“There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible, even Jesus Christ our Lord.” Ignatius, To the Ephesians, 7 (c. A.D. 110).
It can be argued that Rusyns are some of the most religiously and spiritually devout people in all of Europe. Throughout our history, we have been oppressed by many empires and nations, under invasion from foreign tribes, and nearly wiped off the face of Europe during the tumultuous 20th century. Nevertheless, we still exist today, although as a nation without a state, yet still proud of our history and culture. We are a people that through the perils of history, have relied on our relationship with God to survive. And luckily, it seems that this special relationship with God has saved us from total cultural annihilation, against all odds. My grandma often reminds me of a proverb… “they were waiting as eagerly as a Rusyn waiting to get into Heaven.” She also always reminds me to be close to God because no matter how tough life can get, God will always be there by my side, protecting me with his divine plan. Rusyns normally subscribe to either Eastern Catholicism or Orthodox Christianity, which typically enforce stricter moral codes than most modern Protestant denominations. So, therefore, it is not surprising to realize why we are much more faithful than other Europeans, especially Protestants.
The history of Rusyn religiosity goes way back to the times of St. Cyril and Methodius. Even before them, it is noted that in smaller instances, Slavic tribes were already adopting Christianity back in the 6th and 7th centuries. However, large-scale conversations from Paganism to Christianity can be thanked for the evangelization efforts of St. Cyril and Methodius, who are also credited with creating the Cyrillic script in addition to the Old Church Slavonic language. By the end of the 10th century, most East, West, and South Slavs would have converted to Christianity. And although West Slavs adopted Western forms of Christianity while the other Slavs preferred the Eastern traditions, all Slavs regardless of geographical location eventually proclaimed the Word of God. As the ethnogenesis of Rusyns occurred in the Middle Ages, Eastern Christianity was their preferred tradition, much like the rest of the Eastern Slavs. Eastern Christianity has remained the solid foundation for Rusyn faith since then, even with the Western-influenced Austrian and Polish Empire, who allowed Rusyn to retain their Eastern cultural practices with the Uniate Treaties. Modern Rusyns in the diaspora firmly established their Eastern Catholic and Orthodox presence in the United States during the early half of the 20th century. The creation of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church and the establishment of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in America illustrates that, much like other groups of New Immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe at the turn of the century, the Rusyns wanted to determinedly take their faiths along with them to the New World.
Even in the homeland, religiosity continued in great strength, even during the communist era. While Eastern Catholicism was essentially outlawed in the USSR/Czechoslovakia, Orthodoxy’s presence was able to grow, and many that remained Eastern Catholic would often still practice their faith, albeit underground and away from the government’s close watch. My Aunt and Mother were both baptized into the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia but in secret.
The fall of Communism allowed for religious freedom to spring up once again in the Rusyn homeland. As a result of this, I don’t think it is a surprise that only a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in the Rusyn village of Litmanova on the edge of Pryashiv Rus in Slovakia, to three Rusyn children. This occurred in the year 1990 and continued occurring regularly until the summer of 1995. These phenomena are widely known as Marian Apparitions.
A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. The Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated in both the Catholic and Orthodox faiths as the Theotokos, as well as a few select Protestant denominations. A Marian Apparition is typically accompanied by miracles, thus establishing the supernatural event of the matter. Some of the most well-known and established Marian apparitions in history include Our Lady of Guadalupe, when the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 16th century Mexico; Our lady of Lourdes, where the Virgin Mary appeared in 19th century France; and Our Lady of Fatima, appearing to children in the early 20th century in Portugal.
The Catholic Church has extensive guidelines for approving and officializing the apparitions; thus, only a handful have been publicly approved by the Church. Further, the process for official approval and recognition can take several decades.
