UOC Annunciation Church restored after shelling is consecrated in Horlivka

The Annunciation Church of the UOC in Horlivka. Photo: gorlovka-eparhia.com.ua

On October 31, 2021, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Horlivka and Slaviansk performed the rite of consecration of the Annunciation Church of the UOC, built on the site of the temple burnt down from an artillery shell in Horlivka, Donetsk region, reports the official website of the eparchy.

The bishop was concelebrated by the vicar of the Donetsk Eparchy, Archbishop Barnabas of Makeev, the vicar of the Horlivka Eparchy, Bishop Paisiy of Konstantinovka, the deans and the clergy. After the consecration, the Divine Liturgy was held in the restored wooden church.

At the end of the service, Archbishop Barnabas congratulated Metropolitan Mitrofan on the consecration of the temple and on the 45th birthday anniversary, which the ruling bishop of the Horlivka Eparchy celebrated on that day. He also presented Vladyka with a panagia and a cross, donated by Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol.

Metropolitan Mitrofan thanked Archbishop Barnabas and congratulated those present on a significant event in the life of the city. He noted that in this difficult time, Horlivka, like this temple, is undergoing many trials. “Much of what we remembered and saw has been destroyed, and it seems to us that this will never emerge again. But the people who live here have not disappeared, all of you have not disappeared. At your fervent prayers, God blessed that after everything was destroyed, this temple would be restored. In the same way, everything that we have lost can be restored with the help of God – if we have a desire for peace,” Vladyka said.

The bishop presented church awards to the rector of the parish, Archpriest Alexander Pekanov and to those who laboured in the restoration of the church. One of them is parishioner Vasily Varfolomeev, who was near the temple when a shell hit in 2014. He managed to save the altar gospel and antimension from the burning altar. Now the liturgy in the church is celebrated on this antimension.

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