Gorlovka believers of UOC pray on the site of the church destroyed by shelling

On the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slaviansk celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the foundation of the Annunciation Church of Gorlovka, destroyed as a result of shelling on August 7, 2014. This is reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

The service was attended by a lot of townspeople, who came to pray in a holy place and honor the memory of all the victims of the war in the Donbass.

At the end of the service, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovska and Slaviansk addressed the citizens with an archpastoral word, in which he noted that when we lose something earthly, the Lord does not take away from us the most important thing: the ability to love and be grateful to Him:

"On this day, which the whole Church celebrates as the beginning of our salvation, we have always celebrated the patronal feast of our wooden church. It happened so that we had to build this temple twice. Once we built it in 2008, so that in the place where the Epiphany Cathedral is now, we could start a worship service. While the cathedral was being built, this church stood nearby, and services were already held there.

In 2013, when we had already moved to the lower church of the new cathedral, the wooden church was dismantled and here, in this place, was built for the second time. We took into account those mistakes that were in our past construction and added something new. The foundation on which we are standing is a whole complex of premises. Here, both the Sunday school and the refectory were to be located – everything necessary for the parish to live a full life.

In 2014, this temple was consecrated for the second time. Here, the Divine Liturgy was performed and regular worship services began. I remember how, to the sound of the cannonade in August, the two of us, together with the Protodeacon Alexander, celebrated the last Liturgy here. This area was under fire, it was very difficult to reach.That Sunday service was attended by fifteen people, including several children.

I did not believe that something could happen to this temple. After the service, I kissed all the icons that were in the church, and asked God to keep this temple to us. And it was already shaking with shots. When a few days later the shells got here, and the church was burnt down, it was very difficult to experience it and look at it. But, it seems, God wanted us to build it not two but three times", said Metropolitan Mitrofan.

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