The Role of the Clergy in the Educational and Social Activities of the Volyn Region (The 2nd Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century)

The scientific study analyzes the spiritual, educational, social and public activities of the leading figures of the Orthodox brotherhoods of Volyn in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The organizational characteristics of the implementation of spiritual, educational and social activities of representatives of Orthodox brotherhoods in the study period are analyzed. The author characterizes the leading types of spiritual, educational, social and public activities of leading figures (representatives of the clergy) of Orthodox brotherhoods in Volyn in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: organizational, professional and pedagogical, spiritual and educational, trustee, charitable, patronage publishing and research. The main forms (public readings, talks, individual assistance to schoolchildren and their families, book publishing, charity events, mass events) and methods (organization of educational, spiritual, social, public, charitable, patronage activities, stimulation, formation of experience) of spiritual, educational and social activities of representatives of Orthodox brotherhoods of Volyn in the studied period are identified.The spiritual revival of the state, which began in the early 1990s, is taking place on a difficult social background, which is manifested in the crisis of morality that permeates all spheres of our life. Therefore, at the present stage of development of education and science, given the urgent needs of humanizing Ukrainian society, it is necessary to return to the revival of Christian moral values.Religion, being an organic component of the spiritual life of society, has played an important role in the process of Ukrainian state and cultural construction, and has helped Ukrainians preserve their national identity for many centuries. The spiritual, educational, social and public activities of the clergy and representatives of the Orthodox community to promote education, culture and spirituality based on local traditions helped preserve the national identity of the people.The spiritual, educational, social and public activities of Orthodox brotherhoods, strengthened by the growth of spiritual and secular educational institutions and charitable institutions, acquired both religious status and social and public significance. Through the content of education in the studied period, the multiculturalism inherited by the Volyn region, the polyphony of educational imperatives, and the integration of national, general educational, moral and spiritual indicators were realized.