Charitable Fund “Favor” tells about miracle in Katerinovka
Temple of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon in the village of Katerinovka. Photo: news.church.ua
The network is speaking about a miracle that happened in the village of Katerinovka in Ternopol region, where in the autumn of 2015, parishioners of the canonical Church not only lost their own temple, but also suffered from the hands of members of the Right Sector and employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Ternopol region.
“It was a real revelation! In some miraculous way, a small house-like church, which was soon built on the donations of ordinary people from all over the world, turned out to be a powerful source of God's grace, reconciling and healing the warring people,” noted the Charitable Foundation on its Facebook page.
To help the believers of the UOC, who had been affected by church raiders, the Foundation’s employees launched the “40 churches” charity program. The construction of the church in Katerinovka was the first project in the framework of this program.
“When we were just starting to open our first project – it was the construction of the temple in Katerinovka – we were very worried. Do you remember what a terrible confrontation was in the village over the old temple of the Nativity of the Virgin? Relatives and friends nearly killed each other!” the Fund's members recalled.
According to the foundation, they made a final decision to build a new church after the parishioners of the village church literally stayed on the street.
“Then, together with you, we raised money and built that temple, without really thinking about what it would eventually turn into. They just wanted to give people the opportunity to perform the liturgy, confess, receive the Holy Communion, be and pray together. What it all turned out to be like we found out later, literally this summer,” said the donors from the Fund.
They recalled that on August 9 this year, on the patronage day of the new St. Panteleimon church in Katerinovka, Father Sergiy Gladun called "Favor".
"What you have done! You have no idea what you have done!" the priest almost shouted into the receiver. "What? What’s happened?" we were worried, the fund employees remembered that day. "Everything has changed! The village, the people! Everyone made peace! Even ardent opponents began to come to us! Grace came to us ... This is because of the temple you built!" Father, dear, it’s not our merit! Thank God and the people, not us ..."
The foundation also recalled the words of gratitude pronounced by Archpriest Sergius on the day the church was consecrated and noted that the memory of a small miracle that happened in Katerinovka now constantly strengthens the Fund’s employees in their charity work.
“It suggests that everything will be fine in the end, and that such miracles are worth it to endure all temptations and trials. It seems to us that now new temples for the affected communities will be built with even more trepidation and zeal. Because now you also know this little wonderful story! And because God has no hands other than ours,” concluded the foundation’s staff and reminded that anybody can help support their new projects.
We will recall that on September 21, 2015, there was a raider seizure by the Kiev Patriarchate of the UOC temple in Katerinovka. However, 4 years later, after the construction of a new temple, parishioners who had fallen into schism began to return to the UOC.
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