On the third day of the Great Lent, the first Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts of the liturgical year is celebrated. The divine service in the Dormition Cathedral was performed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the Holy Archimandrite of the Kyiv -Caves Lavra.

The Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was joined in service by the Vicegerent of the Holy Caves Monastery, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, Bishop Laurus of Irpen, Bishop Mark of Borodyanka as well as the monastic brethren in priesthood.

Before the Liturgy, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius and Metropolitan Pavel prayed according to the canonic fraternal divine service order in the Great Church.

During the Great Lent, except Saturday and Sunday, the complete Liturgy is not to be performed. However, in order to preserve the possibility for people to approach the Chalice and partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Church established to serve the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, which enables the faithful to accept the Holy Sacraments.

The Consecration of the Gifts is performed heretofore on Sunday at the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts is celebrated only during the Great Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, on the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 23), on Thursday of the 5th week of the Lent (the Maria’s Standing service, this year on April 15).

During the service, augmented prayers were raised for the cessation of the “withering pestilence” and for gracing God’s help to doctors.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius thanked everyone for prayers, congratulated all the participants on the acceptance of the Life-giving Sacraments of Christ and appealed for God’s blessing for the parish.

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