His Beatitude leads Liturgy at St Florus Convent on Synaxis of Holy Theotokos

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

On January 8, 2026, on the feast of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the St. Florus Convent in Kyiv, as reported by the UOC Information and Education Department.

During the festive service, the Primate was concelebrated by the vicars of the Kyiv Eparchy – Archbishop Lavr of Irpin and Archbishop Mark of Borodianka, the convent's clergy and guests in holy orders. The abbess of the monastery, Mother Superior Evlampia (Eliseykina), prayed in the church together with the sisters.

During the Divine Liturgy, prayers were offered for peace in Ukrainian land, deliverance from the enemy, that the Lord may look upon the people and protect those in despair and without shelter, as well as for God’s blessing upon people of good will who help the needy. In the prayer following the Great Litany, the Primate asked God for mercy on the Ukrainian people, guidance for the authorities, courage for the warriors, the release of prisoners, healing for the sick, and shelter for the homeless.

During the service, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry performed two ordinations. Deacon Volodymyr Oleksiuk, a graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, was ordained to the priesthood, and Monk Sofroniy (Myronets), a fourth-year student of the Kyiv Theological Seminary, was ordained to the diaconate.

After the completion of the Divine Liturgy, a rite of glorification was performed. At the end of the service, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry congratulated the nuns and the faithful on the Nativity of Christ and bestowed his archpastoral blessing on the flock.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Onuphry officiated at the Nativity service at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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