Youth congress “Sinai” held in Rivne Eparchy

The annual Orthodox youth congress “Sinai” took place in the village of Bochanytsia. Photo: Rivne Eparchy

On July 14–15, 2025, the annual Orthodox youth congress “Sinai” was held on a picturesque island in the village of Bochanytsia, Rivne Region. The event was organized with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen. For the third year in a row, the congress brought together youth from various parishes of the UOC’s Hoshcha Deanery, with more than 100 participants. This was reported by the press service of the Rivne Eparchy.

The congress aimed to provide spiritual strengthening, fraternal fellowship, and to deepen young people's involvement in Church life.

A key focus of the program was spiritual education. Priest Vasyl Bahniuk delivered a lecture on the history of the development of the Divine Liturgy and explained the symbolic meaning of various elements of the service.

Archpriest Maksym Katerynchyk, rector of the Church of St. Paraskeva in the village of Myatyn, led a woodcarving workshop, where everyone had the opportunity to try their hand at the craft.

Participants also engaged in outdoor games, volleyball, tennis, swimming, and informal fellowship in nature. In the evening, there was an open-air film screening followed by the singing of Ukrainian songs by the water.

Fr. Vadym Muliar, a cleric of the Pokrovsky Women’s Monastery, introduced the youth to the spiritual heritage of their native land and spoke about the history of the monasteries of the Hoshcha region.

On the second day, participants completed a themed quest consisting of seven stages that combined intellectual and physical challenges. The final task was to decode a hidden word. There was also a Q&A session with the priests.

At the conclusion of the congress, Archpriest Mykhailo Petrov, dean of the Hoshcha district, thanked all participants for their engagement and spiritual zeal, offered words of encouragement, and presented each one with a commemorative gift.

As previously reported by the UOJ, children’s and youth summer camps are being held across various UOC eparchies.

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