Persecuted parish in Tsarivka celebrates its feast day in a house chapel
The faithful have been praying in an improvised space for three years, after their church was seized by OCU supporters.
The Orthodox community of the UOC in the villages of Tsarivka and Novohorodske, Zhytomyr region, celebrated its patronal feast on the day of the commemoration of the holy right-believing Grand Prince of Kyiv, Alexander Nevsky. According to the Zhytomyr Eparchy’s press service, the faithful gathered for prayer in an adapted facility.
The parishioners have been forced to worship in this makeshift setting for three years, since the raider seizure of their Church of St. Alexander Nevsky by supporters of the OCU.
The festive Divine Liturgy was led by Archpriest Dionisiy Hrytsyuk, dean of the Korostyshiv district, concelebrated by parish rector Archpriest Valeriy Armanov.
During the service, prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine and for its defenders.
As the UOJ reported, on April 13, 2023, OCU raiders seized the Alexander Nevsky Church of the UOC on their sixth attempt.
