Persecuted UOC community in Dubove celebrates patronal feast in home church

Patronal feast of the UOC Trinity community in the village of Dubove, Bukovyna. Photo: UOJ

On the Day of the Holy Trinity – the patronal feast of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community in the village of Dubove, Storozhynets Deanery – the faithful gathered for the Divine Liturgy in a house church arranged in a private residence generously offered by a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As parish priest Fr. Oleksandr Chuvyk explained, the community was forced to leave its original church after it was seized by supporters of the OCU on January 18, 2025. The vote cited by the attackers was held without the participation of the actual parishioners. Just days after Theophany, the church was sealed, new locks were placed on the doors, and the faithful were denied access to their sacred space.

“When he heard what had happened, one of our parishioners – a Ukrainian soldier currently serving on the front line – offered his home as a place of prayer,” Fr. Oleksandr shared. “Since then, we’ve been gathering to pray in this house church.”

The community swiftly resumed its liturgical life. Support came from faithful abroad, who helped acquire the necessary church furnishings. Revered icons, including a donated copy of the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God, are also kept in the new worship space – gifts from compassionate believers.

“Today we are celebrating our first patronal feast in this new house church. Most of our parishioners have remained faithful to the canonical Church under the leadership of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. We do not lose heart, for we know: the Lord is present where two or three are gathered in His name. We continue to pray, to thank God, and to fulfill our Christian calling,” the rector emphasized.

He added that the parish offers prayers for all the residents of the village, for the soldiers defending Ukraine, and for those who have fallen in battle.

As previously reported by the UOJ, in Zabolottia, over a hundred parishioners of another seized church celebrated the Divine Liturgy outside, in the open air.

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