National Prayer Breakfast in Kyiv: “Ukraine is, has been, and will be — for this is God’s will”
On August 25, the Second National Prayer Breakfast was held at the Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kyiv, organized at the initiative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of the celebration of the 34th anniversary of Independence. Among those present was Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Philadelphia.
This year’s Prayer Breakfast brought together more than 1 200 participants: representatives of various denominations, clergy, government officials, servicemen and chaplains, volunteers, families of fallen heroes, and civic leaders. Ukraine was also supported in prayer by 350 international guests from 50 countries.
The breakfast opened with a joint prayer led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the UGCC, Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Primate of the OCU, and Valerii Antoniuk, Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented by: His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Philadelphia, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Holy Family Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, as well as UGCC military chaplains and lay faithful.
In his address to the participants, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the spiritual strength of the Ukrainian people: “We will achieve a peace that will be lasting and enduring. That is what our prayers are for today. And they will surely be heard, for they are spoken in hundreds of languages — by friends from different spiritual communities around the world.”
The Head of the UGCC drew attention to the spiritual calling of the Ukrainian people and their steadfastness in faith:
“Ukraine is, Ukraine has been, and Ukraine will be, because this is God’s will. It is also the will of the millions of heroic Ukrainian people who stand in truth and pray for peace. We implore the Lord to bless Ukraine with a just, heavenly, and lasting peace.”
Official speeches were delivered by Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, and Special Representative of the President of the United States for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. Religious leaders from Europe, America, and Asia also took part in the event.
The Prayer Breakfast became the concluding chord of a 24-hour global prayer initiative, launched on Independence Day, which united thousands of people around the world in prayers for a just peace in Ukraine.
Based on the materials of the Information Department of the UGCC and the Office of the President of Ukraine.
ukrcatholic.org
