Elderly woman donates house to Ukrainian parish whose church was violently seized

Gilcha, Rivne Province, Ukraine, September 14, 2023

    

An elderly woman in northwestern Ukraine has donated her house to a parish community that lost its church to violent anti-Orthodox schismatics several months ago.

90-year-old Maria, a resident of the village of Gilcha, Rivne Province, gave her house to the parish community of St. Nicholas, whose church was seized in the spring by representatives of the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” who enjoy the support of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, reports the Information-Education Department of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Photo: news.church.ua Photo: news.church.ua     

After losing both their church and a court case to get it back, the faithful were forced to pray outside. Thus Maria, who was a St. Nicholas parishioner all her life, decided to give her house to the community.

Parishioners spent a few days getting the home ready for services, says rector Archimandrite Herman (Kulakevich).

Many believers came to the first Liturgy in the new church, after which a procession was held around the building.

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9/14/2023

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The priest said that red myrrh appeared on a fresco of the Mother of God, “The Inexhaustible Chalice,” painted on the wall of the church. Church seized and renamed by schismatics last month now stands empty (+VIDEO) Church seized and renamed by schismatics last month now stands empty (+VIDEO) Church seized and renamed by schismatics last month now stands empty (+VIDEO) Church seized and renamed by schismatics last month now stands empty (+VIDEO)
The seizure of the church on April 5 was initiated by local officials and carried out by “people who didn’t attend services and didn’t participate in the building of the church,” the local canonical diocese reported at the time. Authorities admit: in Transcarpathia and Kiev no UOC churches join schismatics Authorities admit: in Transcarpathia and Kiev no UOC churches join schismatics Authorities admit: in Transcarpathia and Kiev no UOC churches join schismatics Authorities admit: in Transcarpathia and Kiev no UOC churches join schismatics
Provincial and city administrations throughout the country have declared bans on the Orthodox Church, and more recently they have begun simply depriving the Church of the plots of land on which its churches sit.

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