UOC eparchies venerate Bar and Mhar icons of Most Holy Theotokos
A procession with the Mhar Icon of the Mother of God. Photo: Poltava Eparchy
On October 1, 2025, the day of veneration of the Mhar and Bar icons of the Mother of God, festive services were held in the monasteries of the Poltava and Vinnytsia eparchies of the UOC, as reported by the eparchial press services.
Metropolitan Philip of Poltava and Myrhorod led the Divine Liturgy at the Mhar Transfiguration Monastery.
He was concelebrated by Archbishop Diodor of Yuzhne, Bishop Arkady of Hostomel, Secretary of the Kyiv Metropolis Archpriest Vitaly Kosovsky, Secretary of the Poltava Eparchy Archpriest Mykhailo Voloshchuk, the monastery's dean Archimandrite Herman, the brethren of the monastery, the clergy of the eparchy, and guests in holy orders.
After the service, the clergy and faithful held a procession around the Transfiguration Cathedral.
At the Bar Convent, the festive conciliar service was conducted by Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnytsia and Bar and Metropolitan Viktor of Khmelnytskyi and Starokostiantyniv. They were concelebrated by the clergy from the Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Mohyliv-Podilskyi, and other neighboring eparchies.
During the service, prayers were offered by the abbess of the Bar Convent, Igumenia Dimitria (Filikova), the abbess of the Brailiv Convent, Igumenia Antonia (Stetsenko), the sisters of the monasteries, and numerous pilgrims.
On this day, special prayers were offered for the defenders of Ukraine.
After the liturgy, before the miraculous Bar icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, all the faithful with one voice glorified the Mother of God and asked for Her intercession for the Ukrainian people.
In conclusion, the hierarchs congratulated everyone on the feast and wished each person to feel the special protection of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos in their lives.
As reported by the UOJ, thousands of UOC faithful in Odesa commemorated Venerable Kuksha.
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