Greek Catholics in the south-western Ukrainian Transcarpathia region initiated a continual nine-day prayer for Ukraine. This news was reported by the Fund of Grand Prince St. Volodymyr on 15 November 2002.
The novena, a devotion consisting of nine separate days of prayers or services, will culminate in the dedication prayer which Pope John Paul II read in Rome on 8 October 2000. According to the organizers, the idea of dedicating the novena to Ukraine arose because of the tense political and economic situation in the country.