The Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate Sighetu Marmației ( ro, Vicariatul Ortodox Ucrainean Sighetu Marmației; uk, Православний Український вікаріат у Сиготі) is a vicariate of the Romanian Orthodox Church serving Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox believers from Romania's Ukrainians of Romania, Ukrainian community.
Most of Romania's Ukrainians belonged to the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic, Greek-Catholic Church until the newly established Communist Romania, Communist regime outlawed it in 1948. Following their conversion to Orthodoxy, they were organised into a vicariate headquartered at Sighetu Marmației, including parishes in Maramureș, Transylvania, Crișana and the Banat. In 1952, the vicariate became a Ukrainian archpriest's district, headquartered at Poienile de sub Munte and governed by the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj, Diocese of Cluj. The district continued to function in this manner until 1990, receiving annual financial contributions from the Romanian Orthodox Church, Romanian Patriarchate.
["Mitropolia Banatului"]
, at the Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony (Romania), Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony
Under-Secretariat for Culture and Religious Affairs
accessed January 4, 2011.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, 1989 fall of the Communist regime, the vicariate was re-established, again directed from Sighetu Marmaţiei and with two archpriest's districts, there and at Lugoj. As of 2008, there were 33 parishes operating in 33 church buildings, 27 priests, one Convent, nunnery at Rona de Sus, and approximately 53,300 members. The vicariate is under the Romanian Orthodox Church's jurisdiction, but is administratively autonomous. Unlike in the rest of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Julian calendar is used.
The Lugoj district was established in November 1990, following efforts by the local Ukrainian cultural organization. Initially, there were six parishes; later, the one at Copăcele reverted to the ordinary structure of the Romanian Orthodox Church, but nine other parishes were added, the total reaching fourteen by 2005. The ones at Criciova, Păltiniş, Caraş-Severin, Cornuţel and Copăcele, Zorile operate in pre-existing churches, while the remainder are new buildings, except the one at Mașloc, Remetea Mică, which holds services in the local Catholic Church, Roman Catholic church.
[Raularian Rusu, ''Organizarea spaţiului geografic în Banat'', Editura Mirton, Timişoara, 2007, p.274. ]
File:RO MM Poienile de sub Munte 34.jpg, Wooden church in Poienile de sub Munte (1798)
File:RO MM Poienile de sub Munte 25.jpg, Stone church in Poienile de sub Munte
File:RO MM Ruscova wooden church 1.jpg, Wooden church in Ruscova (1954, incorporating elements dating to 1779)
File:Crasna Viseului Kirche.jpg, Church in Bistra, Maramureș, Crasna Vişeului
File:RO TM Stiuca 1.jpg, Church in Știuca
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate Sighetu Marmatiei
Religious organizations established in the 1940s
Romanian Orthodox dioceses
Ukrainian diaspora in Romania
Sighetu Marmației