In Hnizdychne newly built UOC temple consecrated

Metropolitan Sergiy (Gensitsky) of Ternopil and Kremenets with the priesthood and parishioners of the UOC on the porch of the new church in Hnizdychne. Photo: ternopil.church.ua

On June 10, 2021, in the Ternopil Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a new church was consecrated in the village of Hnizdychne, Zbarazh district, where in the spring of 2019, OCU activists, with the support of Right Sector militants, seized the Holy Transfiguration Church of the UOC, the eparchy reports on its official website.

The temple is named after the Ascension of the Lord, which is celebrated this year on June 10th. The rite of consecration of the temple was performed by the ruling bishop of the eparchy, Metropolitan Sergiy (Gensitsky) of Ternopil and Kremenets, co-served by the secretary of the diocese, Archpriest Stepan Balan, the rector of the new Holy Ascension Church, and the clergy of Ternopil and neighboring eparchies who arrived for the celebration.

During the service, Vladyka Sergiy prayed for peace and the end of the epidemic, and the rector, together with the parishioners, expressed their extreme gratitude to Andrei Biba and his team for their help in building the church. “The believers of the Orthodox community in the village of Hnizdychne dreamed of a new church, and only thanks to the financial assistance of the benefactor Andrei Biba, their dream became a reality in a very short time. A majestic temple, an iconostasis, heating, a church house-school of the Law of God for children were raised quite quickly and efficiently,” reports the eparchy.

As reported, the Holy Transfiguration Church in the village of Hnizdychne was seized on March 3, 2019, with the active participation of the “Right Sector” militants. Believers of the canonical Church who entered the temple for negotiations were beaten and driven out into the street. The raider takeover was led by the scandalous cleric of the UOC-KP Ivan Lesik.

As reported, a Ternopil deputy called on Jews to be hanged near the church taken from the UOC.

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