Zaporizhzhia Eparchy holds charity events to combat COVID-19 pandemic

St Andrew's Cathedral of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia. Photo: zabytki.in.ua

On March 24, 2020, Archpriest Alexander Ovcharenko, spokesman for the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy, told the UOJ about the eparchy's initiatives to counteract the coronavirus.

Clergymen of the eparchy will hold auto religious processions daily, from Monday to Friday, along the central street of Zaporizhzhia, Sobornyi Avenue. Clerics of the five deaneries will travel through the city every day with the venerated Samara icon of the Mother of God, reading the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos.

Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol called on the home-based believers to join this prayer and offer it to the Mother of God at 12:00 daily.

The eparchy will organize the centralized provision of anti-epidemic protection means. Requests are collected through Viber.

The monasteries of the eparchy, where there are sewing workshops, have begun sewing protective masks and distributing them for free. For example, the St. Nicholas Convent in Zaporizhzhia have already started sewing masks, the sisterhood of other monasteries is also joining the initiative.

Priests with private transport help medical men to get to work and move around the city.

The Youth Department of the eparchy has worked out an action plan to help the elderly and needy during the quarantine period.

Earlier, the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy has raised funds to repair artificial lung ventilation machines essential to treat complications of Covid-2019.

As reported earlier, the Primate of the UOC blessed all eparchies to participate in the fight against the pandemic.

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