Persecuted community of Verkhni Stanivtsi celebrates archpastoral Liturgy
For the second year in a row, the parishioners have been celebrating their patronal feast day outside the walls of their church, which was seized by OCU supporters with police backing in April 2025.
On May 22, 2026, the persecuted St. Nicholas community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi of the Kitsman Deanery celebrated its patronal feast – the Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is reported by a UOJ correspondent.
Bishop Job of Kitsman arrived to support the parish family and share the joy of the feast with the rector – Mitred Archpriest Ihor Pits. The clergy of the eparchy and numerous faithful joined the celebration. Due to the large number of gathered people, it was decided to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the open air. During the service, prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, for deliverance from the enemy, for those who have lost their homes, and for all people of good will who help the needy.
After the Liturgy, a religious procession was held with the reading of the Gospel and the sprinkling of holy water. Concluding the feast, His Grace Job congratulated the faithful on their patronal day, delivered a sermon, and presented blessed certificates of merit. Rector Archpriest Ihor Pits thanked the hierarch for the celebrated service, the clergy, and all those who prayed for the concelebrated prayer.
This is already the second patronal feast that the faithful are celebrating outside the walls of their church. As the UOJ reported, the persecuted community in Rynhach celebrated Christmas holidays in a house church – such situations are common for many communities in the Chernivtsi region. On April 12, 2025, supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) led by Roman Hryshchuk, with police support, seized the parish church in Verkhni Stanivtsi. Since then, the faithful have been conducting services in an adapted room of a local restaurant.
