Reviews
When I came to serve and work as a bishop in Lviv, I was happy to learn that there is a production in Lviv under the trademark “Ryza”, which specializes in sewing church clothes and paraphernalia.
After visiting this sewing shop, I had a positive impression of the people who work in this workshop, creating a new one and preserving the old tradition of church clothing.
I will be glad to cooperate with the leader Vlad Fomkin, who is not only a businessman, but also a creative person who strives to create church beauty.
May the Lord give his grace, and at the same time creativity to all those who create the beauty of the Church.
Almost a year ago, for the first time, I was lucky enough to purchase vestments from the Riza workshop. It was a vestment of a beautiful green color, which best suits our Church of the Holy Trinity. We were so impressed with the skill with which this garment was sewn that we made a new order.
Unfortunately, after that, grief happened in Ukraine – an unjust military invasion. Having witnessed the war and turmoil, we thought that it was no longer possible to order vestments in Ukraine. We thought about how we, as a church, could otherwise help Ukrainians. However, surpassing any of our expectations, the vestment still reached Japan. And, like the previous one, it was executed extremely skillfully. We were stunned! At the time when we should have supported and given strength to Ukraine, it turned out that Ukraine gave us this.
In this sense, this year’s Feast of the Trinity became special. We are grateful to God for the fact that Ukrainians give joy to the church, even in spite of the painful and difficult situation in which they find themselves. Thanks to the workshop “Riza” (from the Greek – “root”), Japanese Orthodox Christians have the opportunity to understand the true beauty of Orthodox rituals, and we sincerely hope that it will become a bridge between the hearts of Orthodox believers of Ukraine and Japan.
With brotherly love in Christ.
Father Dimitriy Tanaka Jinichi
Abbot of the Church of the Holy Trinity
Orthodox Church of Japan
Translation: Nakatani Yana
The name of the church shop “Ryza” speaks for itself. It is easy to find. It is immediately clear what can be purchased in it. It has been heard and known all over the world, even here, far in the diaspora, in the United States of America.
Church robes are an integral attribute in serving God, and their importance is indicated by a passage from the prayer: “Lord God Almighty! … You gave a command to Your servant Moses, so that there should be Bishopric, Priestly and Levitical robes and other various decorations for the beauty of Your sanctuary and altar …” (Preyerbook II, Rite of Blessing and Consecration of Robes).
Each of us carries out our service to God in our own way: I preach the Word of God, and the church shop “Ryza” makes church robes and other things, for which I am personally grateful to them.
I wish the management and employees of the “Ryza” store success, prosperity and God’s blessing in their difficult work for the glory of His holy name.
On May 18, 2011, Metropolitan Dimitriy of Lviv and Sokal, together with the vicar of the St. John of Zlotoust monastery, hieromonk Julian (Gataly), led the consecration ceremony of the new premises and embroidery equipment of the “Ryza”workshop.