Kiev, June 28, 2023
Photo: rtvi.com
Even amidst the ongoing war and the state’s attempts to deprive them of their home, the brotherhood of the Holy Dormition-Kiev Caves Lavra remains faithful and finds cause to celebrate.
On Sunday, the monastery prayerfully commemorated the 35th anniversary of the revival of monastic life, which began in 1988, when the Church celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’. At that time, the territory and buildings around the Far Caves were returned to the use of the Church, the Lavra reports.
“From this historical moment, every year the Kiev Caves Lavra was adorned both externally and internally with the prayers and labors of the inhabitants, parishioners, and pilgrims, regaining its former glory as a spiritual center,” the monastery reflects. “For the past 35 years, the lamp of prayer in this portion of the Most Holy Theotokos has never been extinguished for a single day.”
Photo: lavra.ua
The monastery anniversary also coincided with the name’s day of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, who celebrated the Liturgy in another Kiev monastery on Sunday.
In honor of both occasions, prayers of thanksgiving were offered to God during the Sunday services for His great mercies shown to His servants.
The All-Night Vigil was celebrated in both the St. Agapit and the Holy Cross Churches, and the brothers’ early Divine Liturgy was celebrated the next day in the Holy Cross Church.
Following the Liturgy, a moleben of thanksgiving was served. Many years was then sung for Met. Onuphry, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox flock.
The monastery was revived as Soviet persecution waned. Now, the monastery is fighting to survive under revived persecution. The Church has already been evicted from the main cathedrals of the Upper Lavra, and the state is desperately looking for a way to banish the monks from the Lavra entirely.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
