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Kyiv: An Encounter with St. Barbara
Life at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral
August 29, 2023 in Kyiv was unseasonably hot, somewhere in the mid-90’s. Usually, the air is cool by now. Maybe global warming is real. This piece is not about any of the rational things of humanity. In the morning, I took the dog when there was still a slight bit of coolness to the air. By 08:45, the heat had raised its ugly head. I stopped at the Gorky (means bitter in Ukrainian) coffee stop where the barista knows me, what I order and is always very pleasant. A double espresso iced latte and some oreshkiy (small walnut shaped cookies stuffed with thickened and sweetened condensed milk) came out quick and I sat in the shade to enjoy. St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral is about a block away and it was the destination that was on my agenda before starting my remote job at 11:00. You should know starting out, that despite my faith, I am a very rational and logical person more along the lines of a very Doubting Thomas.
Lately, I have been going there almost every day that my wife, Natasha is working. She has taken a teaching job here in Kyiv. I go to the Sobor (Cathedral), light candles and pray to the Theotokos (Mary, Mother of Jesus) to help Natasha with her day, to be full of patience and love for the children, her co-workers and for the children to listen, learn and behave for her. Every time I do this, Natasha swears that it…
