Patron Saint of Ukraine: St. Volodymyr, St. Andrew and Prayer

Ukraine honors several patron saints: St. Volodymyr the Great (Vladimir), the prince of Kyiv who was baptized and led the baptism of his people in 988; his grandmother St. Olga, the first ruler of Kyiv to become a Christian; St. Andrew the Apostle, who according to legend blessed the hills where Kyiv would rise; and St. Michael the Archangel, the patron of Kyiv, shown on its coat of arms. Ukrainian Catholics also venerate St. Josaphat, the martyr of Christian unity, and the Blessed martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church who died under Soviet persecution. Below are their stories, Scripture and prayers for Ukraine and for peace.

A short prayer for Ukraine, written for this page:

St. Volodymyr, St. Olga, St. Andrew and St. Michael, pray for Ukraine.
Protect its people, comfort the wounded and the grieving, and bring home the displaced.
Lord, give Ukraine a just and lasting peace. Amen.

St. Volodymyr the Great

Volodymyr (Vladimir) became Grand Prince of Kyiv around 980. According to the ancient chronicle, he sent envoys to examine the religions of his neighbors, and those who attended the Divine Liturgy in Constantinople said they did not know whether they were in heaven or on earth. Around 988 Volodymyr was baptized, married a Byzantine princess, and had the people of Kyiv baptized in the Dnipro River, an event remembered as the Baptism of Rus’. He then built churches, schools and care for the poor. He died in 1015. He is honored by Ukrainian Catholics and Orthodox alike, and his feast is July 15 (July 28 in the civil calendar for those who keep the Julian calendar).

St. Olga

Olga, the widow of Prince Igor, ruled Kyiv as regent and around 957 was baptized in Constantinople. She worked to spread the faith, which her grandson Volodymyr would bring to the whole land. She is called “equal to the apostles.” Her feast is July 11.

St. Andrew and St. Michael

An ancient legend in the Kyivan chronicle tells that St. Andrew, preaching along the Black Sea, climbed the hills above the Dnipro, set up a cross and foretold that a great Christian city would rise there. See St. Andrew the Apostle. St. Michael the Archangel has been the patron of Kyiv for centuries; St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery stands in the city. See the St. Michael prayer.

St. Josaphat, martyr of unity

Josaphat Kuntsevych (about 1580–1623), a monk and then archbishop of Polotsk in the Ruthenian (Ukrainian and Belarusian) Church in union with Rome, worked tirelessly for the unity of Eastern and Western Christians and was killed by a mob at Vitebsk in 1623. He was the first Eastern Catholic to be canonized. His relics rest in St. Peter’s Basilica. His feast is November 12.

The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, within thy Church the spirit which animated thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Josaphat to lay down his life for his sheep, that through his intercession, we also may be moved and strengthened by the same spirit to give our lives fearlessly for our brethren. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same holy Spirit, God world without end. Amen.

Prayers for Ukraine and for peace

Written for this page.

Lord, you make wars to cease to the end of the earth.
Have mercy on the people of Ukraine, on the soldiers and civilians who have died,
on the wounded, the refugees and the families waiting for news.
Turn hearts to peace and justice. Mary, Mother of God, protect them. Amen.

Psalm 45:10 (Douay-Rheims; Psalm 46 in other numberings):

Making wars to cease even to the end of the earth. He shall destroy the bow, and break the weapons: and the shield he shall burn in the fire.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of Ukraine?

St. Volodymyr the Great and St. Andrew the Apostle are most often named, together with St. Olga; St. Michael the Archangel is the patron of Kyiv.

When was Ukraine baptized?

The Baptism of Rus’, under Prince Volodymyr in Kyiv, is traditionally dated to 988.

Who are the patron saints of Ukrainian Catholics?

Ukrainian Greek Catholics especially honor St. Volodymyr, St. Olga, St. Josaphat and their own martyrs of the twentieth century.

More prayers

Texts and sources

The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Josaphat (November 14), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
Psalm 45:10 (Douay-Rheims).