Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi persecuted UOC parish marks patron feast in new church

The UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, at the invitation of Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, visited Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi, where he led the Divine Liturgy for the first time for the persecuted community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the new temple under construction by the faithful in place of the seized one, as reported on Metropolitan Anthony's Facebook page.

On this day, August 29, 2026, the Church celebrates the feast of the Translation of the Image of Our Lord Jesus Christ Not-Made-By-Hands from Edessa to Constantinople. It is precisely this event that the patronal feast of the cathedral church in Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi is dedicated to.

Metropolitan Anthony was co-served by Metropolitan Theodosiy, Bishop Anthony, and the clergy of the Cherkasy Eparchy. During the service, prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine.

At the end of the service, the UOC Chancellor congratulated the faithful on the feast and invoked God’s blessing upon everyone.

As the UOJ reported, in the night of May 30, 2024, the cathedral, built and maintained over decades by the faithful of the UOC, was seized by OCU raiders, who also stripped the community of its Sunday school for children. The closed church building now houses a humanitarian aid warehouse. Following the seizure of the cathedral, Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi believers continued for many months to gather for prayer outside the closed church, despite pressure and obstruction from the new occupants of the building.