On the feast of the Council of Vinnytsia Saints, the day of the Church New Year and the day of the memory of St. Symeon the Pillar, September 1, 2024, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine led the Divine Liturgy at the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Vinnytsia-Bar Diocese.
Metropolitan Symeon of Vinnytsia and Bar, Metropolitan Roman of Vinnytsia and Bratslav, Metropolitan Dymytriy of Lviv and Sokal, Metropolitan Mykhailo of Vinnytsia and Tulchyn, Metropolitan Hilarion of Rivne and Ostroh, and Archbishop Yakiv of Drohobych and Sambir, Archbishop Herman of Kamianets-Podilskyi and Novoushytskyi, Archbishop Tikhon of Ternopil and Buchach, Archbishop Agapit of Vyshhorod, Archbishop Pavlo of Khmelnytskyi and Shepetiv, Bishop Paisiy of Zhytomyr and Ovruch, Bishop Theognost of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna, Bishop Anthony of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, and local and invited clergy concelebrated with the Primate of the Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
After reading the Gospel, His Beatitude delivered a sermon and offered a special prayer to the Lord at a time when the Motherland is in danger.
Also during the service, prayer requests were made for the soldiers defending Ukraine, for the government and our people, and for the repose of the souls of all the fallen defenders of the Motherland and civilians who died during the war.
The Divine Liturgy was followed by a prayer service to all the saints of Vinnytsia and a prayer for the environment.
At the end of the festive service, the Primate congratulated His Eminence Metropolitan Symeon on his name day and presented him with a commemorative panagia and 103 roses as a symbol of longevity, as St. Symeon the Pillar lived for exactly that number of years.
Representatives of the local authorities, led by the deputy head of the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration Natalia Zabolotna, also joined in congratulating the head of the Vinnytsia-Bar Diocese. On behalf of the chairman of the Vinnytsia Regional Council, Metropolitan Symeon was greeted by Deputy Chairman Ihor Ivasyuk, and on behalf of the deputy corps, Vladyslav Skalsky. Metropolitan Symeon was also greeted by the former head of the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration, Valeriy Koroviy.
As part of the celebrations, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy honored military surgeon Major General of the Medical Service Andriy Verba. The Primate presented the honored physician with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
Metropolitan Symeon expressed his gratitude for the congratulations and proclaimed for all "many years".
Press service of the Diocese of Vinnytsia and Bar of the UOC (OCU)
