On September 12, 2022, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine consecrated the newly built church in honor of Reverend Theodosius of Pechersk in the village of Horishnya Slobidka, Ternopil region, and presided over the Divine Liturgy that was celebrated there.
That’s according to the OCU press service.
Metropolitan Makariy of Lviv, Metropolitan Simeon of Vinnytsia and Bar, Metropolitan Ioasaf of Ivano-Frankivsk and Galicia, Archbishop Nestor of Ternopil and Kremenets, Archbishop Hilarion of Rivne and Ostroh, Archbishop Simeon of Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, Archbishop Tikhon of Ternopil and Buchach, Archbishop Agapit of Vyshgorod, Bishop Kyrylo of Uzhhorod and Khust, Bishop Matviy of Volodymyr-Volynsk and Turiya, Bishop Pavlo of Ternopil and Terebovlya, Bishop Athanasius of Odesa and Balta, Bishop Paisiy of Zhytomyr and Ovruch, Bishop Feognost of Bogorodchany, rector of the temple Archpriest Mykola Romaniv co-served with the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as the local and invited clergy.
After reading the Gospel, His Beatitude offered a special prayer to the Lord at a time when the Homeland is in danger. Prayers were also voiced during the service for the soldiers defending Ukraine.
At the end of the liturgy, the Primate of the single local Ukrainian Orthodox Church addressed the faithful with the consecration word and congratulated the congregation on the consecration of the throne and the temple.
“I congratulate all of you on this great and historic event in the life not only of your community, but also of our local Orthodox Church of Ukraine in general. Today we consecrated this beautiful and elegant temple in honor of Saint Theodosius of Pechersk. Another shrine has opened its doors so that those who will flock to it can receive the invisible divine grace that strengthens our spiritual and physical strength. Because without God we can do nothing,” Metropolitan Epifaniy emphasized.
The Primate also wished the community and the abbot that the Lord would bless them and inspire them for further work.
“I wish that the Lord will continue to inspire all of you, especially the community that worked and did everything for this shrine to be built. It was being constructed for about 10 years, but today you and I have a great celebration: we rejoice, we pray and thank God, and ask for His blessing for the next days of our earthly life,” said the Primate.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy presented the Primate’s name cross to the abbot of the temple Archpriest Mykola and honored patrons with church awards.
Archbishop Tikhon of Ternopil and Buchach, the head of the diocese, on behalf of the community and on his own behalf expressed gratitude for the joint prayer.
