On the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, October 29, 2023, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine led the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom at Yuriy Fedkovych National University in Chernivtsi. This is reported by the official website of the OCU.
The Primate of the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church was concelebrated by Metropolitan Symeon of Vinnytsia and Bar, Metropolitan Danylo of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna, Metropolitan Oleksandr of Pereyaslav and Vyshneve, Metropolitan Hilarion of Rivne and Ostroh, Archbishop Onufriy of Chernivtsi and Kitsman, Archbishop Matfey of Volodymyr and Novovolynsk, Archbishop Volodymyr of Zhytomyr and Polissia, Archbishop Herman of Chernivtsi and Khotyn, Archbishop Agapit of Vyshhorod, Archbishop Athanasius of Odesa and Balta, Bishop Julian of Kolomyia and Kosiv, Bishop Pavlo of Khmelnytsky and Kamyanets-Podilsky, and local and invited clergy.
The service was attended by the defenders of Ukraine, the head of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration Ruslan Zaparnyuk and other government officials, the leadership and students of the Chernivtsi National University, and numerous believers.
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 who are 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.
In his remarks at the end of the service, the Primate emphasized the importance of unity around the Kyivan Throne, prayer with gratitude to God for the blessings and support of our army and those affected by the war.
Metropolitan Epiphanius also congratulated Archbishop Herman on his 50th birthday, awarded him the Order of the Archangel Michael, first degree, and presented him with a commemorative panagia.
In addition, His Beatitude presented the rector of the church, Archpriest Mykola Shcherban, and the secretary of the Chernivtsi-Khotyn Eparchy, Abbot Luka, with personalized crosses of the Primate.
In turn, Archbishop Herman thanked His Beatitude for the joint inspirational prayer and warm words of congratulations.
Subsequently, Ukrainian soldiers and benefactors of the Diocese were honored with church awards.
According to the press service of the Kyiv Metropolis UOC (OCU)
Press service of the Diocese of Vinnytsia and Bar of the UOC (OCU)
