November 5, 2010
Members of Squadron 8 of the Edmonton Police Service are honoured at St. Herman's Orthodox Church in Edmonton after recovering relics belonging to Vladimir the Great.
The ancient icon was stolen from the home of an Edmonton priest while on loan from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kiev, Ukraine.
The relic, a one-inch-square fragment of a skull, is on a cross-country tour. It's one of only two relics left of the 10th-century Ukrainian ruler. The rest of Vladimir's bones have disappeared over the years during various invasions and the communist revolution.
Vladimir the Great became a saint after converting populations under his rule to Christianity after 988 A.D.
The Kiev church where the skull fragment is housed usually displays it in public only one day every year.
A thief broke into the home of a priest with St. Herman's Orthodox Church, on 167 St., in the middle of the night last week, said Archpriest Phillip Eriksson.
The thief took the relic, a wallet and the keys to the priest's truck in which he made his escape.
After a frantic call to police, officers began a street to street search. They found the truck just over three hours later about 10 blocks away. The relic was with the truck, still inside its ornate box.
Eriksson said the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would have faced an international crisis had the relic not been found.
Relics of St. Vladimir the Great are displayed at St. Herman's Orthodox Church.
"Once the relics had been recovered, they were brought back to the church," said Eriksson. "As they were being brought into the church, Father Alexander said, 'Ring the bells,' so we rang the bells.
"The police station is about a block away, and we got a phone call from them even as the bells were ringing, and they asked, 'Are the bells ringing because the relics are back?' and we said, 'Yes.'"
Squadron 8 asked the church if it can claim St. Vladimir as their patron saint and the church has agreed.
