UOC Primate leads episcopal ordination at Kyiv-Caves Lavra

On August 27, 2020, the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, led the Divine Liturgy and episcopal ordination at the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

The archpastor was concelebrated by Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the UOC, a host of bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, clergy of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery and priesthood.

During the service, Archimandrite Feodosiy (Marchenko) was ordained Bishop of Ladan, vicar of the Nizhyn Diocese. Before the beginning of the liturgy, a special rite was performed. A candidate for the holy episcopal rank made a confession of faith and vowed to preserve the Tradition of the Church. Then the deacon pronounced many years to the Primate, bishops, church people and the ordainee.

After reading the Holy Gospel, the Primate addressed the believers with a sermon. During the worship, fervent prayers were offered for an end to the coronavirus epidemic and for doctors who are fighting for the life and health of patients.

At the end of the service, the Primate addressed Bishop Feodosiy of Ladan with homilies and presented him with the bishop's crosier.

“Today, during the Divine Liturgy, through the prayers of the archpastors and faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, you received a great spiritual gift – the grace of the episcopacy,” said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. “From this day on, you will bear a special responsibility not only for yourself as a monk and priest, but also for the flock entrusted to you. (...) For a long time you performed your pastoral ministry in Kyiv theological schools. In monasticism, you bear the name of their graduate, Saint Theodosius of Chernigov, and today, by God's Providence, you are going to serve on the territory of the ancient diocese where your holy patron had his ministry and where you used to be the abbot of the monastery. As you know, strict evangelical justice in relation to the clergy and his flock distinguished the saint, but at the same time, he showed deep sympathy and Christian mercy to all who came to him. Pray to Saint Theodosius and follow his example of a good shepherd in everything."

After this, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry handed over to Bishop Theodosius the bishop's crosier. Vladyka traditionally gave the believers his first archpastoral blessing.

As the UOJ reported, on August 17, the Holy Synod of the UOC elected new vicar bishops for the Chernivtsi-Bukovina, Severodonetsk and Nizhyn dioceses. The rite of naming Archimandrite Feodosiy as Bishop of Ladan took place on 22 August in Feofania.