Maria, a 90-year-old resident of the village of Gilcha in Rivne region, donated her house to the St. Nicholas religious community of the UOC, whose church was seized by representatives of the OCU in the spring. This is reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

After the seizure, the believers prayed in the open air. People tried to defend their right to the temple in court to no avail. Then Maria, who has attended St. Nicholas Church all her life, decided to give the parish her house for worship services.

“Maria is looked after by her family. And she gave the house – Czech, good-quality – to our religious community for use. The parishioners worked for several days, put the house in order, and arranged it for services,” said Archimandrite German (Kulakevich), the rector of the parish.

Many believers came to the first Liturgy in the new church. The service was followed by a procession around the new temple.