Christians of France and Ukraine united in prayer on the Day of Christians of East
On the initiative of the French charity organization “L'Œuvre d'Orient”, the Day of Christians of the East (La Journée des chrétiens d'orient) was marked on May 17. On this day, a common prayer was held in many churches in France, the Middle East, India, Africa and Ukraine.
The spiritual bridge between Eastern and Western Christians was intended to strengthen Church unity and draw attention to the situation of Eastern Christians, who are very often persecuted.
The Diocese of Saint Volodymyr the Great (UGCC) in Paris organized several events to join this day of prayer. The Institute of Ecumenical Studies of UCU in Lviv also joined the prayer. This is reported by the UGCC Information Department.
The following prayer events were held on the Day of Eastern Christians:
1 Liturgy in the Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr the Great in Paris.
2. Liturgy at the Church of the Assumption of our Lady in Lourdes.
3. Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God in Tournai in Belgium
4. The prayer “Our Father”
5. In the Church of St. Sophia in Lviv Fr. Roman Fihas, accompanied by the “Eteria” choir, served the Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God in Ukrainian with French subtitles.
On behalf of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Curial Bishop Stepan Sus addressed the participants of the prayer event in French. In his welcoming speech Bishop Stepan said: “On this day, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church joins with all Christians in prayer for peace in the world, for the healing of the sick, for benefactors and those who support l'Oeuvre d'Orient. He wished everyone health, joy and peace! May the Lord protect us all!”
Reference
L'Oeuvre d'Orient is a French Association that has served the Christians of the East for more than 160 years. It provides bishops, priests and religious communities, as well as volunteer volunteers, with funds to carry out their missions in the areas of education, guardianship and social assistance, community outreach, culture and heritage in 23 countries, mainly in the Middle East, the horn of Africa, Eastern Europe and India. In recent years, the Association l'Oeuvre d'Orient also contributed to the establishment of development projects led by local communities. According to the Director, l'Oeuvre d'Orient distributed more than 17 million euros to Eastern Christians in 2017.
