In April 2025, 20 new monastic tonsures in the UOC

From April 2 to April 16, 2025, monastic and novice tonsures took place in various monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is reported on the official website of the UOC.

On April 2, 2025, in the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka performed the monastic tonsure of two graduates of Kyiv theological schools. Vasily Bondar received the name Theophilus, and Oleg Franchuk received the name Vasily. Both newly tonsured monks received a blessing from their spiritual father, Bishop Panteleimon of Baturyn. The tonsure ceremony took place in the church dedicated to the Venerable Agapit of the Caves.

On April 3, 2025, at the Josephiv Women’s Monastery in the village of Mariivka, monastic tonsures were performed with the blessing of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kamianske and Tsarychanka. The secretary of the diocese, Hieromonk Macarius (Tarasov), performed the tonsure of two nuns of the monastery, who were named in honor of the martyr Theodore and the martyr Larisa. In addition, one of the nuns was tonsured in the Great Schema with the name Gabriel in honor of the Archangel Gabriel, while the novices received names in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara and the martyr Terentius.

On April 5-6, 2025, monastic tonsures also took place in the Odessa and Rivne dioceses. In the Nativity of the Theotokos Women’s Monastery in the village of Oleksandrivka, Archbishop Sergey of Bolgrad performed the tonsure of four nuns of the monastery into the mantle.

On April 6, 2025, Archbishop Alexander of Horodnytsia performed a monastic tonsure in the Horodnytsia Women’s Monastery in Zhytomyr Oblast. Also, on this day, during the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, monastic tonsures were performed in the Odessa and Rivne dioceses.

On April 8, 2025, Archbishop Ambrose of Zghuriv performed the monastic tonsure of the novice Agnes (Dunina) at the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The nun received the name Agnia in honor of Saint Agnes of Rome.

On April 10, 2025, monastic tonsures were performed at the Bogoyavlensky Women’s Monastery in the village of Dykyivka and at the Archangel Michael Women’s Monastery in Odessa. Metropolitan Alexander of Alexandria and Svitlovodsk performed the tonsure of nuns into the Great Schema and Small Schema, as well as novices into the monastic order, in honor of the holy martyrs and venerable ones.

On April 12, 2025, Archbishop Viktor of Artsyz performed the monastic tonsure at the Resurrection-Teplodarsk Women’s Monastery in the town of Teplodar, Odessa Oblast, with the blessing of Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail. A novice of the monastery was tonsured into the monastic order with the name Barbara, in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara.

On April 13, 2025, monastic tonsures were performed at the Nativity of the Theotokos Women’s Monastery in the village of Biliv in Rivne Oblast, and the following day, on April 14, a tonsure into the Great Schema was performed at the Protection Church in the village of Otchenashivka.

On April 15-16, 2025, during Holy Tuesday and Wednesday, UOC Metropolitans performed monastic tonsures in several monasteries, including at the St. Nicholas Church in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, at the Transfiguration Skete in the village of Talova Balka in Kirovohrad Oblast, and at the Vvedensky Women’s Monastery in Nizhyn in Chernihiv Oblast. Metropolitan Agapit of Mohyliv-Podilskyi and Sharhorod performed the monastic tonsure of Priest Vitaliy Tikhov, who received the name Hilarion.

Earlier, it was reported that the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, stated that the severing of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, as required by the anti-church law No. 3894, is not a betrayal of Orthodoxy. The official assured that once the clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church declare the severance of ties with the ROC, they will be able to continue to profess their faith as they see fit.