Congress of UOC Monasticism starts at Pochayiv Lavra

Participants in the Congress of UOC Monasticism at the Pochayiv Lavra. Photo: t.me/MykolayDanylevych

On July 15, 2021, the Congress of Monasticism of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church commenced its work at the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra. Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, spokesman of the UOC, shared his impressions about the congress in his tg-channel.

According to him, there are about 300 participants in the congress, many of whom the priest has seen for the first time. “It is one thing when you read statistics and another thing when you really see plenty of monks and nuns – and these are only abbots and abbesses (and not all monks, who amount to nearly 5000 in the UOC), many of whom I have seen for the first time."

“Lovely monastic atmosphere. What does it mean? Quiet, peaceful, calm atmosphere. Even before the meeting, the abbots and abbessses engaged in small talk with each other, but not loudly. There is no noise and hum, as is the case at conferences where three hundred participants gather. It is strange that there are so many participants and there is no usual noise. I have been to many conferences and I know how it looks and ‘sounds’, so I pay attention to such details,” Archpriest Nikolai wrote.

He said that the Congress session is held in the Dormition Cathedral of the Pochayiv Lavra, since the participants would not fit inside the Trinity Cathedral, where such events usually take place.

“The faces of the monks are eye-catching, notably the faces of older monks. Their faces are pure, light, a clear reflection of quiet joy, spiritual peace and, I would say, eternity. I didn’t take pictures of them, because it’s somehow inconvenient. It is great to have such a conference,” summed up the spokesman of the UOC.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that there are 255 monastic monasteries in the UOC, in which 4548 monastics carry out their obediences.

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