St Josaphat Parish (Zelena Dibrova)

The village of Yablonne, now Zelena Dibrova, was probably founded in the seventeenth century. Germans began settling here in the second half of the nineteenth century, and the village was named Zelena Dibrova. It now has around two hundred residents. Formerly part of Baranivka District, it became part of Novohrad-Volynskyi District in 2020.

Between 189? and 1900, a wooden Catholic church was built in Zelena Dibrova with parishioners’ funds on land donated by Adam Bashynskyi, Yakiv Honhalo and Bortkivskyi. It was blessed under the title of St Josaphat on 8 May 1910. In 1926, however, the parish house was taken from the priest for use as a primary school, and persecution of the faithful began in 1927. The church became a community hall but reopened in autumn 1941. The church and cemetery fence were repaired, and a cross was erected beside the church in 1942. In 1959, it was closed again and used first as a community hall and later as a shop.

In 1986, the newly ordained Fr Oleksandr Milevskyi began visiting the village. Mass was initially celebrated outdoors beside the church-turned-shop, and in 1988 the building was recovered. It was renovated in 1988–1989, with paintings by Yulii and Pavlo Slovinskyi. Another renovation took place in 2009–2010. On 8 May 2010, Bishop Jan Purwiński consecrated the new high altar.