Gorlice, Poland, September 9, 2022
news.church.ua
Hierarchs of the Polish and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches came together earlier this week to celebrate the memory of Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, the first saint canonized by the Polish Church in 1994.
At the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Paisjusz of Przemyśl and Gorlice, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexei of Voznesensk and Pervomaisk and His Eminence Archbishop Viktor of Baryshevka of the Ukrainian Church made the trip to neighboring Poland to commemorate this great of Carpatho-Rus’.
news.church.ua
The All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Gorlice were led by Met. Alexei, together with Abp. Paisjusz, His Eminence Archbishop Abel of Lublin and Chełm (Polish Church), and Bp. Viktor, as well as clergy from Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, reports the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The Gospel homily was offered by Met. Alexei from the Ukrainian Church.
The service concluded with a solemn procession around the cathedral with the relics of St. Maxim.
news.church.ua
At the end of the service, the local ruling hierarch, Abp. Paisjusz thanked all the guests who served and who came to honor St. Maxim. In turn, Bp. Viktor conveyed the greetings of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and gifted the Archbishop with the icon of the Mother of God “Look Upon my Humility.”
He also thanked the bishops of the Polish Church and His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland personally for their unwavering support of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and for the comprehensive spiritual and material assistance provided by the Polish Church to Ukrainian refugees.
L to R: Bp. Viktor, Abp. Abel, Met. Alexei, Abp. Paisjusz. Photo: news.church.ua
After the service, all pilgrims were invited to trapeza, and the Ukrainian hierarchs had an opportunity to speak with and spiritually comfort Ukrainian refugees who attended the feast.
OrthoChristian reported yesterday that hierarchs and clergy of the Ukrainian and Russian Churches, and of the Orthodox Church in America also recently concelebrated with hierarchs of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Hieromartyr Gorazd.
Read about St. Maxim in the article, “Martyr of Carpatho-Rus’—the Holy New Martyr Maxim Sandovich.”
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