Kiev, June 21, 2021
Photo: news.church.ua
Sunday, June 20, marked the 50th anniversary of the diaconal ordination of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
It is fitting that the anniversary fell on the feast of Pentecost, as His Beatitude is widely regarded as a man of prayer leading the Ukrainian Orthodox Church through trying times by the grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Met. Onuphry is greatly adored by his flock and admired by Orthodox hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and laity throughout the world.
His Beatitude also marked the 30th anniversary of his episcopal consecration last year and the 50th anniversary of his monastic tonsure earlier this year. Thus, Met. Onuphry has given the greater part of his life to serving the Lord and his fellow Ukrainians.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia offered his congratulations to the Ukrainian primate on the occasion and bestowed upon him the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov:
Please accept my sincere congratulations on this significant date—the 50-year anniversary of your ministry in holy orders.
Having loved the Lord with all your heart and understood that all things are from Him, by Him, and for Him (Rom. 11:36), you decided to receive a theological education and devote your life to the Worker of all things.
Soon you renounced the world and the things which are in the world to fulfill your intention to live the monastic life without blemish, without condemnation and without stain, and you received holy orders and began to carry out various obediences.
Your labors found favor in the eyes of God, and years later He called you to the highest degree of Church ministry. For more than 30 years, you have been carrying out archpastoral work in Ukraine, earnestly testifying to the beauty of the Orthodox faith to those near and far, protecting the flock of Christ’s rational sheep from those who produce divisions and temptations contrary to our teaching (Rom. 16:17).
In recent years, under your wise leadership, much has been done for the development of Church life: New churches have been restored and built, monasteries have been revived, and educational, catechetical, and social services are being implemented. You are ever open to dialogue and interaction with state authorities and public institutions, and representatives of science, education, and culture.
In view of your episcopal labors and in connection with this significant date, I consider it just to award you the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov (First Class).
May the Lord Almighty renew your spiritual and physical strength, and send down vigilance of spirit and His unquenchable help in further archpastoral work for the benefit of the Church.
With love in Christ
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
The Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov is bestowed upon those who have made a special contribution to the revival of monasteries and churches, and pastoral and Church-social activities.
***
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry was tonsured into monasticism at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra on March 18, 1971. He was ordained as a hierodeacon on June 20 of the same year, and as a hieromonk on May 29 the next year. In 1980, he was elevated to the rank of igumen. In 1984, he was appointed rector of the Holy Transfiguration Church Athonite representation Church in the village of Lukino in the Moscow Province. In 1985, he was appointed dean of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, and in 1988—abbot of the Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra.
He was elected Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovina by the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in November 1990, and was consecrated on December 9. He has been a permanent member of the Ukrainian Holy Synod since 1994.
In 1992, Bishop Onuphry was among those hierarchs who took a strong stand against the non-canonical actions of Philaret Denisenko, then the canonical Metropolitan of Kiev.
On August 13, 2014, he was elected Metropolitan of Kiev by the Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
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