200 kilometers with prayer: 20-thousand Cross Procession to Pochaev ends

On August 25, a many-thousand Cross procession dedicated to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which started off from Kamenets-Podolsky on August 19, entered the territory of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

It is estimated that more than 20-25 thousand pilgrims took part in the prayer procession. According to the participants of last year's procession, in 2017 the number of pilgrims increased significantly. Among the pilgrims are youth, children, and the elderly. The majority goes to Pochaev not for the first time – whole families and parishes join in the event.

Believers from different parts of Ukraine took part in the Cross procession. Large groups came from Bukovina, Transcarpathia, Odessa, Dnipro, Rovno, as well as from abroad – Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Russia.

With prayer to the Theotokos and the Easter hymn "Christ is Risen!", the believers reached the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra on the afternoon of August 25. Traditionally, the brethren of the monastery met the pilgrims with a festive bell ringing and sprinkled all with holy water. The column of those praying stretched for kilometers.

In a greeting word, a monk of the Pochaev Monastery gave the pilgrims the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine and Metropolitan Vladimir, the vicar of the Laura.

After gratitude for the prayers and wishes, the monastery brothers welcomed numerous pilgrims to a meal. These days the doors of all the Lavra’s temples are open for believers to stay for the night.

The Cross Procession started from Kamenets-Podolsky on August 19, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. For 6 days, the pilgrims covered 210 km. Also on this day, a religious procession from the Brailov Holy Trinity Convent of the Vinnitsa diocese set off for Pochaev.