His Beatitude leads the last Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts of the year

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

On April 16, 2025, on Great Wednesday, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine officiated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Panteleimon Monastery in Feofania, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

The service was held in the main cathedral of the monastery, with the Metropolitan being concelebrated by the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Antoniy of Boryspil and Brovary, the rector of the Panteleimon Cathedral of the monastery, Archbishop Serafim of Yahotyn, Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka, Archbishop Dionysiy of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Bishop Lavr of Irpin, Bishop Mark of Borodianka, Bishop Arkadiy of Hostomel, and clergy from Kyiv and the eparchy.

During the service, the abbess of the monastery, Hegumeness Elisaveta (Andreeva), prayed with the sisters of the monastery alongside the archpastor.

At the small entrance, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry honored the clergy of the Kyiv Eparchy, of which he is the ruling hierarch, with liturgical awards.

At the Litany of Supplication, special petitions were offered to the Lord for peace in Ukrainian land and deliverance from the enemy; for the Lord to have mercy on our people and protect those who are in despair and have lost their homes; for God's blessing on the people of goodwill who help those in need. In the prayer after the Litany, the Beatitude archpastor asked God for mercy for the Ukrainian people, that the Lord would grant wisdom to the authorities, strengthen the courage of the soldiers, free the captives, heal the sick, and provide shelter for the homeless.

At the end of the service, His Beatitude read the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian for the last time this year.

“May the Lord accept our repentance as precious ointment, which the sinner brought, so that we too may be worthy to see the Lord risen in glory,” said the Primate and blessed the congregation.

On Great Wednesday, the Church remembers the woman who anointed the Lord Jesus Christ with precious ointment before His sufferings. Her love is contrasted with the malice of Judas, who betrayed his Teacher right after this event because he regretted the money spent on the ointment. The liturgical texts of this day call on the faithful to join the evangelical woman and offer their tears to the Lord as ointment.

Earlier, the UOJ recalled what events took place during Holy Week.

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