UOC church consecrated in place of one seized by OCU in Baranivka

The consecration of the UOC Church in honor of Saint Lazarus in Baranivka. Photo: Zhytomyr Eparchy

On September 21, the feast day of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, a church and altar in honor of Saint Lazarus the Righteous were consecrated in the town of Baranivka, Zhytomyr region. According to the press service of the Zhytomyr Eparchy, the premises for the new church were purchased and prepared after the local UOC church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos, was seized by representatives of the OCU last year.

The consecration ceremony and the festive Divine Liturgy were led by Metropolitan Nikodim of Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynsky. The metropolitan was concelebrated by the dean of the Baranivka district and parish rector, Archpriest Roman Klym, clergy from the Baranivka deanery, and visiting priests.

Hundreds of believers attended the festive event.

During the liturgy, the clergy and faithful prayed for peace in Ukraine and for an end to the war.

At the conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Nikodim called on everyone to love the House of God, to come more often for communal prayer, and to live in love for God and for one another.

A festive meal was provided for all the faithful who prayed in the church that day.

As previously reported by the UOJ, in April 2023, a crowd transferred the church in Baranivka to the OCU.

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