Kiev, August 20, 2019
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His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine was enthroned as the primate of the Ukrainian Church on August 17, 2014, following the repose of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir.
The fifth anniversary of his enthronement was previously celebrated in June together with his name’s day, when hierarchs throughout the Orthodox world gathered in Kiev to honor the beloved primate.
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Thus, a smaller celebration was held on the anniversary itself, with the All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy at the Holy Dormition-Kiev Caves Lavra. The Ukrainian hierarchs, clergy, and faithful were joined by representatives of the Orthodox Church in America, and Met. Onuphry received congratulatory letters from a number of hierarchs outside of Ukraine.
The Divine Liturgy was headed by Met. Onuphry, with the concelebration of His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Khust and Vinogradov, the abbot of the Kiev Caves His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, the chancellor of the UOC His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, a host of other hierarchs from Ukraine, and His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West and Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk of the Orthodox Church in America, together with the clergy of the Lavra and other visiting clergy, reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Church.
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During the Small Entrance, five archbishops were elevated to the rank of metropolitan, and four bishops to the rank of archbishop.
A prayer for peace in Ukraine and the unity of the Church was offered during the Liturgy, and His Beatitude addressed his flock with a primatial word following the reading of the Gospel.
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Following the service, a welcoming speech on behalf of the Holy Synod, episcopate, clergy, and multi-million flock of the UOC was read for Met. Onuphry. Abp. Benjamin also greeted Met. Onuphry and read a congratulatory address from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada (OCA) and presented with an icon of St. Herman of Alaska with a piece of his relics.
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Met. Onuphry also received letters of congratulation from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and others.
His Beatitude thanked the hierarchs for their words of congratulations and all the faithful for their support and prayers, in particular thanking his flock for their patience and love for God and neighbor in the present conditions of discrimination and repression against the Church.
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“A strong man is he who can endure injustice, untruth, the undeserved. If he endures for God’s sake, he is a strong man, and I rejoice and thank God that our Church is made up of such strong people,” the Ukrainian primate exclaimed.
