Oldest cleric of Vinnytsia Eparchy reposes in the Lord
Archpriest Lavr Petruk passed away on the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, one year short of the 50th anniversary of his pastoral ministry.
On September 21, 2026, on the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the senior cleric of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Lavr Petrovych Petruk, departed to the Lord in his 90th year of life, reports the Vinnytsia Eparchy.
Father Lavr was born on August 31, 1937, in the village of Sapaniv, Kremenets district, Ternopil region, into a large family, where he was the eldest of six children. His father, Archpriest Petro Petruk, soon moved to Vinnytsia and served as a choir director at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.
From a young age, the future pastor's life was inseparably connected with the Church. He served as a subdeacon to Archbishop Simon (Ivanovsky) of Vinnytsia. In 1977, Father Lavr was ordained to the holy priesthood, and 2027 was to mark the 50th anniversary of his pastoral ministry.
Over nearly half a century of priesthood, Archpriest Lavr served parishes in the Bar and Vinnytsia districts, including in the villages of Semenky and Shyroka Hreblia. In Vinnytsia, the priest served at the old-city church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the church of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian.
Metropolitan Varsonofiy of Vinnytsia and Bar, the clergy and faithful of the Vinnytsia Eparchy expressed sincere condolences to the relatives of the newly departed archpriest and called upon all to offer prayers for the repose of his soul.
As the UOJ reported, a deacon of the UOC died saving a drowning child in Finland.
