On the first Sunday of the Holy Forty Days, which is known as the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the divine services at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra were presided over by the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

Before the Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great, a special thanksgiving moleben was served on the occasion of the feast. During the service in the church dedicated to the Venerable Agapitus of the Caves, His Beatitude was concelebrated by Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka, Bishop Lavr of Irpin, Bishop Mark of Borodianka, the brethren and visiting clergy, led by the dean of the monastery, Archimandrite Hilarion.

After the reading of the festal Gospel, the Primate addressed the faithful with a sermon, reminding them of the history of the establishment of this feast.

“Today we offer a thanksgiving service, because the Lord has vouchsafed us to be Orthodox,” continued His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. “We love all people — those of other faiths and even the unbelieving; we love everyone. Yet love does not mean that we share their views. It does not signify agreement with their errors. We love a person as God’s creation, but there are human teachings with which we do not agree. This is not an offence to the person, but rather a reminder that one must correct oneself according to the pure and holy Orthodox faith, if one desires salvation. We thank the Lord that He has vouchsafed us to be Orthodox. And our task is to live our life in an Orthodox manner — not only to bear the name, but to live according to this faith and to attain eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!”

At the Liturgy, almost all the Lavra parishioners and numerous pilgrims gathered in the church that day received Holy Communion.

At the conclusion of the service, the Head of the UOC once again congratulated all the faithful on the feast and imparted his archpastoral blessing.

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