UOC Primate leads Matins with reading of Twelve Passion Gospels at Lavra
His Beatitude presided over the appointed service of Great and Holy Friday on the evening of April 9.
On April 9, 2026, on the eve of Great and Holy Friday, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry led Matins with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels at the Church of St. Agapit of the Caves at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the UOC press service reports.
Concelebrating with the Primate were Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the UOC, Archbishop Lavr of Irpin, Archbishop Mark of Borodianka, and the clergy of the Lavra.
The UOC recalled that the central element of Great Friday Matins (usually served on the preceding evening) is the reading of the Twelve Gospels – selected passages from all four Evangelists. These readings recount in detail the final hours of the Savior’s earthly life, beginning with His farewell discourse to the disciples after the Mystical Supper and concluding with His burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. During this service, the faithful hold lighted candles as a sign of their awareness of the greatness of Christ’s feat and their compassion for the Savior’s sufferings.
On Great and Holy Friday itself, according to the Typikon, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated. In the morning, the Royal Hours are served, and in the evening – the Rite of the Burial of the Lord’s Shroud.
As the UOJ previously reported, the Primate of the UOC spoke about the meaning of the Eucharist on Great and Holy Thursday.
