Two communities, victims of OCU raids, celebrate Pascha in new churches

Pascha 2021 has become special for two communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who have been deprived of their churches seized by the ‘OCU’.

After a raiding attack made by schismatics, who captured on 21 February 2019 the church of the Nativity of St John the Baptist at the Bronitsa village, Kamen-Kashirskiy district, Volyn region, the canonical Church’s community driven away from their church, had to assemble for divine services at an adjusted facility, but this time they celebrated the feast of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ in a new church erected for very few months. The office of the foundation laying was accomplished by Bishop Afanasiy of Kamen-Kashirskyi, vicar of the diocese of Volyn, on November 8, 2020, and already on March 27, 2021, the cupola crosses were blessed and installed on the church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Swift to Hearken' and built by the community instead of the captured one. The photos of the first Paschal Liturgy were published in Facebook by the rector of the community, Rev. Nazary Priymak.

The parishioners of the St. Michael community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Nesvich village, Lutsk district, Volyn region, also celebrated Pascha in a new church build instead of the church taken away by the ‘OCU’. The photos of the Paschal service were published in Facebook by the rector of the community, Archpriest Nikolay Kovalchuk. It is still necessary to carry out a great deal of construction work but the parishioners already assemble in it for divine services.

As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported on its website, because of the raiding actions of the ‘OCU activists, the local St. Michael community of the canonical Church has lost access to their own church since March 4, 2019. Already on March 18, by an order of the head of the Volyn regional state administration, the parish was re-registered in favour of schismatic and later by another order the church, which is an architectural monument, was transferred for use to a newly formed community of the ‘OCU’. At first, the aggrieved community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church assembled at the church house near the church but the people were pushed from it as well. For a long time, the parishioners, who remained faithful to the canonical church, assembled for worship in a tent installed near the church but when colds came, the fellow-villagers were let in her home by one of the parishioners.

Source: patriarchia.ru