UOC Community Celebrates Patronal Feast in Basement After Church Loss

Metr. Theodosiy blessing the faithful of the Presentation of the Lord Church. Photo: Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC/Facebook

CHERKASY, UKRAINE — On February 15, 2026, the Presentation of the Lord parish of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Cherkasy celebrated its patronal feast for the third consecutive year in a temporary prayer space—the basement of a residential high-rise building—after losing its church in 2023.

The Divine Liturgy was led by Metr.  Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, head of the Cherkasy Eparchy, together with local clergy. A special prayer was offered for the suffering Church, and the hierarch addressed the faithful with words of encouragement.

According to the Eparchy, the parish church was seized in the summer of 2023 following disputed meetings and subsequent re-registration of documents. The community states that both the church building and the parish house were taken, leaving the rector and his family without housing. Since then, services have continued in the basement space.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Metr. Theodosiy was discharged from the hospital and continued his recovery from home.

Read also