Rector of persecuted community in Katerynivka: new church is donation-based

Rector of the Panteleimon parish of the UOC in Katerynovka, Ternopil region, Archpriest Sergiy Gladun, in the new UOJ project “Faithful. Healing in Katerynivka”, dedicated to the life of the believers of the canonical Church who survived the bloody seizure of St. George's Church in 2015 said that parishioners started a good tradition in equipping the new church.

The priest said that the building of the temple was possible due to the donations collected through the "Favor" charitable foundation. Subsequently, the new bells were also donated by benefactors. The believers of the Panteleimon Church of the UOC decided that everything in it should be donated rather than bought by the priest. “People, thank God, initiated the tradition that everything in the temple should be donated. Someone has a birthday, someone has some significant event at home, and they ask: "Father, what icon can we buy and donate to the church, or maybe you need something else?" And so we have both a lectern and candlesticks – these are all donations,” Father Sergiy said.

As the parishioners note, after the raider seizure and the construction of a new church, they began to notice the little things that they had not paid attention to before and rejoice at them. “Before, everything was somehow routine. And when the church was taken away from us, a lot was taken away, we began to appreciate the little. We began to appreciate every flower. We began to appreciate the opportunity to pray in the temple, a possibility to put a candle, an opportunity to just gather together and offer a prayer to God,” said Natalya Gladun. 

As reported, a priest from Katerynivka said that he still urges the invaders of the temple to repent.