UOC MP community switches to OCU in Dnipro region

02.08.2019, 09:41
A community of the Moscow Patriarchate in Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region has changed its affiliation to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

A community of the Moscow Patriarchate in Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region has changed its affiliation to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

This is reported by Relihyina Pravda, citing the press service of Nikopol deanery of the OCU. Its message was shared on Facebook by the deanery head, Hegumen Merkuriy (Skorokhod).

"On August 1, in the village of Shevchenko, Nikopol district an unforgettable feast was held. This day was special for the local community because the temple was consecrated in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov who is the patron saint of this day,” goes the statement.

With the blessing of the ruling bishop of Dnipropetrovsk Diocese, Bishop Symeon, the rite of consecration of the Church and the Divine Liturgy were led by the Dean of Nikopol and its district, Hegumen Merkuriy (Skorokhod), in concelebration of the dean of the city of Pokrov, Archpriest Ioan Nazaryk, rector of the Church of the Nativity of Christ, Archpriest Mykolai Buryadnik, rector of the Holy Trinity Church of Nikopol, hieromonk Oleksiy (Petrenko), and the rector of the Church of Intercession of the Mother of God, Fr Pavlo Cherkasov.

This performance also was attended by the Cossacks of the Zatopska Sich, the warriors – defenders of Ukraine, Nikopol parishioners of the Churches of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Chairman of the rural amalgamated territorial community, Oleksandr Protchenko, and the mayor of the village of Shevchenkovo, Vlodymyr Lukash, together with the deputies of Loshkarivka, Shevchenkove and Novosofiyivka shared this joy with the village residents.

At the end of worship, the clergy of the Church of Intercession and Nikopol congratulated the community and offered spiritual relics to the church. After the Divine Liturgy, the faithful enjoyed a delicious Cossack kulish, cooked by the Cossacks of Zatopska Sich.

“This historic event will remain in the memory of each of the parishioners because today their great dream has come true – to have their own Church, where the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in their native Ukrainian language. On behalf of the founders of the Church, I extend my indescribable gratitude to all our donors who responded to the need of development of the Ukrainian Shrine in the Cossack region,” said Hegumen Merkuriy (Skorokhod).

As it was previously reported by RISU, in January this year, the village community of Starolozuvatka, Sinelnikivsky district, changed their jurisdiction from the UOC-MP to the OCU. Prior to the beginning of 2019, the community of the UOC-MP in Rubanivske village of Vasylkivsky district, was the first to join the OCU.