The Orthodox Church of Ukraine: An Ancient Infant


 This paper analyzes four formative periods of Ukrainian Church life: the first Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of 1921; the evolution of Ukrainian Orthodox identity in the diaspora; the late and post-Soviet autocephalous Orthodox Churches; and the contribution of the Maidan to Ukrainian Orthodox identity. The presentation concludes by posing a crucial question to the young Orthodox Church of Ukraine: Will the Orthodox Church of Ukraine rely solely on its past in shaping its mission? If so, is this a useable past or nostalgia, an attempt to recreate a past that contains no yeast for the present? The question of identity is crucial because it is at the core of a sense of community self-awareness that forms and shapes its activity. In the Church, identity is inexorably connected with mission.