In our case, the appearance of the Virgin Mary occurred on August 5th, 1990. Three children, Ivetka Korackova, Katka Ceselkova, and Mitko Ceselka were playing in the nearby mountains of Zvir in the Greek-Catholic village of Litmanova when they heard strange sounds coming from the surrounding woods. Startled, they hid in a wood cabin that the Ivetkas family had owned. The strange sounds continued, which is when they started to offer a prayer of intercession to Virgin Mary for their protection. Following the prayer, the children reportedly witnessed a bright white light that engulfed the inside of the cabin. Simultaneously, the children reportedly said they saw the Virgin Mary in front of them, who was praying to a Rosary. As they returned to the village and spoke of their encounter, no one had initially believed the children, and their parish Priest essentially forbade any discussion of it. However, Ivetkas mother later dreamt that night of the Virgin Mary appearing to her, confirming that her daughter was not lying.
The apparitions would continue for another five years until 1995. The Virgin Mary began to make appearances monthly on Sundays, and the news was so widespread that the faithful began to make pilgrimages to the site. The Virgin Mary also blessed a well that was located near the site, and various reported miracles occurred to those that drank from the well. For instance, there was reportedly a woman who was paralyzed from the waist down, and after making a pilgrimage during one of the apparitions and drinking from the blessed well, she was able to walk. Another instance was a boy that had leukemia and was supernaturally cured after paying a visit. In addition to various miracles being reported, many individuals that were previously unfaithful converted to Christianity following a pilgrimage.
Both the hierarchy of the Byzantine Catholic and Roman Catholic Church had launched investigations into the validity of the apparitions. And although not enough time has passed for the Holy See to recognize the apparitions, the Roman Bishop of The Presov Diocese as well as officials in the Byzantine Church dedicated a chapel at the apparition site on Mount Zvir in the year 2008. It is today widely a site of pilgrimage from Eastern and Western Christians alike from all over Eastern Europe.
During the apparitions, the children would report a common message to the masses from the Virgin Mary; to be wary of materialism in the modern day, and to pray and fast often.
I think there is no coincidence that Our Lady appeared to the children of our land at the exact time she did. In fact, I believe it was truly a divine act meant to bless the inhabitants of Carpathian Rus’ and further implored us to continue evangelization efforts in the modern world. The atheistic tyranny of the Communists brought many in the Slavic lands to become unbelievers, especially the Czechs and Russians. However, Eastern Slovaks and Rusyns alike have always been an evangelized group of people, and I believe the Mother Mary wanted to award our people by appearing to us for our faithfulness. Further, it is evident that because of this blessing, we are obligated to continue our evangelization efforts, as St. Cyril and Methodius had accomplished in the prior millennia. One of the best ways we can do this is to retain our cultural and religious heritage of Eastern Christianity. In our modern world, there have arisen various new churches and denominations (perhaps even the “non-denominational”) that seek to undermine our 2000-year-old traditions and values. We must be wary, considering much of these new traditions do not venerate Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Further, the leaders of many of these new Christian groups often have poor intentions and seek to profit off their parishioners. We must remind our fellow Rusyn and Slavic brothers and sisters that going down this path is dangerous. In addition, continued dialogue between the Roman Church and the Eastern Church should be a goal. In the time of St. Cyril and Methodius, although the fracturing of the West and East had become evident and would take place officially in less than a century afterward, to them, there was only one Holy Church.
We must also be considerate of Our Lady’s message; the decadence and materialism of the modern world bring us further apart from God and His Grace. This can be done regardless of if you subscribe to Catholicism or Orthodoxy, in my opinion, as ultimately, the gates of Heaven are open to those who proclaim the word of God.
I personally look forward to hopefully making this pilgrimage within the next year or so. When I do eventually make the hike up to Mount Zvir and pray at the chapel and drink from the well, I know I will be standing where Our Lady appeared to us. It will allow me not only to connect to my deep spiritual affection for my faith but further, allow me to feel a deep ancestral connection. My ancestors who dwelled in the Carpathians were some of the most faithful individuals to exist in Europe, and I know by kindling my own faith I will be in a way reconnecting with them as well.
“You do not know how much I need your prayers and fasts for the conversion of those who are being condemned. Please help me” (July 4, 1993).
