Head of the UGCC on the 147th Week of War: St. Nicholas Day Offers a Unique Chance to Show Love to Children of War
Where pain is deepest, His presence is strongest. And so, we proclaim today: Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays! His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, stated this in a traditional video message on the 147th week since Russian troops launched a full-scale invasion of our homeland.
“These are 147 weeks of God’s remarkable miracle! Ukraine, like David facing Goliath, continues to stand and fight—comforted by the extraordinary grace of God and the extensive international support extended to our nation during this tragic time,” the Primate emphasized.
According to him, last week the enemy relentlessly attacked our cities and towns aiming to destroy their energy infrastructure.
Last week was marked by several important events and developments. “In particular,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav continued, “on December 6, we celebrated the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was a moment of special prayer of our people for our defenders. On the same day we celebrated St. Nicholas Day, a holiday of love and kindness, light and solidarity.”
“This is a special holiday,” said the Head of the Church, ‘because according to the tradition of the Kyivan Church, it is St. Nicholas who brings Christmas gifts to children. Therefore, this is a holiday of immense care and love for our children, who are the most vulnerable social group during the war. Unlike adults, they experience the grief and pain of losing their loved ones and their homes more intensely. War robs our children of their childhood.”
He shared that the Residence of St. Nicholas had been opened in the Patriarchal House in Lviv. “It is wonderful that the house of the Head of the Church is filled with children’s laughter every day. Hundreds of children come to experience an encounter with kindness, with the smile of the Mother Church, which allows them to anticipate the Christmas joy. Last week, the space of St. Nicholas was also opened in the Patriarchal Residence in Kyiv, adjacent to the Patriarchal Cathedral. Every day, children from across Ukraine visit our home, which warmly opens its doors to them.
According to him, this week “children of fallen soldiers and those who are now fighting at the front, children from internally displaced families, orphans and those children who do not have space for joy and laughter in their families visited us in the capital.”
Read also:
Video-message of the Head of the UGCC on the 147th Week of Full-Scale War, December 8, 2024
“This week of the struggle between light and darkness,” said the spiritual leader, “the battle between good and evil, as well as the manifestation of God’s great power, ended with a special historical event in the life of our Church — the enthronement of the new Archbishop and Metropolitan Teodor Martyniuk in the wounded Ternopil. We thank Metropolitan Emeritus Vasyl Semenyuk, a hero of the underground Church, for his dedicated long-term service.”
The UGCC Department for Information
