A Pre-Christmas Meeting of Families of Fallen and Missing Ukrainian Servicemen Held in Poltava
On December 20, at the Holy Trinity Church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Poltava, another pre-Christmas meeting took place—a spiritual and educational event for the families of fallen and missing Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen.
The meeting began with Divine Liturgy, led by Fr. Maksym Krolevsky, military chaplain of an anti-aircraft missile regiment. In his pastoral message, the priest drew attention to the importance of Christian faith in people’s daily lives in wartime.
“We often ask ourselves a very logical and fitting question: where is God when we are being killed, when we are suffering, when our loved ones—our sons and husbands—are dying? I am convinced that God is with us—a wounded God who suffers with us. He is with our soldiers in the trenches and under fire—He is close,” emphasized Fr. Maksym.
The spiritual address was given by Fr. Andriy Lemchuk, rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Chortkiv, who came to Poltava at the invitation of the spiritual counselor of the mutual support group.
The participants were also addressed by Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Babiuk, Deputy Commander for Psychological Support, and Captain Ruslan Roman, Head of Civil-Military Cooperation. They thanked the families for their participation and for preserving the tradition of monthly meetings, which, according to them, have become a “close-knit and vibrant community.”
Psychologist Svitlana Vinnichenko conducted a training session on “The Art of Recovery: Creativity as a Life Resource for Military Families” and provided individual consultations to participants.
Following the spiritual and educational component, the families of the heroes had the opportunity to socialize, share their experiences, and spend time together in a warm atmosphere of mutual support.
Yevhen Khailov, regional delegate of the Knights of Columbus, joined the meeting with gifts. He thanked everyone present and assured the families of the fallen and missing defenders of Ukraine of comprehensive support and solidarity at all levels of public life.
