UOC religious procession to Josaphat's Valley canceled again

Hierarchs and believers of the UOC in Josaphat's Valley. Photo: eparhia.vn.ua

In Vinnytsia Oblast, the UOC has once again canceled the traditional procession to the site of the Theophany of the Most Holy Theotokos in Josaphat's Valley (Valley of Crosses), located near the village of Holynchyntsi. This was reported by the press service of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi Diocese.

The decision was made due to the ongoing martial law and the order from the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration prohibiting mass religious events outside of places of worship.

However, the diocese has announced the schedule of services, which will begin on August 14 at 17:00 with the All-Night Vigil at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Monastery near the village of Holynchyntsi in the Zhmerynka District of Vinnytsia Oblast.

On the night of August 15, at 24:00, a midnight Divine Liturgy will be held.

The festive service on August 15 will take place after a meeting of the hierarchs scheduled for 8:30.

Josaphat's Valley, or the Valley of Crosses, is an Orthodox shrine of Podolia, known as the site of the Theophany of the Most Holy Theotokos to a poor shepherd from the village of Holynchyntsi, Yakov Mysik. In the summer of 1923, Yakov saw the Mother of God with the Child above a spring and, upon asking, "What should we do?" he received the response: "Put up crosses, glorify Christ." That same day, the villagers erected the first cross in the valley, and within a few months, the area around the spring was filled with crosses. The authorities cut down the crosses several times in an attempt to stop the flow of pilgrims; 9 priests and 18 laypeople were put on trial. Yakov Mysik was martyred in prison.

The revival of Josaphat's Valley began in the 2000s. Today, there are more than ten thousand crosses there.

By the blessing of Metropolitan Agapit of Mohyliv-Podilsky and Sharhorod, a monastery in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was established on the site of the shrine in 2019 (Valley of Crosses).

As reported earlier, in 2023, a new UOC church was consecrated at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Monastery in the Valley of Crosses.

Read also

Pope expresses willingness to seek unified date for celebrating Easter

The Pontiff believes that differences in liturgical calendars "cause pastoral difficulties and weaken the credibility of our witness to the Gospel."