#PrayForUkraine

PASSAIC  As the start of the Russian invasion into Ukraine began to unfold, Pope Francis urged Catholics from around the world to make Ash Wednesday a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in Ukraine in solidarity to the Eastern European country and to pray to God for an end to the war.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reiterated the pope’s request. “I ask all the faithful of the Diocese of Paterson to be united in prayer for peace in Ukraine and for the protection of the Ukrainian people, our sisters and brothers, who are suffering at this time.”

Throughout the Diocese, messages of peace filled social media pages and during weekend Masses, com­munities prayed for peace in Ukraine. Parishes also hosted holy hours with the rosary for the Blessed Mother to intercede for a peaceful resolution. The Diocese of Paterson is also offering links to where the faithful can assist financially to support the humanitarian aid effort and to help millions of Ukrainians in need.

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Passaic, part of the Arch­eparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrain­ian Catholic Church, is the spiritual home to many Ukrainians in the area. Father Andriy Dudkevych, pastor, has several relatives living in the western part of Ukraine.

“Right now, my family is OK,” said Father Dudkevych, who came to the U.S. 14 years ago. “Many of our people came together in prayer for the situation in Ukraine. They came to pray for their families, for their country. I feel very sad because our parishioners are very sad,” he said.

On Saturday, Feb. 26, Bishop Sweeney visited St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church where he met with Father Dudke­vych to offer the solidarity, support, and prayers of the Church of Paterson. He told Father Dud­ke­vych, “We are all saddened to see the violence and senseless suffering and loss of life that is currently taking place in Ukraine.”

With Poland neigh­boring Ukraine geographically on its eastern border, Polish communities and Polish-born priests in the Diocese have a close connection to the crisis in Ukraine. Father Artur Prazak, parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish in Chatham, grew up in Hrubies­zow, Poland, two miles away from the Ukrainian border. In contact with friends back in Poland, Father Prazak wrote on St. Patrick Parish in Chatham’s Facebook page, “There is a huge wave of desperate and scared young women, some pregnant alone with small children (coming now to Poland). They don’t know where to go. Mostly all of them are abroad for the first time, without knowing a foreign language.”

Father Prazak describes the refugee situation created by the conflict and the effort to help those in need at the Polish-Ukrain­ian border as spontaneous. He told The Beacon, “From the bottom of their hearts, the (Polish) people just ran to the border knowing that people will be coming in from Ukraine.”

According to Father Prazak, so far more than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland by cars or by walking. “In most cases, these people already know where to go. But some are helpless so the service people help,” he said.

Many in Poland have offered accommodations to entire families, and others are offering rides to further parts of Poland. “Every­one is helping those most in need. A friend of mine who is a priest in the parish closest to the crossing, Father Michal Efner, and the young people of his parish are offering snacks to the waiting people and are giving them hope. They feel sad to see so many women with children but there is also hope that we will win together.”

As the situation evolves day by day, Father Prazak will continue to offer updates on the refugee situation on St. Patrick Parish’s Face­book page.

Beyond the Paterson Diocese, the Catholic Church has responded in a significant way to help those suffering in Ukraine. On Sunday during his Angelus, Pope Francis appealed for an end to the conflict as he spoke through his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, where pilgrims held up large Ukrainian flags.

“Those who wage war forget humanity. They do not start from the people, they do not look at the real life of people, but place partisan interests and power before all else. They trust in the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest from the logic of God. And they distance themselves from ordinary people, who want peace and who — the ordinary people — are the real victims in every conflict, who pay for the follies of war with their own skin,” Pope Francis said.

Commenting on the crisis happening in his homeland, Father Dudkevych said, “I hope and I know everything will be good. We, the Ukrainian people, are strong. We will win this war and our country will be free. Our country will be different after all this but different in a good way. The people will know and understand the strength they have and make a stronger country.”

To assist the people of Ukraine: Caritas International, https://www.caritas.org/ukraine-appeal-22/ or Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Ukrainian Catholic Church:

https://ukrarcheparchy.us