Kiev, June 26, 2023
news.church.ua
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, celebrated his name’s day this weekend. He was joined by hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and laity from throughout Ukraine, and also received congratulations from primates and hierarchs from several Local Orthodox Churches.
On Saturday, on the eve of his name’s day and the Third Sunday After Pentecost, His Beatitude led the All-Night Vigil in the main church of St. Panteleimon Convent in Kiev.
The Ukrainian primate was concelebrated by dozens of Ukrainian hierarchs and clerics, reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
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The service was also attended by the abbesses and nuns of various monasteries, sisters of mercy, and clergy and pilgrims from various dioceses.
On Sunday, Met. Onuphry led the Divine Liturgy for his name’s day in the same church at St. Panteleimon Convent. He was again concelebrated by a host of hierarchs and clergy, with monastics, clergy, and pilgrims from throughout Ukraine attending the service.
Prayers for peace in Ukraine and for the suffering were offered during the services. His Beatitude ordained a graduate of the Kiev Theological Academy to the diaconate during the Liturgy.
After the dismissal, “Many years” were proclaimed for Met. Onuphry and congratulations from the primates and representatives of other Local Churches were read out (see below). His Eminence Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa read the congratulatory message from the Ukrainian Holy Synod.
The Ukrainian primate thanked everyone for their prayers and support and offered a homily about how we can all become like the desert father St. Onuphrios the Great.
According to His Beatitude, St. Onuphrios deliberately hid from people and the world. Only 60 years after he went into the desert was he discovered by another ascetic—St. Paphnutios—thanks to whom the life and exploits of St. Onuphrios became known, and now his memory is still revered by Orthodox Christians today.
“St. Onuphrios is an example for us of how to love God and what grace-filled gifts a man will receive when he gives everything to God,” Met. Onuphry said. While we may not be able to emulate his exact ascetic deeds, we can imitate the saint if we humble ourselves to the best of our abilities, endure each other, love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray to God.
The Metropolitan also recalled that his Heavenly patron promised before his repose that he would help those who honor his memory.
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“May the Lord, through the prayers of St. Onuphrios, help us to preserve the purity of the holy faith, help us to be truthful and non-vindictive amidst malice and injustice, help us to forgive and love those who do not love us, as these are earthly matters that lead a person on the path to the Heavenly Kingdom,” His Beatitude prayed.
After the homily, all the faithful approached to congratulate Met. Onuphry on his name’s day and receive his blessing.
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The faithful of the Russian Church raised their prayers for Met. Onuphry at Divine Liturgy across the nation on Sunday.
Primates and hierarchs of many Local Churches also sent their greetings to Met. Onuphry:
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia of Georgia: May St. Onuphry take care of you before God, so that the Lord will continue to generously grant you the power of prayer, patience, humility, love, kindness, wisdom… You are already rewarded with all these graces, but the challenges that Ukraine and your Church face require special efforts. May the Lord help you bear this burden and bless you with peace!
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia: On my behalf personally and on behalf of the fullness of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we send you heartfelt congratulations and prayerful wishes on the occasion of the celebration of the memory of your defender before the Lord, St. Onuphrios the Great. Imbibing the grace-filled dew which the All-merciful God generously pours out upon His elect, in the spirit of brotherly love and unity in the one Cup of the Body and Blood of the Lord, we offer fervent prayers to your intercessor, St. Onuphrios, that he may always be your advocate and intercessor before the throne of the Lord, that you may be guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit in a sober spirit and bodily strength, for many good years, wisely leading the ship of salvation of all gathered under your archpastoral omophorion.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland: Sincerely, in the spirit of brotherly love in Christ Jesus, I greet you on the day of your namesake. I wish you good health and God’s abundant help, which will contribute to your difficult service as primate of the Church in the difficult conditions of today’s life of holy Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia: May the day of Your Beatitude’s namesake be a ray of spiritual joy in the darkness of what is happening. In our prayers, we always ask God to strengthen you and the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church in these days of wrath, sorrow, and necessity (Zeph. 1:15). May the Lord preserve you with His mercy and generosity, through the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God, St. Onuphrios the Great, and all the saints!
His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada: I would like to take this opportunity to once again assure Your Beatitude of our personal brotherly love in Christ for you and of our constant prayers for Your Beatitude and your flock. I would also like to emphasize the love of the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America for their brothers and sisters in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the omophorion of Your Beatitude… Know that I and the entire Orthodox Church in America are close to Your Beatitude and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in this time of sorrow, war, and persecution, and please accept our love and our prayers along with our congratulations on your name’s day.
His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid and Macedonia: On behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Archbishopric of Ohrid, on our own behalf personally and in the entirety of our Local Church, we congratulate you on the occasion of the day of your Heavenly patron saint, St. Onuphrios the Great. Our God, knowing your proven righteousness, has entrusted you with the cross, responsibility, and obedience of the administration of the Kiev Metropolitanate during great trials for the Church and the faithful people of Ukraine. Your Beatitude, cordially congratulating you on your name’s day, we wish you good health, peaceful days, and many more years of service on the throne of the Kiev Metropolitans, constantly strengthened by the intercession of the Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech (Bulgarian Orthodox Church): Dear Vladyka, as the archpastor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, you faithfully serve God and the people in a divisive and restless world, while at the same time resembling the Venerable Onuphrios of the wilderness in silence, prayer, and contemplation. The Holy Fathers say that the Lord sends great shepherds to those nations whom He loves during times of great trials. Dear Vladyka, with your self-sacrificing service, you have shown your people and the whole world that you are the shepherd of whom Christ said in the Holy Gospel: The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11).
His Grace Bishop Irinej of Bačka (Serbian Orthodox Church): I sincerely congratulate you on the day of your namesake, wishing you good health and grace-filled strength, to serve for many blessed years for the benefit and joy of not only the holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but also the entire universal holy Orthodoxy. I cannot but take the opportunity to prayerfully wish you new grace-filled strength from all my heart in your confessional struggle for the purity and unity of holy Orthodoxy in your native Ukrainian land and in our Orthodox world as a whole.
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