were most ornate and of bright colors. The sequence of ceremonies illustrated with a good selection of pictures has been presented separately - no need to repeat here (http://www.cyrylimetody.marianie.pl/odpust_czerwiec_2002.htm - in polish).
The overall impressions, our and our guests', were that of the richness of liturgy and ceremonies, beautiful choral chants, and the overwhelming demonstration by the local faithful of their devotion and attachment to their faith and church (cerkiew) - from the oldest to the youngest - whole families complete in attendance!
Towards the end of the official ceremony, the Primate assited by Rev. Archimandrite, handed out the commemorative booklets about Kostomloty. Our guests also received them. After an official (but informal)dinner () in the Parish House in the company of the Church dignitaries and local nobles, we had an opportunity to take pictures with His Eminence, the Primate Cardinal Jozef Glemp, the Rev. Archimandrite Roman Pietka and other personalities. There was also an opportunity for short conversation during which the Primate distributed religious pictures with his signature and blessing. During the course of the dinner, the Primate invited Waldemar to say a few words on behalf of the foreign guests - he started with thanking Rev. Pietka for the invitation, further augmented by a special honor and priviledge of participating in the ceremonies in the presence of His Eminence, the Primate of Poland , stressed the beauty of the ceremony itself, reminded about the contribution of Fr. Karol to the Uniate cause, mentioned about the efforts to reconstruct the Family Tree and the joys of traveling around his native Podlasie in connection with this task, and concluded (by then with a slightly shaking voice) - with a statement, which was also a quote from a well known Polish poet: " And that's precisely Poland"! - (which can also be translated into a "lay" language to read: "And that's what Poland is all about")		Reverse of the picture with inscription commemorating the reconsecration of the "Cerkiew" in Kostomloty