Rivne, Ukraine, October 4, 2017
Photo: magnolia-tv.com Police of the Rivne region in northwestern Ukraine received a statement at 9:30 PM on Monday that 33-year-old Nun Svetlana Vasilievna Grigorchuk had not returned home to the Holy Trinity Convent in Korets, reports Magnolia TV.
Nun Svetlana had traveled 40 miles to Rivne for a dental appointment, and communication with her was lost at noon.
“Our nun left Korets at 9 AM. She had an appointment with the dentist in Rivne at 11. We first called her at 12:17—she didn’t pick up, and later her phone was totally disconnected. After we weren’t able to get in touch with her, we contacted the police,” the abbess of the monastery stated, reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The sisters have no idea where the missing nun could be.
“Nun Svetlana lived in the monastery for 16 years. She was a very good nun. We’re all very worried about her. We are praying for her and we ask all who might know anything about her whereabouts to report to us or the police,” the abbess added.
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Korets Convent was first founded in 1064 by St. Varlaam of the Kiev Caves. It has been ravaged and destroyed several times throughout its history, the current monastery complex being the fourth, open continuously since 1880.