Orthodox youth from across Ukraine meet in Kyiv

Youth gathering at the capital’s “Quick to Hear” church complex. Photo: UOC Information Center

On April 25, 2026, an All-Ukrainian Orthodox Youth Meetup was held in Kyiv, bringing together active young people from various eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The event was held with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and with the support of the Kyiv Metropolis, the Odesa Eparchy, and the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs, the UOC Information Center reported.

The meeting was hosted by the church complex dedicated to the “Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God, where participants began the program with a joint moleben. Organizers noted that one of the aims of the event was to overcome young people’s sense of loneliness and create a space for live communication and unity.

The meetup program included interactive introductions, speaker presentations, and discussion of relevant topics – relationships, inner maturity, and responsibility. Clergy, psychologists, and invited guests shared their experience, stressing the importance of spiritual wholeness and a conscious approach to building a family.

Priest and blogger Sergiy Chertilyn emphasized that genuine relationships begin not with the search for an “ideal person,” but with work on oneself. Archpriest Sergiy noted the danger of building relationships from a place of inner emptiness and stressed that the ability to love is directly linked to the ability to be whole and responsible.

Practical psychologist Matushka Ioanna Shemediuk focused on the concept of self-worth. She explained how a person’s inner state affects their choice of partner and relationship patterns. She also described the path toward healthy relationships as a process of personal growth, in which awareness, honesty with oneself, and readiness for change play an important role.

Actress and director Anna Hontova presented her own dating-related project and shared practical observations about communication. She stressed that deep relationships are impossible without shared values.

A separate part of the program was the talk show “Relationships and Time.” Its guests were Archpriest Valentyn Marchuk, head of the educational department of the UOC Volyn Eparchy, and social educator Matushka Olena Marchuk, who shared their experience of family life and answered young people’s questions in a live dialogue format.

The event concluded with informal fellowship: participants took part in a workshop, shared a meal, and sang songs with guitar accompaniment. The UOC stressed that such meetings help young people find like-minded peers and grow stronger in faith.

As the UOJ reported, the Odesa Eparchy of the UOC held an intellectual Bible knowledge tournament.

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