In Susval, community affected by OCU raises church walls in three weeks

The walls of the new church of the UOC in Susval, Volyn. Photo: UOJ

The community of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Susval, Volyn region, which suffered from the raider actions of the OCU, erected the walls of a new church in less than three weeks, reports a UOJ correspondent.

The community announced the start of construction on September 7, 2021, when construction materials were brought to the foundation. In a short time, the walls of the future church of the icon of the Mother of God "Seven Arrows" ("Softening of Evil Hearts") were erected here.

“We are building with prayer. And all together we say that this is a miracle of God and a temple prayed for,” says the rector of the community, Father Bohdan Hnatiuk.

Also, the rector, on behalf of the believers, thanked all who helped the community during this time for the support: in total, the benefactors donated about UHA 10 thousand for the construction of the temple.

According to him, the supporters of the OCU, to whom the former Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Church of the UOC in Susval was handed over, did not even serve the evening service on September 21, the saint patron’s day; and on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, about thirty people gathered for the service in the seized temple. At the moment, none of the people who left for the OCU have returned to the community, but the bulk of the believers remained in the Church.

Those wishing to support the construction of the new church in the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy of the UOC can transfer funds to card number 4149 4390 4958 3291 (rector Bohdan Nikolayevich Hnatiuk, +380986231143) or provide other support to the believers.

As reported, the UOC community in Susval was illegally re-registered in favor of the OCU on March 26, 2019. On January 31, 2020, by a decision of law enforcement officers, the temple was sealed until the conflict was resolved in court, but on the evening of February 14, 2020, a group of raiders – OCU activists – with tools, locks, a grinder and a generator prepared in advance, broke into the territory of the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Church. As a result, the authorities decided to transfer the temple to the OCU.

About twenty people came to the temple for the second service after the seizure, although the OCU activists stated that their support in the village was more than three hundred residents.

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