Traditional cross procession to Kalynivka cross held in Vinnytsia diocese

The ruling bishops of three dioceses of the UOC in Kalynivka. Photo: UOJ

On July 6, 2021, a religious procession to the Kalynivka cross took place in the Vinnytsia diocese of the UOC. It was prayerfully supported by three metropolitans – Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnytsia and Bar, Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchin and Bratslav, and Metropolitan Agapit of Mohilev-Podilsk and Shargorod, the UOJ correspondent reports.

This year, the pilgrims traditionally walked the route from the Kalynivka temple of St. Paraskeva of Serbia to the cross, where on July 7, 1923, a memorable miracle took place. As Archpriest Vladimir Rozman, Dean of the Kalynivka District, said, until recently, living witnesses of those events would come to the cross, people talked with them and recorded their stories in order to preserve these testimonies for future generations.

Today, the story of the Kalynivka miracle, which is almost 100 years old, is known far beyond the boundaries of a small town. Then at dawn, two Red Army men were traveling in a cart from Kalynivka station to Salnik. At the crossroads at the turn to the village there was a wooden cross about 6 meters high, which was erected on the grave of three merchants who were killed here by robbers after the October Revolution. The cross was a local shrine, and every year pilgrims went to it to serve prayers. One of the drunken soldiers shot at the cross and hit the crucifixion icon, in the right shoulder of the Savior, from which blood flowed. The villagers were told about this by a carter who accompanied drunken soldiers.

The clergy and laity began to perform round-the-clock services near the cross. Religious processions were sent here from the surrounding villages, from the Kyiv region, Volyn, Galicia. Orthodox Christians arrived even from Poland by train, but the soldiers surrounded the carriages and did not even let the pilgrims onto the platform. Monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk and Pochaiv Lavras came to the cross. Blood continued to ooze from the icon, leaving a strip on the tree of the cross to the ground. The believers wanted to build a monastery dedicated to the Passion of Christ, but the Podilsk provincial executive committee opposed this.

On July 24, 1923, representatives of the authorities with a local paramedic took blood from the cross and sent it to Kyiv for examination. Old-timers say: when confirmation came from the capital that it was indeed blood, the paramedic was shot, followed by dozens of priests.

Despite the repressions, the people went to the cross in Kalynivka. More than 15 thousand pilgrims gathered on the day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, and on the holiday of the prophet Elijah – about 20 thousand believers. Then the atheists destroyed the cross.

“Today I want to wish that the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord would help us, strengthen us in these difficult times for our Church. Our next religious procession will be in Kyiv on July 27. The capital and Grand Duke Vladimir will gather believers from all dioceses of Ukraine,” said Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnytsia and Bar.

“Taking part in cross processions, we all unite with God and with each other, we feel the conciliar plentitude. When people walk with crosses, icons, sing prayers – this is the embodiment of our symbol of faith, faith in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which even the gates of hell cannot prevail,” added Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that a traditional cross procession of the UOC with the icon "Look at Humility" will take place in the Kyiv region. 

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