Herman Tymiński


Herman Tymiński was an Orthodox priest active in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire. He is remembered for his long and devoted ministry in Marian Sanctuary in the town of Krasnystok, where he revitalized religious life.

Life

Michael Tymiński, the grandfather of Herman, was an Uniate parish priest in the village of Andryjanki of Sapieha and Potocki. Herman's father, Jakob Tymiński, served as Uniate parish priest in Drohiczyn and Boćki. Both of Herman's brothers were also Orthodox priests, Peter in the churches in Strugi-Buklicze and Rubel, and Platon in Oltush transfiguration church and in Włodawa. The last priest in the family was Peter's son, Afanasy, who served as parish priest at the Synkovichskaya Church, St. Vladimir's Church in Grodno, the Church of St. Nicholas in Nikolskoye-Gagarino, and the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Mikhailovskoye.
Tymiński studied at the Lithuanian Theological Seminary and was ordained as a priest on 17 January 1864. His first appointment was to the parish church in Łasza in Grodno district.
Before 1871 he probably moved to Boćki, where his son Jan was born.
Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to Krasnystok. Father Herman had served in Krasnystok for 24 years.
He died from typhoid and epidemic typhus on 12 March 1896, fully conscious, blessing his wife and children before his death.

Legacy

Krasnystok is known for its miracle-working icon of the Mother of God and, attracts many pilgrims. When Fr. Herman took over the parish, everything was in decline and desolation. It was thanks only to the tireless energy, tact, and talent of the late Fr. Herman that Orthodoxy now again draws thousands of pilgrims, both Orthodox and Catholic, to the Miracle-Working Icon in Krasnystok. The Uniates of neighboring parishes, who persistently shunned their own churches, now almost all confess and receive the Holy Mysteries in Krasnystok. Restoring Krasnystok’s former fame and reverence was no easy task. Hatred and hostility, both hidden and open, raged all around—seeking to paralyze every effort and devalue the Orthodox Church’s achievements. A task seemingly beyond the power of one man was nonetheless fulfilled by a humble laborer who never trumpeted his deeds before men."
From his life of humble service arose a saying: "The honor of a good man shall be remembered from age to age."
He was the great-grandfather of Danuta Siedzikówna and Wiesława Korzeń.