Sergei Golovanov
Encyclopedia
Sergey Golovanov is a Russian
Catholic
priest
of the Byzantine
Rite
.
was a Doctor of Technical Science
and lecturer in Mordovian State University. Sergey was baptized in the village Sivin (Krasnoslobodkiy area of Mordovia
) by his Russian
Orthodox grandmother in 1973. It was an era marked by Communist ideas opposed to religion. He left secondary school № 33 in 1985 and worked as a turner at an engineering plant in Saransk
.
In 1986-1988 he served as a soldier in a regiment of the Soviet Armed Forces near Khabarovsk
. In 1988 he entered the preparation department of Mordovian State University
. In 1989 he entered the History faculty of the university and specialized in Finno-Ugric
ethnography.
In 1988 he came to Orthodox Christianity
and attended services in the Orthodox St. John Cathedral of Saransk. In 1990 he studied catechism under the direction of the Vicar
Fr. Andrey Udovenko. At the end of 1990, Fr. Udovenko left Russian Orthodoxy
and converted to Catholicism
of the Byzantine rite
. In January 1991 he called Golovanov to follow him, and confirmed him.
In February 1992 after a long process of spiritual conflicts in relation to his former denomination, Golovanov went to Ukraine
, where he met Ukrainian Catholic bishop Iriney Bilyk OSBM, who showed him the importance of two Eastern hierarchs - Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan bishop
Andrey Sheptytsky and the Russian Catholic Exarch
Leonid Feodorov. Both were interested in the reconciliation of Roman Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy
.
In May 1992 he married a music teacher, Iryna, and at the same year was invited to help in pastoral work for worshipers belonging to the Byzantine Rite
in Siberia
by Roman Catholic missionary
Fr. Joseph Swidnitsky.
In 1993 he was visiting young scholar at the Institute for Russian and East European Studies in Helsinki. In 1992-1994 he studied Catholic theology
at the Theological faculty of Ivano-Frankivsk
Theology Catechetical Institute of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church
in Ivano-Frankivsk
(Ukraine). Golovanov was ordained a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite
in 1994 by Ukrainian Catholic bishop Sofron Dmyterko, OSBM and directed to Siberia
with mission on Fr. Swidnitsky's invitation.
From September 1994, he worked as a missionary priest for Ukrainian Catholics in Western Siberia
with residence in Sargatskoe (village belonged to Omsk Oblast
).
In October, 1995 he founded mission in Omsk
for traditional Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine rite
, who live in Russia as a result of the deportations after World War II
. After evaluation period he was recognized in February 1997 by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Novosibirsk, Joseph Werth
SJ, and named vicar in 1997, responsible by Latin and Byzantine Catholics in northern part of Omsk Oblast
. Then he was named visitor for Byzantine Catholics over Siberia in 1998, dean of Omsk Roman Catholic deanery in 1999, member of Board of Priests in 2001, and rector of Latin and Byzantine churches in 2004.
In 2001 he undertook further studies in Catholic theology and the history of the Church at the Catholic University in Eichstaett (Germany
). He began the research project “The prosopology of famous Byzantine women in the Paleolog period, 13th-15th centuries” under the supervision of Prof. Johannes Hofmann.
From 2001-2005 he realized the research project “A History of the Russian Catholic Apostolate outside the USSR in 1922-1991”.
From 2000-2006 he worked as an educational specialist and head of department in the Catholic relief organization “Caritas” in Omsk.
In August 2004 he, together with 4 colleagues, appealed to the Holy See to reestablish the Russian Catholic Exarchate which has been vacant since 1951.
In December 2004, Pope John Paul II
appointed Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Werth SJ as the Ordinary for Byzantine Catholics in Russia, who dismissed Golovanov from his duty in Roman Catholic diocese of Novosibirsk
.
At the end 2005, Golovanov was dismissed from all pastoral work in Russia by Bishop Werth SJ and worked as a journalist
and translator. From 2006-2007, he worked as a security watchman in a private security company.
Since June 2007 he served as an archivist
and chaplain in the Diocesan Office of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Novosibirsk
, under Bishop Joseph Werth, SJ. Since October he is a visiting researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Law at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk. He works at his PhD degree thesis, “The eschatology of Gregory the Great according to his Moralia in Hiob”, under the supervision of Prof. Eugene Afonasin. In August 2009 he took part in the 5th Russian Philosophy Congress in Novosibisk.
On June 30, 2009 he was dismissed from his office by Bishop Werth and called from Russia by authorities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
(UGCC). Now he lives in Omsk and translates the liturgical works of Fr. Robert Taft SJ.
Up to now he tries to reestablish the Russian Catholic Exarchate, vacant since 1951.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Rite
Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:* rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation....
.
Biography
He was born in an Russian intellectual agnostic family. His father VladimirVladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
was a Doctor of Technical Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
and lecturer in Mordovian State University. Sergey was baptized in the village Sivin (Krasnoslobodkiy area of Mordovia
Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia , also known as Mordvinia, is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Saransk. Population: -Geography:The republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia...
