Divine services in gesture language at the Church of the Intercession in Chernovtsy

A unique service is conducted daily at the Church of the Intercession in Chernovtsy as prayers, hymns and sermons are gesture-translated by specialists standing next to people with poor hearing.

Archpriest Ioann, rector of the church, says the religious community of the deaf and dumb was organized in Chernovtsy as far back as 1999 to become the first Orthodox community in Ukraine to give people with hearing disorders an opportunity to hear the word of God.

This community has functioned in the Church of the Intercession since 2000. The rector himself has decided to learn gesture translation to help people with poor hearing.

Following Chernovtsy, communities of the deaf and dumb appeared in Lvov and Kiev, while the first Orthodox parish for people with poor hearing was formed in the mid-90s in Moscow.

Official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church