New Holy Trinity Church consecrated in Horbakiv to replace seized UOC parish

Holy Trinity Church of the UOC in the village of Horbakiv. Photo: Rivne Eparchy

On June 9, 2025, the Day of the Holy Spirit, a newly built Holy Trinity Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was consecrated in the village of Horbakiv, Hoshcha Deanery. According to the Rivne Eparchy’s press service, the new church was built to replace the one seized by the OCU.

The Divine Liturgy and rite of Great Consecration were led by Archbishop Pimen of Rivne and Ostroh, concelebrated by Fr. Mykhailo Petrov (dean of the Hoshcha district and rector of the church), Fr. Viktor Zemlianyi (eparchial secretary), and other clergy guests.

Local residents and visitors from surrounding villages gathered for the service to share in the joy of the occasion.

Following the reading of the Holy Gospel, Archbishop Pimen expressed heartfelt gratitude to the faithful for their courage, labor, and loyalty to the canonical Church:

“This church is the fruit of your faith. You did not give in to anger or despair – you built. When they take away a church, they try to take away the heart. But you have shown that no one can take the true heart – because it belongs to Christ.”

In May 2019, representatives of the OCU community, with support from local authorities, forcefully entered the original church, changed the locks, and barred the UOC parish from accessing its place of worship. The faithful were left without a church and held services in temporary spaces.

As previously reported, on June 24, 2024, the UOC community in Horbakiv held its first service in the newly constructed church following the seizure of the original building.

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