A commemorative service honoring the memory of the Holodomor victims took place in the Cathedral of St. Patrick. Priests of various denominations conducted a prayer service for the victims of the Holodomor.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the USA Oksana Markarova announced this on November 18 on her Facebook page.
According to her, this year's collective memorial service for the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor was led by Archbishop-Metropolitan Antony of the UOC of the USA, Archbishop Daniel of the UOC of the USA, and Archbishop-Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York, was also present at the service.
"Today's event was particularly moving. The cathedral was filled to capacity, not only with Ukrainians who came from different states to pray together and honor the memory of millions of Ukrainians who died as a result of the artificial famine planned and implemented by the Stalinist regime," wrote Oksana Markarova.
The service began with a solemn procession involving children and veterans. Two witnesses of the Holodomor, Yuriy Bazylevskyi and Nadiya Severin, were present at the event.
Oksana Markarova noted that the professional musical accompaniment by the "Dumka" choir under the direction of Maestro Vasyl Hrechyshyn added a special atmosphere to the commemoration. During their performance of the spiritual anthem of Ukraine, "Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi" (God the Great and Only), a 30-meter Ukrainian flag was brought into the hall.
"For millions of Ukrainians, the Holodomor is not just a matter of the past. It is living history that continues to inflict deep wounds and painful scars on our collective national memory... Today, as we witness yet another genocide taking place before our eyes in Ukraine, we must summon all our energy and spiritual endurance to resist the evil dictator. We must put an end to the centuries-old Russian genocidal wars against Ukraine, with all their cruelty and savagery," proclaimed Oksana Markarova in her speech.
According to Suspilne, the permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Serhiy Kyslytsia, took part in the events.