Kiev, December 27, 2022
Despite the struggles of the ongoing war and the state’s progressing plans to remove the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Kiev Caves Lavra, the monastic life of prayer and asceticism continues there.
On Sunday evening, four men took monastic vows in the cave Church of St. Anthony of the Caves. The service was celebrated by the monastery abbot, His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, reports the Lavra press service.
In particular, Hierodeacons Elisha and Avenir were tonsured into the mantia with the names Agafon and Simon, and the riassphore monks Gabriel and Aviv were tonsured with the names Selaphiel and Gregory.
Met. Pavel encouraged the newly tonsured monks to arm themselves with courage, patience, and faith, and wished that they might inherit the Kingdom of Heaven on the monastic path through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints of the Kiev Caves.
The monks then went to the Holy Cross Church, where they are spending three days in incessant prayer.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
