Lev Kiszka
Encyclopedia
Luka Lev Kiszka (1663—1728) was the Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and Russia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
from 1714 to his death in 1728. He was also a writer, and theologian.
, in Volhynian, from a noble
family in the year 1663. Still young he joined the Order of Saint Basil the Great
and he studied in Byten (Ivatsevichy Raion
). On 6 December 1687, already ordained a priest
, he entered in the Pontifical Urbaniana University
, in Rome
, where he studied till 1691. Returned in his country, he served as hieromonk
in various Basilian monasteries. In 1797 he became Hegumen
of the monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius
and in 1799 he was appointed Archimandrite of the monastery of Polotsk. In 1698 he was elected secretary of the Basilian Order, of which he became Proto-Archimandrite (i.e. Superior general
of the whole Order) in September 1703 for his first four-years term.
Kiszka ruled the Basilian Order in a very difficult period, during the Great Northern War
(1700-1721), and under the persecutions of Peter I of Russia
against the Greek Catholic Church
, as the murdering of Basilian monks on 11 July 1705 in Polotsk. He settled a typography
and worked at printing religious and liturgical books.
Kiszka was re-elected Proto-Archimandrite of the Order and in 1611 he was appointed bishop of the eparchy of Volodymyr
-Brest
. Accordingly, he was consecrated bishop 15 March 1711 by the hands of Metropolitan Yurij Vynnyckyj
in Sambir
.
At the death of Metropolitan Vynnyckyj in September 1713, Kiszka became administrator of the Church, and on 17 September 1714 he was formally confirmed Metropolitan of Kiev by Pope Paul V
.
Kiszka died in the village of Kupieczow, near Volodymyr
, where he was buried, on 19 November 1728.
, opened on 26 August 1720, in which were codified the canons
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The synod issued nineteen chapters, concerning the faith (1), the predication (2), the sacraments
(3), the diocesan organization (4 to 10), the monasteries (11, 12), the ecclesiastic estates (13, 14), the liturgical year
and the saint
s (16, 17), and the promulgations of the canons (18, 19). The acts of the synod were approved by Rome
on 5 December 1722.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
from 1714 to his death in 1728. He was also a writer, and theologian.
Life
Luka Lev Kiszka was born in KovelKovel
Kovel is a city located in the Volyn Oblast , in northwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Kovelskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The current estimated population is around 65,777.Kovel gives its name to one of the...
, in Volhynian, from a noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
family in the year 1663. Still young he joined the Order of Saint Basil the Great
Order of Saint Basil the Great
The Order of St. Basil the Great also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat is an monastic religious order of the Greek Catholic Churches that is present in many countries and that has its Mother House in Rome. The order received approbation on August 20, 1631...
and he studied in Byten (Ivatsevichy Raion
Ivatsevichy Raion
Ivatsevichy Raion is an administrative subdivision, a raion of Brest Voblast, in Belarus....
). On 6 December 1687, already ordained a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
, he entered in the Pontifical Urbaniana University
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he studied till 1691. Returned in his country, he served as hieromonk
Hieromonk
Hieromonk , also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism....
in various Basilian monasteries. In 1797 he became Hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
of the monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and in 1799 he was appointed Archimandrite of the monastery of Polotsk. In 1698 he was elected secretary of the Basilian Order, of which he became Proto-Archimandrite (i.e. Superior general
Superior general
A Superior General, or General Superior, is the Superior at the head of a whole religious order or congregation.The term is mainly used as a generic term, while many orders and congregations use other specific titles, notably:* Abbot general...
of the whole Order) in September 1703 for his first four-years term.
Kiszka ruled the Basilian Order in a very difficult period, during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
(1700-1721), and under the persecutions of Peter I of Russia
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
against the Greek Catholic Church
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
, as the murdering of Basilian monks on 11 July 1705 in Polotsk. He settled a typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
and worked at printing religious and liturgical books.
Kiszka was re-elected Proto-Archimandrite of the Order and in 1611 he was appointed bishop of the eparchy of Volodymyr
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
-Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
. Accordingly, he was consecrated bishop 15 March 1711 by the hands of Metropolitan Yurij Vynnyckyj
Yurij Vynnyckyj
Gabriel Yurij Vynnyckyj was the Administrator of Kiev–Galicia from 1708 and Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and Ruthenia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1710 to his death in 1713.-Life:Gabriel Vynnyckyj was born in 1660...
in Sambir
Sambir
Sambir is a city in the Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Sambir Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located at around , close to the border with Poland.-History:...
.
At the death of Metropolitan Vynnyckyj in September 1713, Kiszka became administrator of the Church, and on 17 September 1714 he was formally confirmed Metropolitan of Kiev by Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
.
Kiszka died in the village of Kupieczow, near Volodymyr
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, where he was buried, on 19 November 1728.
Synod of Zamość
Kiszka's more important result as Metropolitan of Kiev was the Synod of ZamośćZamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, opened on 26 August 1720, in which were codified the canons
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The synod issued nineteen chapters, concerning the faith (1), the predication (2), the sacraments
Sacraments of the Catholic Church
The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, "efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper...
(3), the diocesan organization (4 to 10), the monasteries (11, 12), the ecclesiastic estates (13, 14), the liturgical year
Liturgical year
The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours may appear in...
and the saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s (16, 17), and the promulgations of the canons (18, 19). The acts of the synod were approved by Rome
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
on 5 December 1722.
Works
Kiszka was a prolific writer. Among his works we remember:- About the Sacraments, in UkrainianUkrainian languageUkrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, 1697 - The see of grace, or of the miracles of the Virgin Mary, in PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, 1714 - Sermons of Metropolitan Ipatii PotiiIpatii PotiiAdam Ipatii Potii was the Ukrainian Metropolitan of Kiev and Galychyna from 1599 to his death in 1613. He played an active role in the 1595 Union of Brest of which he was a firm supporter. He was also a writer, polemist and theologian.-Early life:...
, 1714 - Instruction for parish priests and catechism for people, 1722
- Manuscript with various historical notes, which includes an Ecclesiastic History of the South of Russia from the original documents, lives of notable Basilian monks, a political history of Europe.