In Stavchany, UOC bishop consecrates house chapel after church seizure

Hierarchical service in the home repurposed for worship by the UOC parish of Stavchany. Photo: UOJ

On November 21, 2025, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in the village of Stavchany, Khotyn Deanery, Chernivtsi region, celebrated its patronal feast. As the UOJ correspondent reports, Bishop Mykyta of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia consecrated a new worship space for the persecuted parish that day.

After the consecration, Bishop Mykyta presided over the festive Divine Liturgy in the room adapted for use as a church.

This year, the religious community was meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the construction of their church, but supporters of the OCU seized it.

As the UOJ reported, on April 21, 2025, Bright Monday, supporters of the OCU entered the church during the service, led by a cleric from a neighboring village, and forced the rector and parishioners out of their sanctuary. They justified their actions by claiming to possess “documents” for the church and therefore considered themselves its “owners.”

Read also