His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry celebrates his birthday

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Photo: news.church.ua

November 5 is the birthday of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

Orest Berezovsky (a secular name of the future Primate) was born in 1944 in the village of Korytnoye, Vashkovtsi district, Chernivtsi region, into a priest's family. After he had received his education at a technical school, worked and studied at university, he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. While still a student, he took monastic vows at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. He had various commitments in the Church: he was the Dean of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the governor of the Pochaev Lavra and head of the Chernivtsi diocese. On August 13, 2014, according to the results of a secret ballot, Metropolitan Onuphry was elected the Primate of the UOC.

The hierarchs, clergy and flock of the UOC congratulate their Archpastor on his 76th birthday.

“On the 76th anniversary of his birth, we prayerfully wish His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine the all-powerful help of God in his Primate's ministry, good health, spiritual joy, peace and love. May the All-Gracious Lord always generously endow our Primate and all the believers of our Ukrainian Orthodox Church with mercy and bounty!" wrote the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, on his Facebook page.

The greeting address to the Primate from Metropolitan Luka (Kovalenko) was published on the website of the Zaporizhia diocese.

“With your life, you testify to the true joy of being, the joy of communion with God, the joy of life in accordance with the gospel law,” the hierarch notes in his congratulations.

You have the lot of Primate ministry in a complicated period in the history of Ukraine. The economic, political and social difficulties that our country is going through require wisdom, patience and spiritual judgment from Your Beatitude.

We believe that by your prayers and active efforts on our blessed land, Orthodox faith, civil harmony and stability will be built. We have a desire from the bottom of our hearts to faithfully help in this cause. We constantly pray to God and ask Him that the Giver of all blessings will bestow upon Your Beatitude good health, fortitude in following the path of Christian testimony and abundant help in bearing the difficult cross of the Primate's ministry!”

“Congratulations to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry on his 76th birthday !!! Many summers,” wrote Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnytsia and Bar on Facebook.

Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) also congratulated the UOC Primate on his Facebook page.

On the birthday of the UOC Primate, teachers and students of the Kyiv Theological Academy prayed for him in the Academic church.

“Your Beatitude! On this festive Day of your birthday, Kyiv theological schools, together with the multimillion flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, offer their fervent prayers to the Great God and our Savior to keep you in good health and good spirits. May the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints, who have shone in our Fatherland in exploits, be constant intercessors for Your Beatitude and our Ukrainian people,” they wished the Primate in congratulations on the KDAiS Facebook page.

“November 5 is the birthday of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Although, according to the monastic tradition, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry does not celebrate birthdays, all of us, the children of our Church, heartily congratulate him on this day and thank God that we have such a wise Primate, who in difficult times is a symbol of the church unity and firmness for the purity of the Orthodox faith. Many happy returns of the day!” wrote on his Facebook page Archimandrite Chrysostom (Grishchenko), abbot of the Zverinetsky monastery.

Believers of the Rivne diocese recorded a video with congratulations to the Primate and a musical composition.

The Archpastor was also congratulated by the Odessa diocese. “We congratulate our dear Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, on his birthday!!! We wish him many, long, saving years of the Primate's ministry!” wrote the diocese's Facebook page.

“Today is the birthday of our Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine! He is 76 years old! We congratulate him and wish him good health, God's help, and may his sincere smile bring joy to all of us!" Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC, wrote on his Telegram channel.

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