UOC believers once again receive communion outdoors at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: Fortetsia Lavra
At the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, near the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, one of the few remaining accessible to the UOC, priests were forced to administer communion outdoors because the church could not hold everyone who wished to attend. A video was shared by the Save_Lavra Telegram channel.
"The small churches remaining with the brethren and believers cannot accommodate all the faithful," the monastery’s channel captioned the video.
The footage shows dozens of people gathered outside, receiving communion from chalices. Nearby, the Church of St. Agapitus of the Caves was also overcrowded with worshippers during the Liturgy.
It is worth recalling that access to the Lower Lavra, where the UOC monastery is located, was closed by authorities on August 10, 2023. Since then, parishioners of the Lavra's churches have had to find alternative locations for worship.
As previously reported, priests at the Lavra have even administered communion to parishioners through a metal grate.
Read also

OCU suspends "hierarch" selling priest IDs to draft dodgers
Kyrylo Mykhailiuk was banned from performing "ordinations".
In Kyiv, St. Jonas Monastery damaged by Russian shelling
As a result of the night attack, the monastery's church was damaged, and the altar windows were shattered.
Court announces results of hearing in Lower Lavra case
The next hearing will take place on 18 December.
Kamyanske community honors memory of Zaporizhzhia Sich ataman Kalnyshevskyi
Metropolitan Volodymyr officiated the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral of Kamianske on the saint’s commemoration day.
Syrian Christians return home for first time in 13 years after ISIS fall
Christians who returned after displacement are beginning to restore the church and revive the community in their native village.
UOC churches damaged by shelling in Kostiantynivka and Myrnohrad
The churches sustained serious damage: the roofs and domes, interior spaces, and utility buildings were affected.