Victory Garden Set Out in Kherson
On October 30, at the initiative of the UGCC Bureau for Ecology and with the support of Fr. Dmytro Onufryk, environmental advisor of the Odesa Exarchate of the UGCC, a Victory Garden was planted at the monastery of the Basilian Fathers of St. Volodymyr the Great in Kherson, as part of the national eco-social initiative “Plant a Tree of Peace.”
This was reported by the Information Service of the UGCC Bureau for Ecology.
“Residents of Kherson understand that not only people suffer during the war, but so does nature, which is a precious gift from God. Forests and gardens are rare in the Kherson region because the hot climate requires trees to have extra care during the summer. Kherson residents are also very aware that planting and tending a tree takes considerable effort and work, so they eagerly joined the effort to plant a garden on the monastery grounds, knowing there will be someone to care for the young trees,” the statement reads.
The creation of the Victory Garden began with a joint prayer and the blessing of the saplings and everyone present.
The parishioners recalled with sorrow how heartbroken they felt watching the forests on the left bank of the Dnipro burn due to the fighting, and how the ecosystem of the Kherson region suffered after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
“Today, by planting a young garden of 40 hazelnut saplings, we hope to help nature recover, even a little. This will be a symbol of our victory in the war,” said the monastery’s abbot, Ignatiy Moskalyuk, addressing the participants.
The UGCC Department for Information