) by his Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
Orthodox grandmother in 1973. It was an era marked by Communist ideas opposed to religion. He left secondary school № 33 in 1985 and worked as a turner at an engineering plant in Saransk
Saransk
Saransk is a city in central European Russia and the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, as well as its financial and economic center. It is located in the Volga basin at the confluence of the Saranka and Insar Rivers, about east of Moscow...
.
In 1986-1988 he served as a soldier in a regiment of the Soviet Armed Forces near Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
. In 1988 he entered the preparation department of Mordovian State University
Mordovian State University
N. P. Ogarev's Mordovian State University is located in the city of Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia. It was established in October 1957 as an expansion of the Mordovian National Pedagogical Institute, established in 1931...
. In 1989 he entered the History faculty of the university and specialized in Finno-Ugric
Finno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
ethnography.
In 1988 he came to Orthodox Christianity
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
and attended services in the Orthodox St. John Cathedral of Saransk. In 1990 he studied catechism under the direction of the Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
Fr. Andrey Udovenko. At the end of 1990, Fr. Udovenko left Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
and converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
of the Byzantine rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
. In January 1991 he called Golovanov to follow him, and confirmed him.
In February 1992 after a long process of spiritual conflicts in relation to his former denomination, Golovanov went to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, where he met Ukrainian Catholic bishop Iriney Bilyk OSBM, who showed him the importance of two Eastern hierarchs - Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Andrey Sheptytsky and the Russian Catholic Exarch
Exarch
In the Byzantine Empire, an exarch was governor with extended authority of a province at some remove from the capital Constantinople. The prevailing situation frequently involved him in military operations....
Leonid Feodorov. Both were interested in the reconciliation of Roman Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
.
In May 1992 he married a music teacher, Iryna, and at the same year was invited to help in pastoral work for worshipers belonging to the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
by Roman Catholic missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Fr. Joseph Swidnitsky.
In 1993 he was visiting young scholar at the Institute for Russian and East European Studies in Helsinki. In 1992-1994 he studied Catholic theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Theological faculty of Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
Theology Catechetical Institute of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church
Greek Catholic Church
The Greek Catholic Church consists of the Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine liturgical tradition and are thus in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.-List of Greek Catholic Churches:...
in Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
(Ukraine). Golovanov was ordained a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
in 1994 by Ukrainian Catholic bishop Sofron Dmyterko, OSBM and directed to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
with mission on Fr. Swidnitsky's invitation.
From September 1994, he worked as a missionary priest for Ukrainian Catholics in Western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
with residence in Sargatskoe (village belonged to Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center....
).
In October, 1995 he founded mission in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
for traditional Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
, who live in Russia as a result of the deportations after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After evaluation period he was recognized in February 1997 by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Novosibirsk, Joseph Werth
Joseph Werth
Bishop Joseph Werth, SJ Иосиф Верт is Bishop of Transfiguration in Novosibirsk .Named as the Latin-rite Apostolic Administrator of Siberia - a see that encompassed 4.2 million square miles and extends through nine of the world's twenty four time zones - by Pope John Paul II on April 13, 1991, Werth...
SJ, and named vicar in 1997, responsible by Latin and Byzantine Catholics in northern part of Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center....
. Then he was named visitor for Byzantine Catholics over Siberia in 1998, dean of Omsk Roman Catholic deanery in 1999, member of Board of Priests in 2001, and rector of Latin and Byzantine churches in 2004.
In 2001 he undertook further studies in Catholic theology and the history of the Church at the Catholic University in Eichstaett (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). He began the research project “The prosopology of famous Byzantine women in the Paleolog period, 13th-15th centuries” under the supervision of Prof. Johannes Hofmann.
From 2001-2005 he realized the research project “A History of the Russian Catholic Apostolate outside the USSR in 1922-1991”.
From 2000-2006 he worked as an educational specialist and head of department in the Catholic relief organization “Caritas” in Omsk.
In August 2004 he, together with 4 colleagues, appealed to the Holy See to reestablish the Russian Catholic Exarchate which has been vacant since 1951.
In December 2004, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
appointed Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Werth SJ as the Ordinary for Byzantine Catholics in Russia, who dismissed Golovanov from his duty in Roman Catholic diocese of Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
.
At the end 2005, Golovanov was dismissed from all pastoral work in Russia by Bishop Werth SJ and worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and translator. From 2006-2007, he worked as a security watchman in a private security company.
Since June 2007 he served as an archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
and chaplain in the Diocesan Office of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
, under Bishop Joseph Werth, SJ. Since October he is a visiting researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Law at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk. He works at his PhD degree thesis, “The eschatology of Gregory the Great according to his Moralia in Hiob”, under the supervision of Prof. Eugene Afonasin. In August 2009 he took part in the 5th Russian Philosophy Congress in Novosibisk.
On June 30, 2009 he was dismissed from his office by Bishop Werth and called from Russia by authorities of the Ukrainian 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...
(UGCC). Now he lives in Omsk and translates the liturgical works of Fr. Robert Taft SJ.
Up to now he tries to reestablish the Russian Catholic Exarchate, vacant since 1951.