Communities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in Europe are working to attract believers from Ukraine to their services by using the Ukrainian language in their announcements.
During his trip to Germany, Kostiantyn Shevchenko, a priest of the Archdiocese for Ukrainians of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Austria and Hungary, recorded an announcement for the ROCOR community of Saints Faith, Hope, and Love, along with their mother, Sophia, in Bad Reichenhall. This announcement pertains to services held in the Russian Orthodox Church, which is part of the Moscow Patriarchate. Notably, services are conducted in Ukrainian, in addition to German and Russian, at the local Lutheran church.
"Today, I visited a small town in Germany. As is my custom, I try to turn every trip into a kind of church tour, so I decided to visit a Lutheran church. There, I came across a rather telling announcement, which you can see in the photo," said Fr. Kostiantyn. "In fact, the ROCOR has reached a point where it incorporates Ukrainian transliteration in its announcements and seems to take pride in it."
"They are intentionally focused on serving the Ukrainian audience. I am confident that there are plenty of Ukrainians present," emphasized the priest.
Fr. Kostiantyn points out that even in Salzburg, where he leads the Ukrainian Orthodox community, some Ukrainian citizens choose to attend services in the ROCOR community. According to him, they "do not want to sever the so-called 'canonical connection' with Moscow and continue to participate in services offered by this organization."
The priest, who is affiliated with the OCU, notes that there are Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in Austria and other European countries, including OCU chaplaincy missions and communities that operate with the consent and blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's bishops. In Austria, there is even a separate district specifically dedicated to Orthodox Ukrainians. However, some of our compatriots still attend communities affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate.
"Therefore, I urge you to recognize the efforts of all those who serve Ukrainians today, helping them to maintain their spiritual connection with our culture and spirituality from home, and not to be lured by 'spiritual fast food' that those who support the aggressors destroying our country are trying to offer you deceitfully," urged Fr. Kostiantyn Shevchenko.