The UOC Primate and thousands of believers revered Pochaev icon of the Mother of God
On August 5, the holiday of Pochaev icon of the Mother of God, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphriy of Kiev and all Ukraine held a Divine Liturgy in Transfiguration Cathedral of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra. It is reported by the UOC Awareness-Raising Department.
Before the beginning of the worship service His Beatitude visited the sanctities: relics of the Venerables Job and Amphilohiy of Pochaev and bent before the heel of the Holy Mother of God.
Thousands of believers from various regions of Ukraine and abroad came to pray at the service.
After reading of the Gospel the Metropolitan addressed numerous parishioners with a sermon.
During the Liturgy there was offered a special prayer for peace in Ukraine and rest of the soul of newly departed schema-archimandrite Jeremy, hegumen of the Russian Saint Panteleimon monastery on Athos.
At the end of the solemn worship there was held a Cross procession with Pochaev icon of the Mother of God to the Lavra’s Holy Dormition Cathedral where a festive moleben took place.
It is to be reminded the history of Pochaev icon of the Mother of God dates back to the middle of XVI century when future Constantinople Patriarch Neophytus, visiting the lands of contemporary Ternopol region, gifted property owner Anna Goyskaya with this icon for her offering night accommodation to vladyka. In 1597 the miraculous icon was transferred to the Pochaev Lavra. In summer of 1675, during the Zbarazh war with Turkey, the monastery was saved from Tatar khan Nurredin upon praying before the icon of the Mother of God. The icon has been kept in the Pochaev Lavra up to the present day.
