Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, during his first pastoral visit to the Poltava Eparchy on September 21, 2024, in the village of Dykanka, consecrated a church dedicated to St. Luke of Simferopol.
Metropolitan Fedir of Poltava and Kremenchuk, Archbishop Agapit of Vyshgorod, Archpriest Mykhailo Chumak, the rector of the church, along with local clergy, concelebrated with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine during the consecration and Divine Liturgy.
The service was attended by defenders of Ukraine, medical professionals, local authorities, and numerous faithful.
After the reading of the Gospel, the Metropolitan offered a special prayer to the Lord, especially during this time of danger for Ukraine. Prayers were also offered for the soldiers defending Ukraine, the government, and all the people.
Addressing the congregation, the Primate emphasized the significance of the church in the life of a Christian.
“Today is a day of great joy for us, as we have jointly consecrated this beautiful church in honor of St. Luke of Crimea. We pray and invoke God’s blessing upon this church, for each of us, as Christians, the church is a sacred place where we come to be filled with Divine grace, which strengthens both our physical and spiritual selves.
Divine grace is invisible, but when we pray, when we gather together, we feel its intangible presence in our souls and hearts. We experience peace within, we sense the touch of God, and then we are truly happy.
We all seek happiness, and for each of us, happiness takes on different forms. However, the highest expression of happiness is found in God. When we offer prayers and feel this connection between ourselves and God, then we can truly call ourselves happy. And we can achieve this in the house of God,” said Metropolitan Epifaniy.
The Primate also urged fervent prayer for the defenders of Ukraine and called on everyone to do whatever is necessary to ensure Ukraine’s victory in the war against the aggressor.
“We have no right to give up. We must continue to remain spiritually strong, to encourage one another in these difficult times, and to do everything in our power to bring about our shared Ukrainian victory. On the home front, we must not forget that the war is ongoing, and we must pray, work, and contribute to bring this victory closer.
In our prayers, we remember those who are fighting, and we honor those who are no longer with us. It is our sacred duty to remember and pray, never to forget, and never to let their heroic deeds be in vain. After all, our future is in our hands,” the Primate concluded.
At the conclusion of the solemn service, His Beatitude congratulated the community and the rector on the significant occasion—the consecration of the church—and bestowed high ecclesiastical honors upon the defenders of Ukraine, the church’s founder and benefactors, as well as doctors and faithful parishioners.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Epifaniy also consecrated a monument dedicated to St. Luke.
Source: pomisna
