---
title: "September 2026 Church Calendar: OCU Names the Month's Main Holidays — from the Church New Year to the Exaltation of the Cross"
description: "The OCU published the calendar of the main church holidays of September 2026: from the Church New Year on the 1st to the Nativity of the Theotokos on the 8th and the Exaltation of the Cross on the 14th. In the churches, prayers for the family and for Ukraine will be intensified."
date: 2026-09-01T11:32:02.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/church-calendar-september-2026-ocu-main-holidays
tags: [orthodox-church-ukraine, church-calendar, september-2026, religious-holidays, ocu]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# September 2026 Church Calendar: OCU Names the Month's Main Holidays — from the Church New Year to the Exaltation of the Cross

![Believers praying before gilded icons in an Orthodox church — illustration for the PCU church calendar of September 2026](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/01/tserkovnyy-kalendar-sentyabrya-2026-tsu/tserkovnyy-kalendar-sentyabrya-2026-tsu-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- On September 1, 2026, the OCU begins a new liturgical year (the Church New Year) and commemorates the Council of the Saints of Vinnytsia.
- On September 8, the great Twelve Great Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated, and on the 9th — the memory of the righteous God-Bearing Parents Joachim and Anne with a prayer for the family.
- On September 14, the Twelve Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is celebrated.
- The OCU calls on the faithful not to interrupt prayers for Ukraine in the conditions of war.

With the first day of calendar autumn, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) traditionally begins a new liturgical year, or the Church New Year. The OCU press service published a list of the most significant holidays and commemorative dates of September 2026 in its official Facebook channel, drawing the faithful's attention to the fact that the first month of autumn is rich in the Twelve Great Feasts and days of remembrance of the saints. As the Church notes, this period coincides with the start of the new church year and sets the spiritual rhythm for the entire subsequent liturgical cycle.

### The New Liturgical Year and the Council of the Saints of Vinnytsia

On September 1, in addition to the Church New Year, the OCU commemorates the Council of the Saints of Vinnytsia. Thus, the first day of autumn combines two reasons for special prayerful attention: the end of one and the beginning of another church year, as well as the memory of the local saints of the Vinnytsia land. For the faithful, this is a day when the churches are especially filled with those praying, and the services take on the character of a transition into a new spiritual cycle.

### The Memory of the Kyiv-Cave Venerable Fathers and the Miracle of the Archstrategos Michael

Right after the start of the month, on September 2, the Church commemorates the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Kyiv Caves — the founders of the monastic tradition in Rus and the patrons of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. On September 6, the commemoration of the Miracle of the Archstrategos Michael in Chona (Kolosa) is observed, associated with the tradition of the archangel's appearance and the protection of the faithful. Both days are among the important commemorative dates of the first decade of September and are traditionally accompanied by special prayers and the reading of akathists.

### The Nativity of the Theotokos and the Prayer for the Family

A great Twelve Great Feast of the month is the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is celebrated on September 8. The OCU emphasizes that this day "honors the event that is the beginning of our salvation, a forerunner of the events of the Gospel." The following day, September 9, the faithful commemorate the righteous God-Bearing Parents Joachim and Anne — the parents of the Virgin Mary. That is why, as the Church reminded, on this day in all OCU churches a Prayer (Moleben) for the Family will be performed after the Divine Liturgy, making September 9 a particularly significant date for family prayers.

### The Exaltation of the Cross and the Second Half of the Month

On September 14, the Church celebrates the Twelve Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, reminding of two key events associated with the finding and the solemn glorification of the Cross. The second half of September also includes a number of outstanding church commemorative dates, which the OCU lists in its calendar, leading the faithful to the conclusion of the autumn liturgical cycle.

### Prayers for Ukraine in the Conditions of War

Concluding the overview, the OCU emphasized that in the churches the prayers for the country and its defenders are not interrupted. "We ask the Lord for mercy and blessing, for spiritual steadfastness and strength to worthily endure and pass through all the trials during this cruel war! Great God, the One, keep our Ukraine," the Church summed up, calling on the faithful to unite personal repentance and family prayer with the common care for the fate of Ukraine.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Not only the Nativity of the Theotokos and the Exaltation of the Cross: the main holidays of September according to the OCU calendar](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tilki-rizdvo-bogoroditsi-y-vozdvizhennya-1788261456.html) - Первичный источник: перечень дат (1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 14 сентября), цитаты ПЦУ о Рождестве Богородицы, молебне за семью и молитве за Украину полностью соответствуют базовому тексту.
- [Church calendar: what holidays the faithful will celebrate in September](https://zn.ua/UKRAINE/693718-tserkovnyj-kalendar-kakie-prazdniki-budut-otmechat-verujushchie-v-sentjabre.html) - Независимое подтверждение темы церковного календаря ПЦУ на сентябрь; даты ключевых праздников совпадают.
- [The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: when it will be celebrated in 2026](https://zn.ua/UKRAINE/pokrov-presvjatoj-bohoroditsy-kohda-eho-budut-otmechat-v-2026-hodu.html) - Независимое подтверждение темы церковного календаря ПЦУ на сентябрь; даты ключевых праздников совпадают.
- [The Church New Year: what this holiday is in the Orthodox calendar and when it is celebrated](https://www.gazeta.ru/culture/2024/09/03/19690723.shtml) - Контекстный источник: подтверждает, что церковное новолетие отмечается 1 сентября как начало нового литургического года.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What holiday is celebrated on September 1, 2026, in the OCU?
**A:** On September 1, a new liturgical year (the Church New Year) begins, and the Council of the Saints of Vinnytsia is also commemorated.

### Q: Why is a prayer for the family performed in the OCU churches on September 9?
**A:** Because on this day the Church commemorates the righteous God-Bearing Parents Joachim and Anne — the parents of the Virgin Mary, so after the Divine Liturgy a Prayer for the Family is performed in all the churches.

### Q: Which Twelve Great Feasts fall in September 2026?
**A:** In September 2026, two great Twelve Great Feasts are celebrated: the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (September 8) and the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (September 14).