Praying for Ukraine

By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Ever since Russia invaded, local Ukrainian Catholics have met nightly to pray for their homeland. On March 9, they had company: nearly three dozen seminarians.

As parishioners gathered at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, they shared the pews with 33 young men from St. John Vianney College Seminary. The event embodied the ideal of a united, catholic Church.

“We wanted to show solidarity,” said Msgr. Pablo Navarro, rector-president of the seminary. “We pray for Ukraine all the time in the seminary. And we’re praying for the minds of the leaders, that there will be peace.”

The church has held prayer services nightly since Feb. 28, the day after the parishioners held a public protest outside the church. About 10-20 show up each night, with 200 more praying at home, according to Father Andrii Romankiv, Assumption’s pastor.

The 45-minute service was a Moleben, a prayer of supplication – this series asking Mary for her protection and intercession. Eight members of the Assumption choir sat in the front pews to help lead singing.

Msgr. Martin Canavan, a former pastor of Assumption, guided the worshipers through the nine-page liturgy, which included readings from the Psalms and the Magnificat, Mary’s poem of praise.

Some of the prayers to Mary could have been written for modern wartime Ukraine:

Oh Joy of all the afflicted,
Advocate of the persecuted:
Provider of the hungry,
Comfort of the exiled,
Haven to the storm-tossed,
Comfort to the sick,
Intercessor and Protectress of the helpless ...

Msgr. Canavan tailored the prayers to the current war, asking God to preserve every countryside — “especially Ukraine, that has been invaded” — from war. He also led a plea for “the people of Ukraine – deliver them from foreign invasion.”

In a short message, the monsignor emphasized that every Byzantine service mentions Mary. “This reminds us of what we should be. Let us do as Mary said in the Annunciation: to let God do as he will in our lives.”

At the end of the service, Father Romankiv offered his thanks to the seminarians for attending and adding their prayers. He asked them to dedicate a minute each day for continuing prayers for Ukraine.

“The war is not just against Ukraine,” he said. “It’s a war against basic human rights and the right to be free.”

Underscoring the Marian theme of the service, those attending were given gold-colored cards bearing an icon of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia. The icon is based on an apparition of Mary to a monk in Ukraine. Since that 13th century event, Zarvanytsia has become the country’s most famous pilgrimage spot.

Father Jorge Perales, director of liturgy at St. John Vianney, said the seminarians have been introduced to Eastern Catholic churches since the 1960s. They either host priests to celebrate their liturgies on campus or, in the case of Assumption, attend a church themselves.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski himself suggested the visit to Assumption, Father Perales said. “He said it was appropriate to pray with Ukrainian Catholics.”

For Msgr. Navarro, the visit carried some nostalgia. As a boy, he knew Msgr. Canavan while taking religious education classes both at Assumption and at St. John Bosco Church.

“This is like coming home,” Msgr. Navarro said.

Several seminarians said the Ukrainian church was a new experience, and that it opened their eyes to the wider Catholic community.

“It was wonderful,” said Jesus Alonso, of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. “It made me feel in communion with God, and with others of the same faith.”

Christopher Morales of the Diocese of St. Augustine remarked on the “beautiful liturgy” and the benefit of joint prayers. “I'm glad we could come together for peace in Ukraine.”

George Gilbert of the Diocese of St. Augustine agreed. “It was beautiful, with the combination of singing, chanting and prayer. It gave me a new strength.”

Adam Perez of the Archdiocese of Miami said the church’s life-size icons of Jesus, Mary and saints added to the prayer experience. “When you pray, you feel you're not alone. You're praying with those who came before you.”

Didier Montoya, of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, said the service made him think of one of St. Paul’s writings: “When some suffer, we all suffer together; when someone cries, we all cry.”

Added Montoya: “When we pray for [Ukraine], we fulfill the Word of the Lord that they may be one.”

For their part, the 20 parishioners at the prayer service likewise found the young men's visit uplifting, said Deacon Paul Galadza of Assumption. “We’re grateful to know we’re not alone. To have the archdiocese send seminarians is a welcome gift.”

Prayer, in fact, is “the most important thing a Christian can do,” in Msgr. Canavan’s view. “And it’s not just a collection of individuals. The liturgy is for a family, a community.”

As they prayed, of course, the bombs still fell, the rockets still flew and the tanks still fired on Ukraine. What did their prayers accomplish?

Montoya had an answer for that. “Christ prayed that his disciples not be taken out of the world, but that they be protected from evil. We pray for our brothers and sisters to be protected from the snares and sins of the devil.”

Perez gave a more assertive reply. “Prayer can soften hearts. God has a way to stop weapons.”

What if it doesn't work? Perez’s two-word response: “Pray again.”