Continuing the tradition of patronage, for more than fifteen years Sergey Vladislavovich Dyablo helps and keeps a good look-out for the church, which is located in Udelniy lane in Otrada area.  We are talking about the Cathedral of John of Kronstadt, built as an annex to Greek almshouse of Marazli, as the Church in the name of St. Nicholas and holy martyr Ariadne by the architect Dmitrenko on Mavrocordato funds in memory of his deceased parents; the church was consecrated in 1902.

The board of philanthropists, starring by Sergey Dyablo performs the restoration of the church since 2005.

This Orthodox parish is one of so-called “catacomb” or “whiteguard” churches and belongs to the “True Orthodox Church” created after the revolution and Russian Orthodox Church split as a result of the denial of a considerable part of the episcopate and clergy of the Russian Church to cooperate with the “Soviets.”   The priests did not recognize the Soviet regime and condemned the “Sergianism”, the conciliatory policy of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the “theomachy” regime. 

Unlike ROCOR the “catacomb” Church continued its activity on Soviet Union territory, regardless of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and members of “catacomb” movement were operating illegally.

“Before the Patriarch was sentenced to death, he conveyed a message to all believers, where he urged not to cooperate with the Bolsheviks, as with Antichrists, and to go underground, into the catacombs, taking away religious relics and continuing to serve God.

There was a division into two camps – one part went underground and the other part of the priests remained with the newly elected, or rather appointed Patriarch, and consequently with the new government. The Bolsheviks seized the building of the church, turned it into a warehouse and then to the sawmill. The Bolsheviks continued to catch and exterminate those who went underground, and those who failed to escape. Many managed to escape, so there are several dozens of such parishes abroad. There are five of them in Ukraine, including one in Odessa. They consider themselves to be particularly pure due to the fact they didn’t cooperate with the Bolsheviks. Meanwhile the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate does not recognize them.

Even before the revolution all of my family attended this church, and later I was baptized there. Now I am taking part in the renovation works, that are required for the church building. There are upper and lower churches and the bell-tower”, – said Sergey Dyablo in his interview.

“I introduce my children to the church, as they believe that we really need religion. Spirituality is what saves us.  And religion, like art and education is a major component of spirituality”, – he stressed.

This March Sergey Dyablo visited the presidential prayer Breakfast. The tradition of such Breakfast was introduced in the 50-s of the past century by the US President; and it was held in Ukraine for the seventh time.  The President, Prime Minister, ministers, deputies, heads of cities and regions, guests of different nationalities, religions and political views and representatives of the neighbouring countries are traditionally gathered in one room for common prayer, which reaffirms the power of faith and the power of prayer.   This Breakfast was dedicated to the baptism of Kievan Rus.

“For Poroshenko the church question must become one of the top questions in the presidential campaign, so he took the opportunity and reminds of the Ukrainian local church. The Moscow Patriarchate is extremely malicious towards our Church, as well as to others who are not canonized, and tries to anathematize it.  Russian aggression has made the question of independence of the Ukrainian Church from Moscow ever more pressing, and Poroshenko declared that there is a complete agreement to include our Church to the Ukrainian Patriarchate”, – says Sergey Dyablo.