Met Meletiy consecrates worship facility for persecuted parish in Bukovyna
Metropolitan Meletiy blessing parishioners with an icon. Photo: UOJ
On April 16, 2025, Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi consecrated a new prayer space in Verkhnye Stanivtsi for the persecuted St. Nicholas community, whose church had recently been forcibly taken by OCU activists.
According to the community, the new space is part of a café owned by one of the parishioners.
“May the Lord support every person who comes here to ask for His blessing,” the metropolitan said, expressing gratitude to the faithful for their steadfastness and their defense of the faith.
The hierarch presented the community with an icon of the Holy Trinity and blessed the faithful with it.
As previously reported, OCU activists were only able to seize the St. Nicholas Church in Verkhnye Stanivtsi with police assistance. The raid took place on April 12, Lazarus Saturday. A prior attempt, carried out by OCU cleric R. Hryshchuk and his associates on the night of April 8–9, failed when parishioners drove them out of the church.
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