Metropolitan Onufriy Performed the Consecration of Chrism in Feofanii

Information and Education Department of UOC – OCP News Service – 15/04/2023

Kyiv – Ukraine: On the occasion of Great Thursday on April 13, 2023 His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, celebrated a divine Liturgy and performed the rite of the Consecration of Chrism in the Convent of St. Panteleimon (Feofaniia).

A host of hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the clergy concelebrated with the Primate. The Abbess, nuns and parishioners of the convent prayed together with the Most Blessed Vladyka. The liturgical signing was sung by a choir of students of the Horodok Cantorial School and a choir of students of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary. The participants of the divine service prayed especially for peace in Ukraine and asked for God’s mercy to the Ukrainian people.

The Consecration of Chrism, for the first time, took place in Kyiv after a 110-year break.

The rite of Chrism-preparation began as early as on Monday. On that day, the Primate performed the blessing of water and aspersed ingredients prepared for the Chrism. The Most Blessed Vladyka also personally lit up fire under the cauldron installed in the church of All Saints in Feofaniia for Chrism-preparation. After that, the Primate started the reading of the Holy Gospel, which was continued by hierarchs and the clergy up to the very end of the Chrism-preparation on the Great Wednesday.

On the Great Thursday, in the morning, the prepared Chrism was solemnly brought into the cathedral. During the Great Entrance, the vessels were carried to the Throne together with the Holy Gifts. The consecration of the liquid itself took place after the Eucharistic Canon – His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy offered up a special prayer over the Chrism, and then the troparion of the Pentecost was sung.

Chrism-preparation is the process of producing Holy Chrism used in the Sacrament of Chrismation. This Sacrament has its origin in the day of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, pouring out His gracious gifts upon them.

In the times of the Apostles, the bringing down of the gifts of the Holy Spirit took place through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands upon the newly-baptised. However, as the Christian community grew, the Apostles and their successors – bishops were no longer able to lay hands directly on every new member of the Church, so that laying on of hands was replaced with anointing with fragrant oil.

The tradition of Chrism-preparation has existed in the Kyiv Metropolitanate since ancient times. Last time it took place in 1913. That tradition was interrupted first in consequence of the First World War, and then in consequence of the revolution and the coming of theomachists to power. Chrism-preparation is renewed in Kyiv in the times of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s complete independence. This decision was taken by the Council of the UOC on 27 May 2022.

Read about the history of Chrism-preparation in the Kyiv Metropolitanate in more details in an article by Archimandrite Mitrophan (Bozhko), a lecturer of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary.

Source:
OCP News Service, Information and Education Department of UOC