Metr. Onuphry Calls for Aid After Russian Strike Damages Odessa Monastery

Holy Dormition Men's Monastery after shelling. Photo: suspilne.media

ODESA, UKRAINE — His Beatitude Metr. Onuphry has blessed a church-wide fundraising campaign to restore the Holy Dormition Men’s Monastery of the Odessa Eparchy, which was damaged during a Russian aerial attack on the night of January 28, 2026.

According to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the bombardment damaged the monastery’s cathedral dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God, “Life-Giving Spring,” as well as the monastery cemetery and several auxiliary buildings. Metr. Onuphry described the destruction as a painful reminder that war reaches even places where prayer is offered unceasingly.

In his appeal to the faithful, the primate urged believers to respond not with despair but with prayer, compassion, and tangible assistance, citing the apostolic call to “bear one another’s burdens.” He called on clergy and laity alike to contribute to the restoration effort and support the monastic brotherhood.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Russian shelling had damaged Holy Spirit Cathedral in Ukraine on Nativity. 

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