ПАРАФІЯЛЬНЕ ЖИТТЯ ГАЛИЦЬКОї МИТРОПОЛІї ГРЕКО-КАТОЛИЦЬКОї ЦЕРКВИ У РОКИ ПЕРШОї СВІТОВОї ВІЙНИ: ПОВСЯКДЕННЯ ТА КРИЗОВІ ЯВИЩА

The life of rural parishes of the Greek Catholic Church in Halychyna during the First World War is considered. The church faced a staffing problem: some priests retreated before the Russians, leaving the parishioners without spiritual care, some – went to Russia. Russian authorities in the church-religious sphere pursued a cautious policy and did not introduce Orthodoxy under pressure. Local Greek Catholics learned about the specifics of Orthodoxy through the church practices of the occupiers. About 50 priests and a small number of believers converted to Orthodoxy. As a result of hostilities, the church in the village suffered material losses: churches were wrecked, bells were confiscated, parish or priestly libraries were destroyed. The situation of wartime caused liturgical innovations: reduction of duration and regularity of services, simplification of the procedure of confession. The food shortage led to savings and the replacement of certain components of the liturgical purpose. Authorities, to encourage peasants to work on landed estates, appealed to the clergy. Military and economic coercion exacerbated relations between the local peasantry and priests, who acted as translators of unpopular government orders. The GCC’s demonstration of loyalty to the Austrian authorities was manifested in the refusal to use the term «Orthodox» during worship. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar in the Stanislaviv eparchy provoked a negative reaction from the part of the spiritual and secular intellectuals, while the peasants took the reform quite calmly. During the war, the Ukrainianization of church life was carried out, in particular, the transition of church magazines to phonetic transcription. The war caused a decline in moral standards among parishioners: violations of other people's property rights became more frequent; disorderly intimate relations of girls and married women with soldiers led to the birth of illegitimate children, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in the region. Adverse events also occurred among priests. Believers critically evaluate the high fee in cash and tribute to bread for sending parastases. The authority of the priests also faltered. Greek Catholic priests managed to overcome the tense nature of relations with their parishioners, which developed during the war and were at the forefront during the establishment of power in Western Ukraine.

Halychyna, First World War, Greek-Catholic Church, parish clergy, everyday life, spiritual life.