Cross procession – 2019: online broadcast

The Cross Procession of the UOC in Kiev on July 27, 2019. Photo: news.church.ua

On July 27, 2019, a cross procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the 1031st anniversary of the Baptism of Rus is held in Kiev.

The UOJ presents news reports about this event, and on July 27 broadcasts online the Cross Procession.

Several Ukrainian TV channels broadcast live the moleben and the Cross Procession. The UOJ presents the live stream of the "Inter” channels, “112” and “NewsOne” TV channels. To expand the video to full screen, click the square in the lower right corner of the video block.

15:25 Online broadcasting is over.

15:24 The pilgrims are in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra: aerial-shooting.

15:20 300,000!

From year to year, the Cross Procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is becoming more numerous: in 2017, about 100,000 pilgrims took part in it, and in 2018 – about 250,000.

15:16 About 300,000 pilgrims have taken part in the Cross Procession, reports the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Borispol and Brovary. According to him, not only Ukrainians but also pilgrims from abroad, in particular, the parishioners of the Romanian Orthodox Church, participate in the Cross Procession.

15:02 The solemn Liturgical service starts at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

14:51 A large number of pilgrims are still descending the Vladimir Hill.

14:49 In a few minutes, a solemn all-night Divine service will begin at the Lavra.

14:45 The head of the procession reaches the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

14:44 The head of the UOC Information and Education Department, Archbishop Nezhinsky and Priluksky, Clement (Vecheria) confirms the preliminary number of participants in the procession – 300,000 people.

14:40 In Arsenalnaya Square, the procession halts to let the ambulance car pass.

14:29 Some experts have already estimated the approximate number of the cross walkers – about 300,000. This is more than last year when 250,000 people took part in the Cross Procession.

14:27 The head of the religious procession is already near the Square of Glory, while there are still many pilgrims on the Vladimir Hill.

14:17 Near the Verkhovna Rada, parishioners of the UOC install stands with photos of the communities whose temples have been seized by the OCU activists.

14:00 Near the Lobanovsky Stadium participants in the procession commemorate and pray for those killed on the Maidan.

13:56 A column of pilgrims floods Trehsviatitelskaya Street, European Square, and already reaches Hrushevsky Street.

13:40 The people who could not get to the Vladimir Hill are standing along Trekhsviatitelskaya Street because of the large number of pilgrims.

13:32 The Cross Procession begins!

13:29 The wonderworking icons are placed at the head of the procession.

13:26 The moleben is over, the clergy are preparing to go in the procession.

13:16 His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry begins to read a thanksgiving prayer.

13:15 The choir sings “Lord, have mercy!” in different languages – Old Church Slavonic, Greek, Romanian to show the unity of the family of Orthodox peoples.

13:14 At the end of the ektinia, a cry was offered at the prayer service by the hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Arseny of Niš (Glavcic), who arrived for the celebrations.

13:14 The moleben on the Vladimir Hill:

12:21 Among the pilgrims on the Vladimir Hill are parishioners of the Holy Dormition Church of the village of Vaslavovtsy, who for 180 days have been defending their church from church raiders.

“We thank you, the persecutors of the Orthodox faith, for strengthening our love for God, for uniting us into one family, for giving us the opportunity to experience what God's Grace is, which every minute supports and gives us strength,” the UOC Information and Education Department cites their words.

12:07 The hierarchs of the UOC arrive at the Vladimir Hill.

12:02 “We want to show that we exist, we – our Orthodox Church,” the pilgrims tell the UOJ reporters. “The media say that someone is going there (to the OCU – Ed.), but we are not going anywhere, we are here, with our Church!”

11:31 The Vladimir Hill at the moment.

11:14 UOJ correspondents report that this year the mood of the people is brighter and more joyous than in the previous years. Then, as we wrote, the police blocked the transport with pilgrims at the entrances to Kiev, in every possible way trying to prevent the believers from getting to the cross procession.

11:03 At the pedestal of the monument to St. Prince Vladimir, five wonderworking icons which will participate in the Cross Procession are installed.

10:44 In Hrushevsky Street near the Cabinet of Ministers, the police also put a cordon. Pilgrims going to the Vladimir Hill from the side of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra are searched through with metal detectors.

10:29 People continue to arrive at the Vladimir Hill to venerate the icons of the Mother of God.

