UOC believers pray in the rain near Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On 8 November 2023, the day of commemoration of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the faithful of the UOC continued their daily prayer standing near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Telegram channel kozakTv1 reports.

The clergy and laypeople prayed despite the cold, rain, and the shouts of anti-church "activists" who traditionally tried to disrupt the worship service.

Father Dimitri, who led the prayer, addressed those present with a sermon in which he spoke about his heavenly patron. He emphasized that the saint, while holding an important government position in the pagan Roman Empire, openly confessed his faith in Christ.

"We are in great need of people like St. Demetrius today," the priest said. "Unfortunately, many godless individuals, lacking the fear of God, come to power, and as a result, we all suffer."

As earlier reported, Archpriest Georgy Boyko, the rector of the Intercession Church of the UOC in the village of Novi Petrivtsi in the Kyiv region, said that believers should defend the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from desecration.