His Holiness Patriarch Filaret has passed away

On 20 March 2026, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret passed away. The Lord called him home in the 98th year of his life.

As a small child, Mykhailo Denysenko survived the Holodomor in the village of Blahodatne in the Donetsk region, during which he lost his grandfather. His father did not return from the front during the Second World War. This loss had a profound impact on the young man, who decided to devote the rest of his life to God. In a totalitarian atheist state, this was a courageous choice and a thorny path.

We remember the role of His Holiness in the formation of the Ukrainian Church and are grateful for his wisdom, guidance and faithful service.

May you rest in peace, Your Holiness.

His Holiness visited our Museum many times, particularly to conduct memorial services for those who perished due to the Holodomor. In 2018, the Museum recorded the Patriarch’s testimony regarding the Holodomor. The video and text of the interview are available on our resource ‘Testimonies’.

In the photo: Memorial service for the victims on the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor genocide, 25 November 1923.

Photo source: website mefodiy.org.ua.