On the first Sunday of Great Lent, March 1, 2026, also called the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv.
Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were Archbishop Agapit of Vyshhorod, abbot of the monastery; Bishop Ephraim of Vasylkiv; members of the monastic brotherhood; and invited clergy.
After the Gospel reading, His Beatitude delivered a sermon and offered a special prayer for Ukraine, which is facing serious trials and danger.
In his sermon, Metropolitan Epifaniy reminded the faithful that “the first Sunday of Great Lent reminds us that without the true teaching of the Church and its embodiment in our lives, we cannot attain salvation.”
The veneration of holy icons, he explained, affirms the Church’s faith in the true Incarnation of the Son of God. Icons are not idols, but a testimony to the reality of Christ becoming man and to humanity’s calling to deification through grace.
The Metropolitan emphasized that Orthodoxy is not only about honoring icons, but about preserving “the fullness of the true teaching of the Church and its true embodiment in our life.” Fasting and self-discipline alone do not bring salvation, he noted, because “without true faith in Christ and life in His Church,” such efforts remain only temporary and earthly.
Referring to contemporary challenges, he warned that false teachings continue to trouble the Church, just as iconoclasm once did. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that “truth will prevail” and that genuine Orthodoxy will triumph again.
Source: pomisna