10:17 Pilgrims are gathering on the Vladimir Hill.

10:04 At the passage from Maidan Nezalezhnosti, people are being passed through a police cordon.

9:57 The clergy and believers are venerating the saints of the Caves in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.

9:52 Near the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

UOC calendar of events

July 27

10:00 – opening of the passage to the Vladimir Hill.

13:00 – a thanksgiving prayer on the Vladimir Hill led by the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine in concelebration with a host of UOC bishops and guests from the Local Orthodox Churches.

13:30 – The Great Cross Procession to the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

On arrival at the Lavra - a solemn vigil.

July 28

9:00 - solemn Divine Liturgy on the square in front of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry in concelebration with a host of the hierarchs of the UOC and Local Orthodox Churches.

At the end of the liturgy – the solemn glorification of St. Basil (Bogdashevsky), St. Sylvestre (Malevansky) and professor of the KTA martyr Alexander Glagolev.

Shrines

At the solemn prayer service, there will be great shrines: the relics of the holy Prince Vladimir the Baptist and the foot of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

In addition, the relics of 18 confessors of our land, who were persecuted for their faith and deprived of temples and shrines, will be delivered to Kiev:

• St. Luke the Crimean;
• Rev. Alexy of Karpatrus;
• Rev. Lawrence of Chernigov;
• Rev. Kuksha of Odessa;
• Holy Martyr Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky);
• Rev. Amphilochius of Pochaev;
• Holy Righteous Pyotr Kalnyshevsky – the last ataman of the Zaporizhian Sich;
• Synaxis of 11 Svyatogorsk saints.

Wonderworking Icons

В крестном ходе и других торжествах примут участие 5 чудотворных икон:5 wonderworking icons will take part in the cross procession and other celebrations:

• Zimne icon of the Mother of God;
• Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God;
• Kasperovskaya icon of the Mother of God;
• Svyatogorsk icon of the Mother of God;
• "The Assumption of the Virgin" icon from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The relics and wonderworking icons will be located in the Refectory Church of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Pilgrims will have 24-hour access to them in order to venerate the shrines. Akathist readings and prayers will be continuously performed near the shrines.

"The cross procession" of schismatics

On July 28, the traditional religious procession of schismatics will take place in Kiev. Previously, it was conducted by the Kiev Patriarchate, now – by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

On Sunday, the head of the OCU Epiphanius Dumenko will serve in the territory of the St. Sophia of Kiev, and then the “Ukrainian cross procession” sets off to the monument to Prince Vladimir.

“We invite you to join the celebration of the 1031st anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine,” says the announcement on the OCU page on Facebook. “With God's blessing this year, we will celebrate this important event in our independent united local Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”

On July 28, the traditional religious procession of schismatics will take place in Kiev. Previously, it was conducted by the Kiev Patriarchate, now – by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

On Sunday, the head of the OCU Epiphanius Dumenko will serve in the territory of the St. Sophia of Kiev, and then the “Ukrainian cross procession” sets off to the monument to Prince Vladimir.

“We invite you to join the celebration of the 1031th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine,” says the announcement on the OCU page on Facebook. “With God's blessing this year, we will celebrate this important event in our independent united local Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”

The procession takes place along the route: St. Sophia of Kiev – Vladimirsky passage – Mikhailovskaya Square – Trekhsviatitelskaya Street - Vladimirskaya Gorka Park, to the monument to Prince Vladimir.

Phanar delegation

This year, a delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople will come to the celebrations of the OCU. Patriarch Bartholomew said in an interview with TSN that Phanariots will bring the relics and the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called to Ukraine.

“We would like to wish you every blessing from God, as well as a successful celebration of the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus and the Day of Remembrance of St. Vladimir,” he said. “This year, a reverend delegation from the Mother Church of Constantinople will arrive in Ukraine for the celebrations, which will bring with them the invaluable relics of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called to be venerated by pious Ukrainian people.”

Every year the cross procession of the UOC gathers more and more pilgrims. In 2017, more than 100,000 believers participated in it, in 2018 there were already 250,000 people. During these years, the Ukrainian authorities and radical nationalist organizations have attempted to hinder the participants and organize all sorts of provocations, while the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in every way advertised the procession of the schismatics on July 28. However, the cross procession of the UOC took place safely every time and was attended by representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches who came to support the canonical Church in Kiev.

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