Sometimes people who were born far from Zhytomyr become real zhytomirans. They have a lot of friends and acquaintances, solve the needs of the city and its inhabitants, and Zhytomyr is part of their lives. In the life of Father Yaroslav Olshevsky, this happened for more than twenty years that he gave to our city and its people. Our conversation – about life, about people, about Zhytomyr
“I’m the third time in Zhytomyr. The first time he arrived in 1990, on August 29. I remember for sure, because every year we mark an anniversary with my fellow, who is currently working in Dovbish. I belong to the order to the Order of the Pollotyns, and in 1989 in Zhitomir the first Pollotyn appeared, who was a diocesan priest and formed here the Pollotyn cell. From then on we arrived with my friend in Zhytomyr ”
“In the beginning I worked in the cathedral, I also traveled to Malyn, and later was the rector of the temple of Ioan Dukli, at the New Plant, and also opened various parishes in Krasnoarmeysk, Rad-Boliarka, Koshalivka. In Zhytomyr, there is a very large Polish community: according to official figures, about fifty thousand people have Polish origin. And there are a lot of people of Polish origin in Maliovanka, so probably historically. Therefore, we build a temple here »
“This street is named after St. John Paul II, on the initiative of our parish, because we are building the church of Divine Mercy. Once upon a time, John Paul II was a bishop in Krakow, where there is the Center for Mercy in Lahievniky. He cared for that, and later gave the world the Divine Merciful, so everything is logical here ”
“Traditionally, after Christmas and Easter, we help the city center for the poor and the disabled. We make for them dinner, gifts, festive meeting. For bezhatchenkami – in the cinema “Yellow”, in January on Orthodox holidays, on Easter, we make dinner in the drama theater. An interesting initiative – the course of the Three Kings, which takes place after the Nativity of Christ. We are going, going and singing songs. Three kings take part in the course, and each one has its own army, with whom it is sought to seek Jesus, who is born. This year we arranged a family holiday on the Green Holidays – the Family Festival. It was close to a thousand people from all over Zhytomyr. We started at 15-00, and finished at 23-00, there was a scene, performances, fire show. There were so many children, people with families came. There were different characters. In our initiative group, mostly young people, they cheated me: what should be done, what would be interesting. We had clowns, horses from Stanishivka to have children ride. We cooked sausages, but it was a non-alcoholic holiday. It was very nice and fun! And we were not only Catholics. People like it, they say they want it! ”
“We have our own musical group, which gives concerts after Christmas, the Old New Year and after Paski. The overwhelming majority of people are part of the group from our community, but on the instruments different people play: Orthodox, Protestants, maybe unbelievers. I do not know, but they play all together “(Laughs)
“I like Zhytomyr, it’s my city. Well, I’m living here. In the amount of more than twenty years here, one can say that I am also a Zhytomyr citizen. I was born in Bochki, near Bialostok in Poland. It is not far from Belarus, from Brest. In our city, one third of the people are Orthodox. And the church was the Assumption of the Virgin, maybe that’s why the atmosphere here is very familiar to me, because we had it: all together. And in Zhytomyr too ”
“Recently bought tomatoes in the bazaar, and the seller says:” Are you a Catholic? And I am also a half Catholic. ” It’s funny, because half can be polka, and half Catholic … “(Laughs)
“Once upon a time, I also studied the foundations of atheism, the work of Feuerbach, Marx, and Lenin. But people who are already adults come to the temple, who suddenly discover something for themselves. Man seeks to communicate with those who lead the spiritual life, because such a person is a little different: he does different things, has values. Many people come to learn Polish to take exams on a Pole card. And in the consulate they ask about religious holidays, traditions, therefore people should be present at the holy service, where many hearts open. And it’s important that people help each other without any interest, so they come to us. It’s not hard for us, because we have something to eat. In the construction of the temple people help”
“Our people honor priests. They often think: “He is busy, for which I will interfere.” But why are we? To serve people. Therefore, we ask, call, go. And people are very grateful, open. She came from a woman, says I want to get lost, but the man does not want to. I go to them, talk. I ask the man: “What are you so stubborn, do not you want to marry a woman? You have been together for so many years! “I begin to persuade, and he says:” And who said that I do not want to? “And he wants to!” (Laughs)
“A lot of people respected in Poland lived in Zhytomyr: Paderewski – Poland’s prime minister, pianist, composer; Rodion Moniuszko – composer; Kraszewski – a writer, a public figure, Zaremski – a pianist. We have a lot in common”
“Many people go to Poland to work, study. And who wants to learn? The most capable, and it is good for Poland. Currently, 34,000 students from the East in Poland study for free. Everyone wants to live better. Once upon a time, many people also departed from Poland. More than a million people left England, and now they say they are returning. It is clear that a person who has a family, relatives, wants to live where he was born, where his relatives are – in his country ”
“We work with children, we want them to learn the culture of being, to know the world, to revere people around us, so that the community was there. There are circles where children teach Christian values. That’s a great plus for a society, when a person lives by commandments. Of course, this does not mean that as I am a believer, nothing will be wrong, but much less evil is committed when a person lives with God ”
“People need” specialists in spiritual affairs, “they need to be prayed for, because they have problems. They think that the priest has the best connection with God. The priest’s modernity is to be close to people. To use a computer – that should be so, then the normal thing. This is not the present – it’s normal. Contemporary priest – in the vicinity of people. Father Bohdan is the same? ”
“To help a person, you do not need much. Even as you make sandwiches to someone – it’s fine. Externally, people come to the material help. Various come, butterflies too, but we do not drive them. I tell ours to give something to eat. We do not give money, but eat – yes. Man is a man, also a child of God. And what is he like, what will you do? ”
“I used to have a favorite place in the forest in the meadow, but now everything is overgrown. I love to go for Tryhiria. Everything is inspiring: a hump, a forest, a river. But most of all I like it here »
“Parents have to give space to children, because you do not have children for yourself. It is necessary to teach to live and let go. American films often talk about love, reach for forgiveness, unity. It’s all simple, and I was thinking about it. We must also be positively emotional, more often tell our children about their feelings to them. Once a child grows, it will be the same for parents. If there are no manifestations of love in the family, when mom and dad will not hug, they will not kiss, they will not nurture a child, then the child will not have it inside ”
“When I was living in Lviv, I was fifty times in the opera house. Even his seminarians said: “I buy tickets twice a year. Go free “. I really love the opera, the high art, which greatly affects the spiritual life. Now I read more spiritual literature, although I previously loved bestsellers. Watch movies, but not so often. I like the movie “Just kill me” about a little girl who did not have parents. Good movie! I love art, but above all I like to be with people »
“I love Zhytomyr not for the city itself, but for the people who are here because it is also Zhytomyr. And I try for them. When I see people, their needs, I understand that I can help them, I like it. And I would give everything to the people for the good! ”
Translated by Aliona Matushevich