His Beatitude leads patronal feast of temple of Kyiv Theological Schools

On December 17, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry led the Divine Liturgy at the Academic Church of the Kyiv Theological Schools of St. John of Damascus on the occasion of the patronal feast and the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara. This was reported by the KDAiS press service.

During the service, His Beatitude was concelebrated by: the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC, Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna, the Chairman of the Educational Committee under the Holy Synod of the UOC, Metropolitan Clement of Nizhyn and Pryluky, the Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka, the Vice-Rector for Educational Work, Archbishop Ambrosiy of Zghurivka, Archbishop Lavr of Irpin, Archbishop Mark of Borodianka, Archbishop Kyrylo of Byshiv, the Vice-Rector for Academic and Methodological Work, Bishop Panteleimon of Baturyn, and the Head of the Postgraduate Department of the Kyiv Theological Academy, Bishop Filaret of Baryshivka.

Together with the archpastors, the Secretary of the Kyiv Eparchy for the city of Kyiv, Viktor Ivashchuk, members of the administration, teachers, staff, and students of the Kyiv Theological Schools, as well as numerous guests in holy orders, participated in the service. During the liturgy, teachers, students, and pupils of KDAiS, parishioners of the Academic Church, and pilgrims of the monastery prayed.

During the service, special petitions and a prayer were offered for peace on Ukrainian soil, for the preservation of those in despair and those who have lost their homes, as well as for God’s blessing upon the people who help the needy.

During the solemn service, Metropolitan Onuphry ordained the graduate of the Pochaiv Theological Seminary, reader Vitaliy Shevchenko, as deacon.

At the end of the liturgy, a rite of glorification was performed before the icons of St. John of Damascus and the Holy Great Martyr Barbara. His Beatitude congratulated everyone on the patronal feast and invoked God's blessing on the flock.

As reported by the UOJ, during the Sunday service at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Primate of the UOC reminded the faithful of the significance of almsgiving and self-sacrifice for the sake of God and neighbor.