Theodosius of Maniava

Saint Theodosius of Manyava (Ukrainian: Феодосій Манявський, died 24 September 1629 in Manyava Skete, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian Orthodox saint, venerable, ascetic and one of the founders and the second hegumen (abbot) of Manyava Skete, men's cell solitary monastery in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine.

Since his younger years, he was drawn to the Church and spirituality. He served as a hierodeacon (deacon priest) when, in 1608, he and a few others joined Saint Job of Manyava to follow him in very strict ascetic practices, and to become monks in seclusion and wilderness of the Carpathian mountains. He was chosen, among others, by Saint Job for his zeal and humility. With God's blessing and help of the Christian community, the monks built a mountain monastery (skete) and, on the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the monastery church was consecrated in 1612.

In all the works, Theodosius served as assistant to St. Job and when the latter was leaving for a pilgrimage to the Kyiv Caves Monastery, he entrusted the former to be the head of the community by saying, "Be our shepherd and spiritual father, you ought to be hegumen, I will be assisting you as long as I live".

In the end of 1621, 70 year old Job fell sick and died on 29 December 1621. Theodosius headed the monastery for 8 years after Job's death. In 1628, he took part in the First Synod of Kyivan metropoly after the Brest Union. The synod was summoned by the Orthodox metropolitan of Kyiv and Halych Job Boretsky in the Golden Domed Saint Michael's monastery in Kyiv.

Venerable Theodosius lived giving a great example of sanctity and virtue. Rumours about his strict and virtous living spread through the Carpathians, Galicia, Volynia and Bukovyna, Moldova, and Romania. Theodosius' spiritual authority and the strict monastic rules of his community brought about much respect on the part of other Orthodox monasteries in the entire region. At the church synod of 1628, hegumen Thodosius and his Manayva monastic community were chosen to be the heading monastery (prot) in charge over 556 other monasteries in western Ukraine and Moldova (among the subordinated monasteries were Suceava and Neamt monasteries).

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