The priest of the Holy Cross Exaltation Community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Zabolotsy, Ivanychevsky District, Volyn Region, father John Sybira, who gave his adjoining territory for a temporary church, thanks all donors who responded to the parish’s request for help, the UOJ reports.

“We were transferred about 30 thousand hryvnia. This gave us the opportunity to set aside funds so that from this spring we can begin to build a more spacious room: all our parishioners cannot fit in a small temporary hut. There is no place for a choir either,” said the UOC community.

Now the community, which has lost the temple as a result of the raider actions of the OCU, continues to recover. The temporary premises were decorated for Christmas. Here they pray for everyone who helped the believers get on their feet.

“In the former church that the OCU took away from us, I found a document listing all the donors of the parish. How many years have passed, and we prayed for them,” recalls father John.

Fundraising for the community was opened at the end of November 2020. The site for the future church was consecrated on the patronal feast, September 27, 2020. The first liturgy was served on October 18, 2020 – less than three months after the OCU activists broke down the door in the church on July 26 and took possession of all the property of the believers. In the spring, the community will complete the altar part, the vestibule.