Celebration of the Feast day of the Baptism of Russia in Kiev

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine officiated the traditional rite of thanksgiving at the monument to the Holy Prince Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia, on Vladimirskaya Gora in Kiev, on July 27, 2021.

Representatives of the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Serbian Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia, bishops, clergy and monks from all dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and tens of thousands of Orthodox believers took part in the service.

The choir of the Kiev Theological Academy and Theological Seminary under the direction of Archimandrite Roman (Pidlubnyak) sang. Prayers and thanksgiving to God were offered at the service for the abundance of blessings that he gave to this country and that he chose this people to receive the Orthodox faith through the Holy Prince Vladimir. Prayers were offered for the Church to be saved from schisms and troubles, for love to be multiplied among the people and for peace and prosperity to prevail in the Ukrainian state.

At the end of the prayer, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry addressed the gathered with greetings and spiritual lessons: "I cordially congratulate you on the Day of the Baptism of Russia - the day of the spiritual birth of our people! May God help us with the prayers of the Holy Prince Vladimir. May God protect us with the prayers of His Immaculate Mother. "

After the prayer, tens of thousands of faithful marched through the central streets of the capital towards the Kiev Monastery of the Caves in a magnificent liturgy with the miraculous relics of the Holy Prince Vladimir and the icons of the Most Holy Mother of God.

The procession was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine  with representatives of the local Orthodox Churches, hierarchs, clergy and monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

As Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary,the manager of the affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, later pointed out at the press conference that in the prayerful procession more than 350,000 Orthodox believers took part, who passed through the central streets of Kiev from Vladimirska Gora to the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, where they participated in a solemn All-night Vigil.

The relics of the Holy Prince Vladimir and the miraculous icons of the Most Holy Mother of God - Pochayevskaya and Zimnenska, brought from the west of the country, Svyatogorska from the east and Kasperovska from the northern part of Ukraine, were carried in the liturgy.

During the procession, Metropolitan Onuphry prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died in the tragic events of February 2014.

At the moment when the hierarchs and priests had already gathered on the square in front of the Church of the Dormition of the Kiev Monastery of the Caves to serve the All-night Vigil, the pilgrims continued to arrive in a long procession through the streets of the capital, singing prayer songs. After the liturgy and the vigil, the miraculous icons were exposed to the faithful people for worship in the church of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk in the Kiev Monastery of the Caves.

After the All-night Vigil, Metropolitan Onuphry received representatives of the local Orthodox Churches who took part in festivities. The Serbian Patriarchate was represented by the envoys of His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch, vicar bishops Stefan of Remesiana and Jerotej of Toplica

On July 28, on the very day of the holiday, Metropolitan Onuphry served the Holy Liturgy on the square in front of the Dormition Cathedral church. On the same day, at noon, bells will ring in all churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Source: news.church.ua