Met. Victor celebrates Liturgy for persecuted UOC community in Hrechyntsi

Persecuted community in honor of St. Basil the Great in the village of Hrechyntsi. Photo: Khmelnytskyi Eparchy

Metropolitan Victor of Khmelnytskyi and Starokostiantyniv celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the St. Basil the Great parish in the village of Hrechyntsi, Letychiv Deanery of the UOC’s Khmelnytskyi Eparchy, the eparchy’s press service reports.

The service was held on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The religious community regularly worships in a village house converted into a church after its church building was forcibly seized by OCU supporters on September 2, 2023. The Liturgy was celebrated outside the house because the makeshift church could not accommodate all the faithful.

Concelebrating with the hierarch were the parish rector, Archimandrite Rafail (Stepaniuk), and clergy from the Letychiv, Starosyniavka, and Yarmolyntsi deaneries. Fervent prayers for peace in Ukraine were offered during the service.

Following the dismissal, Metropolitan Victor delivered a homily and thanked the parishioners for their faithfulness to the Church of Christ and for joining together in festal prayer. In recognition of their steadfastness in the faith, Metropolitan Victor presented the St. Basil the Great parish in Hrechyntsi with an episcopal certificate of merit.

As reported by the UOJ, theKhmelnytskyi court handed over the Dormition Church in Letychiv to a fictitious OCU community.

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