Met. Augustine prays for Ukraine with Ukrainian soldiers on front line

Clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbas. Photo: Facebook page of Archpriest Oleksandr Klymenko

The Synodal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Cooperation with the AFU, headed by Metropolitan Augustine of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav, visited Ukrainian military positions in the Donbas with a spiritual and humanitarian mission.

The priests drove the route from Dnipro to Druzhkivka, visited Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, Liman, and Kupiansk, and ended with a thanksgiving service in Kharkiv, reports the press service of the UOC Military Clergy on its YouTube channel.

"We pray that our defenders will return alive and unharmed to their homes," said Archpriest Viacheslav Yakovenko, deputy head of the Synodal Department. “And so that we can build our home state – our Ukraine – together. Our fighters need attention, spiritual, moral and all-around support. And, as always, the UOC has been with its people.”

Archpriest Oleksandr Klymenko, who led a team of carolers during the trip, wished the Ukrainian military to see more of the joy of Christ's birth so that it could fill the whole world:

"We look at you and try to find joy. And I wish you, your relatives, to create this joy within yourselves. The Lord really was born for everyone, the Lord brings joy to everyone, your children, who will sing to you, ask to pray with you before meals and sing Christmas carols.”

As one of the leaders of the brigade, which was visited by the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said, his unit has been carrying out combat missions in the war zone since the early days of the war. He thanked the clergy for supporting the soldiers and invited UOC chaplains to his brigade:

"You were almost among the first to come to our brigade. We thank you very much for that. We only have one chaplain in the brigade, so there are four more positions available. If you have the opportunity, join us, we will be glad."

As reported, parishioners and clergy of the UOC Eparchy Rivne raised money for a Honda cr-v SUV and donated it to the AFU Special Operations Forces.

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