Epifaniy takes monastic vows in the house church of the Patriarchal residence

The head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, performed the monastic tonsure of monk Varvara Shulhach in the house church of the residence of the head of the UOC-KP. This event is intended to promote the development of monasticism in the Kyiv Diocese of the OCU and strengthen the spiritual traditions. This is reported by the press service of the OCU.

The event, which took place on April 2, 2026, was attended by the hierarchs of the OCU and representatives of the clergy. At the end of the ceremony, the head of the OCU addressed the newly tonsured nun and those present with a parting word.

«Today we have brought another nun, a soldier of Christ, to serve the Church. The Lord has called you to greater service to contribute to the development of the monasticism of our local Church here in our capital,» Epifaniy emphasized. He reminded that monks are called to be «a model and light for the world», humbly fulfilling their vows to God.

Earlier, the hierarch of the OCU, Gabriel Kryzyna, said that his mother had taken the great schism (the highest monastic degree) in one of the women’s monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The woman made this decision despite the fact that Kryzyna himself had changed two jurisdictions in his short career.