Dear friends!

I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the feast of the Holy Assumption of the Mother of God!

Virgin Mary was the Most Holy Temple, in which the Holy Spirit dwell. The Son of God received human nature in Her. It would seem, what is the reason to celebrate and rejoice that the Mother of God left this world? 

Yet, the fact of the matter is that She did not die as ordinary people die. Her death was not death, but a blissful assumption – the transition to eternal life. The Lord Himself came to take her soul, and the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary was ascended to heaven. On that day, we did not lose Her, but found Her at the Throne of God, the most powerful defender.

Since the first days of the Baptism of our people, the Most Holy Mother of God has been especially revered in our land. The heart of our Orthodoxy – the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – is revered by Christians around the world as one of the abodes of the Holy Mother.

Other shrines of Ukraine – Pochayiv and Svyatogorsk Lavras, many monasteries and churches throughout Ukraine are also dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God. Our ancestors believed in Her intercession and protection, and always turned to Her for help in the most difficult moments of life. She never left anybody without consolation and help.

Let us pray to the Most Holy Mother of God for help and intercession. Let us strive for peace of mind, hoping that we, sinners, will also be given the great joy of the kingdom of heaven! Let is unite around our Ukrainian Orthodox Church and prayerfully turn to the Mother of God with a sincere request to heal the wounds of the war and separation in our country.

Congratulations, dear friends! Peace and love to all of us!