On November 30, King Charles III of Great Britain and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Most Holy Family of the UGCC and the Ukrainian Support Center in London.
This is reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
The guests were welcomed by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of the Most Holy Family in London.
Bishop Kenneth said: "The King's visit together with First Lady Zelenska is a powerful expression of the solidarity of the people of the United Kingdom with our sisters and brothers in Ukraine. It is a great honor to welcome His Majesty back to our Cathedral, and we pray that his next visit will be to thank him for ending the war that has claimed so many innocent lives."
While in the Cathedral, the King received an icon gifted by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The icon depicts the Most Holy Theotokos of admiration, painted by Oleksandr Klymenko and Sofia Atlantova, Ukrainian iconographers and artists who founded a charity project called "Icons on ammunition crates". The icon is written on a fragment of an armament box brought from the front.
Bishop Kenneth has assured Mrs. Olena Zelenska that prayers are being raised daily for the President of Ukraine, defenders and defenders of the state and the entire Ukrainian people in these terrible times.
His Majesty has officially opened the Ukrainian Support Center. He was greeted with traditional bread and salt by temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizen Valeria Natalukha and director of the Center Andriy Marchenko. The monarch met with the Centre's staff and volunteers, as well as its benefactors, temporarily displaced Ukrainians and their British sponsors.
The Ukrainian Support Center began providing advice and assistance to temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizens following the visit of His Majesty and Her Majesty The Queen Consort to the cathedral in early March 2022, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine carried out by the Russian Federation.
"His Majesty's visit helps to raise the spirits of our employees, volunteers and all displaced Ukrainians who turn to the Center for help. And those who were forced to leave their homes in Ukraine were especially happy to welcome the first lady of Ukraine," said Mr. Andriy Marchenko.
The Ukrainian Support Center was established as a partner initiative of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of the Holy Family in London and the Union of Ukrainians in the UK. The initiative is supported by ministries of the Government of the United Kingdom and many non-governmental, religious and charitable organizations, companies and individual sponsors. The Centre's purpose is to assist Ukrainian citizens in the UK who were displaced due to the war waged against our state by Russia. The center provides basic information on arrival, settlement and long-term stay in the United Kingdom and also plays the role of a public unit that helps Ukrainians maintain a connection with their own culture and society.
To date, the Center has considered about four thousand electronic and telephone requests. More than 450 people have received assistance during regular consultations, and many of them participate in weekly activities, including English language courses, art therapy, a group of mothers with children, and so on. The center is located on the premises of the Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in the London borough of Mayfair.