Please pray for the monks and residents of the Sviatohirsk Holy Dormition Lavra in eastern Ukraine.
Read the news report here.
On Sunday, August 23, a group of unidentified assailants attacked members of the monastery’s brotherhood near St. Nicholas Church within the Lavra. Monk Varsonofiy (Vasily Turyansky) was killed, while Monk Hryhoriy and Andriy Kyriienko, a refugee living at the monastery, were seriously wounded. Hryhoriy reportedly suffered a penetrating lung injury, and both wounded men have been receiving medical treatment.
The perpetrators have not yet been identified, and Ukrainian authorities have opened a criminal investigation. One wounded survivor has reportedly said that the attackers were wearing Ukrainian Armed Forces uniforms, but their involvement has not yet been independently established.
For context, the Sviatohirsk Lavra is an ancient Orthodox monastery in Donetsk Oblast that has itself been caught in the war. In 2022, the monastery sheltered hundreds of civilians fleeing the fighting and suffered extensive damage from shelling; several members of the monastic community were killed or wounded during that period.
Whatever the eventual explanation for this present attack, a monk has been murdered and two others are seriously wounded. Please pray for the repose of Monk Varsonofiy, for the healing of Hryhoriy and Andriy, and for the protection and strengthening of the entire monastic community.
Likewise, this attack is a reminder of how consumed the world is by war and violence right now. Please pray that the Church would have wisdom as peacemakers in this world!
May God have mercy on them and grant wisdom and justice to those investigating what happened.
Note: I will occasionally post news reports I encounter for the purpose of prayer. My intention is to reform how I engage the news to better conform myself to prayer, hope, and perseverance as a Christian peacemaker.
A Dedicated Faith 