Kiev, July 25, 2019
Photo: fakty.com.ua
Although the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not specifically invite hierarchs of other Local Churches to this year’s upcoming celebration of the 1,031st anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’, hierarchs of two Sister Churches will nevertheless join the Ukrainian Church in celebrating this great feast.
Speaking in an interview with First Cossack, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Church’s Department for External Church Relations, announced that bishops from the Serbian and Czech-Slovak Churches will arrive in Kiev for the celebrations to be held July 27-28.
“This year, we didn’t set the goal of officially inviting the Local Orthodox Churches, because just a month ago they were at His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry’s name’s day, and August 17 will be the 5th anniversary of his enthronement,” Fr. Nikolai explained.
“However, despite this, some representatives of the Local Churches will come as representatives of their Churches and personally. That is, we accept everyone, we are ready to meet everyone, but we did not set this goal of gathering the fullness of Orthodoxy. Nevertheless, representatives of the Churches are still interested, coming and expressing their solidarity with us,” he added.
The celebrations will begin with a moleben of thanksgiving headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine at 1:00 PM on July 27, followed by the traditional cross procession to the Kiev Caves Lavra, where the All-Night Vigil for the feast of St. Vladimir the Great will be served.
Last year’s procession gathered 250,000 faithful from throughout Ukraine and abroad.
The Divine Liturgy will be served the next day at 9:00 AM on the square in front of the Dormition Cathedral at the Lavra. The UOC previously announced that it will celebrate the canonization of three saints on the feast day: Bishop Sylvester (Malevansky) of Kanev (+ 1908), Archbishop Vasily (Bogdashevsky) of Kanev (+ 1933), and Archpriest Alexander Glagolev (+ 1937).
The celebrations will also be augmented with the presence of several sacred objects, including the relics of St. Vladimir, the foot of St. Andrew the First-Called, and the relics of 18 confessors of the Ukrainian land, as well as 5 wonderworking icons of the Mother of God.
The Patriarchate of Constantinople also announced that it will send a delegation to join the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s” procession on July 28, bringing the cross of St. Andrew with them.
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