Son of UOC priest from Hrybovytsia dies at the front

The son of the priest of the UOC warrior Oleksandr Marhita. Photo: Ivanychiv Village Council website

On August 18, 2023, warrior Oleksandr Marhita died from severe injuries, reports the website of the Ivanychiv Village Council in the Volodymyr District of Volyn Oblast.

"The Ivanychiv Village Council, the executive committee, the village head Lidiya Tomashevska, and the entire community express their sincere condolences to the relatives and friends on the untimely death of Oleksandr Marhita and share their grief. Eternal memory to the Hero! We bow our heads in sorrow before his eternal and bright memory," the statement reads.

Due to the death of the warrior, the village council declared a three-day mourning period.

Oleksandr Marhita was the son of UOC priest Ihor Marhita, the rector of UOC communities in the villages of Hrybovytsia and Topylyshche. His Protection of the Theotokos Church in Hrybovytsia was seized by the Kyiv Patriarchate (predecessor of the OCU) in 2015. Two years later, he and his community built a new church on his personal plot. In 2019, he was also appointed rector of the St. Michael's parish in Topylyshche.

Ten days before his son's death, the priest asked for prayers for Oleksandr on Facebook, as he was in intensive care in a critical condition.

It is worth recalling that in August 2022, Vasyl Nahai, the son of a priest from the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Maslivka, died at the front.

Earlier, it was reported that the son of a priest from the Sumy Diocese died in battle near Bakhmut.

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