Odessa province, Ukraine, July 8
Photo: spzh.eu
On July 6, 2025, a procession of thousands took place in Odessa province, as pilgrims made their way to the Holy Protection Monastery in the village of Marinovka. The faithful covered a distance of approximately 10 kilometers, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
The procession was accompanied by the chanting of church hymns. Upon entering the holy monastery, the pilgrims were solemnly welcomed by Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail, together with hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On the same day, a festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the monastery, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the monastery’s founding and the feast of the wonderworking Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God. The service was presided over by Metropolitan Agafangel, concelebrated by Metropolitans Philaret (of Lvov), Barsanuphius (of Vinnitsa), Victor (of Khmelnitsky), Archbishop Sylvester, and vicar bishops of the Odessa diocese.
After the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a solemn procession took place around the monastery. At the close of the celebration, Metropolitan Agafangel delivered a homily, gave thanks to God for His mercies, and called upon the faithful to preserve their faith and pray for peace in Ukraine.
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In 2015, The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church elevated the parish church of the Protection in Marinovka to a skete under the auspices of the Holy Dormition Monastery of Odessa.
Shortly after its founding, the skete initiated construction of Ukraine’s first Orthodox palliative care hospice—a multi-story facility meant to provide both spiritual and medical support to the terminally ill. The monastic community also grew and built its own facilities, and now serves as a religious, cultural, and place of pilgrimage in the region—combining liturgical life, monasticism, and care for the vulnerable.
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The original Tikhvin icon is preserved in the Monastery of the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God in the village of Tikhvin in northern Russia, about 200 kilometers east of St. Petersburg. During Soviet rule, the icon was brought to the United States by Bishop John (Garklavs) of Riga in 1949, under the pretext that it was a simple reproduction, and remained in Chicago—honored and venerated at the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Trinity Cathedral—from 1949 until July 2004. It was Bishop John’s wish that the icon be returned to Russia after the fall of communism, when the holy shrine would be safe from destruction by godless authorities.
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