St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv, taken away from the UOC-KP, officially switches to the new church calendar

St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv, which was seized by supporters of the UOC-KP in the early 90s and taken over by the OCU in early 2026 after the death of Filaret Denisenko, has announced the official transition to the New Julian church calendar. According to the new schedule, regular services in the new style will begin on May 1, 2026.

As reported on the official Facebook page of St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, the decision to change the calendar was made by the parish council headed by the rector of the church with the «blessing» of Epiphany (Dumenko). This step was a logical continuation of the process of transferring the cathedral to the control of the OCU, as previously reported by the publication’s sources.

The first services to be performed in the new style will be those in honor of the memory of the Holy Martyr Makariy, Metropolitan of Kyiv. It is reported that on April 30, an all-night vigil will be held in the cathedral, and on May 1, a festive Divine Liturgy will be celebrated. In the future, the entire religious community of St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral will fully adhere to the New Julian calendar in its liturgical life.

Earlier, the OCU officially announced the transfer of the rights to the brand and property of the Kyiv Patriarchate under its control. According to the organization’s press service, the name «Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate» is now an additional official name of the OCU, and St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv has been granted the status of the second cathedral of the structure.