On March 9, the Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav, along with members of the Permanent Synod, prayed together with Ukrainians at the St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manhattan, New York. The Church leader performed a Moleben (Prayer Service) for the victory of Ukraine and a just peace, after which he met with the Ukrainian community of one of the largest cities in the USA.
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
"I want to tell you one thing from the people of Ukraine," the Head of the UGCC addressed Ukrainians in New York. "Ukraine is wounded, but unconquered! [...] Ukraine is weary, but it stands and will endure! Believe me, no one in Ukraine is even thinking of giving up. Even where there is fighting today; listen to our people in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy! Because we know that if Ukraine, God forbid, were even partially conquered, the boundary of death would expand. You all saw the horrifying footage from Bucha. That was just the beginning. They [the Russians] wanted to drench the entire Kyiv in blood. If it weren't for the courage of our boys and girls and the strange power of God that hovered over Kyiv then, I probably wouldn't have come to you today."
To all those who look skeptically at Ukraine's ability to withstand, His Beatitude Sviatoslav addressed these words: "Come to Ukraine and see!" - said the Patriarch and added: "Who among you does not believe in Ukraine's victory—go to Confession! Because it means that we trust the living God present in the body of the Ukrainian people little."
The head of the UGCC thanked those present for their solidarity with Ukraine. "At the airport in New York, I heard these words: Your blood is our blood, and your pain is our pain. And now I see that my tears are your tears. [...] A nation that believes in resurrection and knows how to be together, pray together, is unbreakable."
Separately, His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the faithful in America for their prayers and noted: "Prayer is not just beautiful words memorized by heart. Prayer is a space of healing, Resurrection, life amid death."
The Archbishop noted that in Ukraine, people pray in shelters during rocket attacks, and those who cannot pray sing. He recalled how hundreds of people in the Kyiv metro sang songs during the Russian attacks and thus overcame their fear. The Primate recalled the continuous prayer on the rosary for the victory of Ukraine. Then he called on those present to pray and thanked them for humanitarian support from Ukrainians in America. "Thank you for being here, even far from Ukraine, you remain Ukrainians, you remember whose parents, and grandparents you are children of, you gather in our churches, parishes, and communities, teach your children to believe in God and speak Ukrainian. This is your task, your checkpoint," the Primate said.
After that, he invited Bishop Volodymyr Yushchak, Bishop of Wrocław-Koszalin, and Bishop Josaphat Moschych, Bishop of Chernivtsi, to speak, who talked about their ministry in their eparchies.
Later, His Beatitude Sviatoslav answered questions from Ukrainians, including talking about the captured Redemptorist fathers from Berdiansk.