On Tuesday, May 30, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine arrived on an archpastoral visit to Ternopil region.
The Primate of the Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church laid the cornerstone for the construction of a church in honor of St. Archangel Michael in the village of Chistyliv, Ternopil District, the press service of the OCU reports.
Together with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Nestor of Ternopil and Kremenets, Archbishop Tikhon of Ternopil and Buchach, Bishop Pavlo of Ternopil and Terebovlya, numerous clergy, head of the Ternopil Regional Council Mykhailo Holovko, other representatives of local authorities, and believers prayed alongside His Beatitude.
During the service, prayer requests were heard for the Ukrainian people and liberation from the invasion of foreigners.
At the end, His Beatitude Vladyka addressed the audience with a consecration speech.
“With the consecration of this cornerstone, we are laying a new shrine of the local Ukrainian Church. Despite difficult trials, we grow and develop. This is extremely important, because without our strong autocephalous Church, as a spiritual foundation, we will not realize what whole generations of our ancestors dreamed of,” said the Primate.
In addition, Metropolitan Epifaniy spoke about the importance of preserving the nation’s identity and freedom, given to it by God, and about the calendar reform recently approved by the Synod of Bishops.
