Persecuted UOC parish celebrates patronal feast in church under construction

Persecuted UOC community in Ivachkiv celebrates its patronal feast. Photo: Archpriest Vasyl Nachev’s Facebook page

On the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church community in the village of Ivachkiv, Rivne Eparchy, prayerfully celebrated its patronal feast in its church, which is still under construction. Archpriest Vasyl Nachev, dean of the Zdolbuniv Deanery, reported the event.

Although construction of the church has not yet been completed, the faithful gathered to share in the joy of the feast. The clergy celebrated the festive Divine Liturgy, during which parishioners received the Holy Mysteries and offered their prayers.

According to the rector, Fr. Vitalii Kharkevych, construction has made significant progress: the building now has a roof and windows, and the necessary conditions for holding services have been created. He recalled that as recently as Pascha, the faithful had to stretch a tarpaulin over the worship area because there was no roof. The priest stressed that the parishioners’ deep faith has been the main driving force behind the construction of the new church.

“People came to offer the Mother of God their gifts – some the desire to change their lives through repentance, others to unite with Her Son through the Sacrament of Communion, and still others simply to pray. None of the faithful came here without purpose. They have been strengthened by trials and by faith in the help of the Mother of God,” Archpriest Vasyl Nachev said.

The church conflict in Ivachkiv began in the spring of 2022. Between May and July, OCU supporters held three unauthorized meetings aimed at “transferring” the parish, and on October 14, 2022, they cut the locks and seized the church. Left without their church, the UOC community set up a temporary place of worship in a private home, but the building was later destroyed by fire. Undeterred, the faithful began building a new church themselves, where they later also opened a Sunday school for children.

As the UOJ reported, the persecuted community of the Dormition Church in Volodymyr celebrated its patronal feast.

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