Олег Чупа / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // As a stop on his pastoral mission to the United States to advocate for peace in Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church recently joined Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson J. Pérez for a prayer service at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, prayed alongside Archbishop Pérez during the service, which took place Feb. 16, according to a report from archdiocesan news outlet CatholicPhilly. Archbishop Pérez proclaimed the Gospel of Luke 6:17-23, and participants sang solemnly with two choirs, which were representative of the Ukrainian Greek and Roman Catholic traditions.
CatholicPhilly reports that during the service, Archbishop Shevchuk praised those who have died fighting in defense of Ukraine, saying “they are laying down their lives for me, for you, for all of us, for life and for truth, to defend democracy, to protect the innocent.”
During the service, Archbishop Pérez said that when Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, he joined Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and others in the cathedral to pray and invoke Our Lady’s intercession.
“[We prayed] before an image of Mary, seeking the mantle of her protection as we consecrated Ukraine, Russia and all humanity to her Immaculate Heart,” the archbishop of Philadelphia said. “Today, along with Archbishop Shevchuk, we turn again to her.”
According to a previous report from the CatholicPhilly, the prayer service was a part of the 24-hour program the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia held from Feb. 15 to 16.
