UOC hierarch leads patronal feast for persecuted parish in Blahodatne
Metropolitan Theodosiy celebrated the Dormition Liturgy in a makeshift worship space in the village of Blahodatne.
The Dormition parish in the village of Blahodatne, Zolotonosha district, celebrated its patronal feast in a makeshift worship space, according to the Telegram channel Photo Chronicle of Orthodox Cherkasy Region.
The festive service for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was led by Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv. Despite losing its church building, the parish continues to exist: the faithful hold services and celebrate Church feasts in premises they managed to find as a replacement for the seized church.
Meanwhile, the seized church stands empty and locked.
As the UOJ reported, the church in Blahodatne was seized by OCU activists in the spring of 2025. At 5:30 a.m. on March 12, 2025, a group of raiders broke down the doors of the church and took over the Dormition Church. The OCU raiders took advantage of the rector’s illness.
