His Beatitude Sviatoslav visits Kropyvnytskyi
On April 18–19, the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, made a pastoral visit to Kropyvnytskyi. During his visit, the Head of the Church visited the regional clinical psychiatric hospital, served a Liturgy in the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, consecrated a newly created Caritas center, and distributed food packages from the Patriarchal Foundation Wise Cause.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared what are the plans of the UGCC, specifically in the field of healing the spiritual and psychological wounds of war, thus asking for cooperation: “When we realized the magnitude of the trauma, we decided at the level of the Synod that each of our priests should enroll in a certificate program of emergency psychological assistance. In addition to such a program, we also dream of having a center for treating war wounds in each diocese so that psychological help can be available to people there. And, obviously, cooperation with mental health professionals will be fundamental.”
On April 19, the Head of the UGCC began the second day of his visit to Kropyvnytskyi with a Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. He reminded the faithful that a joint Liturgy is a good opportunity to see each other and pray together — to experience the presence of the risen Savior among us.
After the Liturgy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the military personnel and spoke with the faithful.
As part of his pastoral visit, the Head of the UGCC consecrated a newly created local Caritas center and distributed food packages from the Patriarchal Foundation Wise Cause to those in need.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also visited the invincibility center, which the UGCC established in Kropyvnytskyi last winter with the support of donors. He emphasized that such points of invincibility, which the Church has founded in 17 cities of Ukraine, are a kind of center for healing the wounds of war, where one can receive spiritual counseling and qualified medical care.
