ATTR: "Trinidad, Colorado - Knights of Columbus sign" By Joe Mabel, CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Flickr.
CV NEWS FEED // The Knights of Columbus this week began a nine-day novena for peace and healing for the people of Ukraine, with each day’s intentions focusing on widows, orphans, parents who have lost children in the war, and others suffering.
“We’re here to provide material support. But even more than that, a sense of solidarity with them,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly about the novena. “All the Knights of Columbus come together to support our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are suffering at this time.”
The prayers for each day include a reflection, petitions for those included in the day’s intention, and prayers for peace in Ukraine from the Byzantine liturgical tradition.
A Ukrainian young adult wrote the novena, said Director of Chaplains and Spiritual Development Fr. Jonathan Kalish, O.P. Kalish added that this novena “gives voice to those who have experienced firsthand the evils of war. Each day of the novena focuses our spiritual attention on those in need of our prayerful solidarity… You will hear directly from those who need your prayers.”
The intention of the first day of the novena is for widows who have lost their husbands in the war. The intentions for the following eight days are: for orphans; parents who have lost children in the war; emergency responders and medical professionals, and those they care for; the healing of veterans of the war; the souls of those who have died in the war; internally displaced people and refugees; those in captivity; and young people in Ukraine.
According to the Knights of Columbus website, there are approximately 9,000 Knights of Columbus in Poland and Ukraine who work to provide aid to those in need. They have distributed approximately 60,000 rosaries, 251,000 care packages, and over 7.7 million pounds of goods and supplies to those in need.
