On February 24, Zhyve TV holds a 12-hour prayer marathon. The Head of the UGCC invites people to participate
On February 24, 2023, at 12.00 Kyiv time, a prayer marathon will begin on Zhyve TV, lasting 12 hours. It will include 12 symbolic stops reminding everyone of every hard month of the war Ukrainians have experienced together. The motto of the marathon is “Ukraine stands! Ukraine fights! Ukraine prays!”
“I invite all the faithful of our Church to join this prayerful standing. We feel that we win by uniting in prayer, fasting, and good deeds. And we need spiritual strength so much to bring our victory closer!”
According to the Head of the Church, this continuous prayer will be a time of unity and solidarity for Ukrainians worldwide. The prayer will begin in the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv. Then, it will be taken over by Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson, Irpin, Melbourne in Australia, Przemysl in Poland, Rome in Italy, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Winnipeg in Canada, and will end in Philadelphia in the United States of America. The participants will pray prayers and akathists, read the Holy Scriptures and psalms, and have the opportunity to hear the addresses of the UGCC bishops.
Each of the 12 hours of the marathon will be dedicated to a special prayer with a separate intention: for soldiers, chaplains, volunteers, internally displaced persons, the wounded, medics, prisoners of war, children of war, those killed in the battle and their families, the wounded, Ukrainians in the occupied territories, and power engineers.
We remind you that all dioceses and exarchates of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church will spend this day in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This initiative was declared on behalf of the Synod of Bishops by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC.
There are no specific precepts for fasting — it is a matter of restrictions and self-discipline according to the capabilities of each believer. And you can give alms, for example, by adding up your donation during the day or in another way.
“I urge each of you to perform some work of mercy, to donate something to save the victims of this war. In particular, our church has a patriarchal foundation called ‘Wise Cause,’ which is a kind of emergency assistance from the head of the church to save those in the greatest danger. Therefore, we will be very grateful if you can make donations for the activities of this foundation,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav called.
The UGCC Department for Information
