Praying in solidarity with Ukraine

BY TANYA CONNOR  

THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS 

WORCESTER – A message texted by a Ukrainian. 

A prayer sung by a religious sister. 

Easter egg decorating. 

These were all part of a Ukraine solidarity day at Notre Dame Health Care’s du Lac Assisted Living Residence last Friday. Some residents and staff donned blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. 

Judi Brennan, director of pastoral care, said that activities director Denise Carroll planned a workshop to teach residents about Ukrainian egg decorating, she herself put together a prayer service, and they made it a day to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. 

Celeste Langlois said her friend Mrs. Carroll asked her to give instructions for making pysanky – eggs decorated with motifs and colors symbolizing wishes and given as Easter gifts in Ukraine and elsewhere. 

“I’ve taught my friends and family,” Ms. Langlois said. “This year I’m doing senior centers and libraries. … It’s just an art that I’m fascinated by.” She said she took one class, then taught herself the process of writing on eggs with beeswax, dipping them in different colors, then melting off the wax. 

Resident Ginny Sullivan said she chose blue for her egg because it stands for good health, truth, fidelity and trust. If everybody had those, they wouldn’t be killing other people in a war, she said.  

Everyone seems to be asking how and why Russia’s war on Ukraine is happening, Mrs. Brennan said in her reflection for the prayer service. She asked what Ukraine has that is worth this barrage and said, “This is what we call evil.”  

For the 2004-2005 school year, she said, her family had an exchange student from Ukraine – Veronika Andrashko – at their home in Rochdale.  

At that time “she told us how Russia was trying to … regain control … with propaganda through the elderly,” who were struggling with poverty and changes that resulted when Ukraine gained independence, she said.  

“Veronika told me the other day … they had 120,000 refugees come in to the Czech Republic from Ukraine,” she said. She said Ms. Andrashko, now a psychologist in the Czech Republic, serves the refugees one day a week. 

She said she asked Ms. Andrashko to share what she wanted people at the prayer service to know. 

“It is essential that people know the story, there is a lot of Russian propaganda going on,” Ms. Andrashko texted. “Russia …had no right and absolutely no reason to invade a sovereign country. They are killing people, children, women, and staying quiet, keeping it from their own people.”  

Ms. Andrashko’s message said some people abroad say “the situation is unclear” and that they wish for peace for Ukrainians and Russians, because they are brothers. This irritates Ukrainians, who don’t want peace with Russia; they want to get rid of Russia, she said. 

Mrs. Brennan said those are hard words. She added a message of hope, which she said Father Richard W. Polek, pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, told when celebrating Mass at the assisted living residence recently. He said a religious sister in Ukraine has shared wonderful things she’s seen, like people opening their homes to others. 

“God is present in the actions of the people … people acting in love,” Mrs. Brennan said, and spoke of praying for the people of Ukraine, Russia and others in Europe. 

Assisted living resident Sister Bernice King, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, wrote her own prayer and sang it for the service, leading the congregation in repeating part of it. 

“O God, help the people of Ukraine,” she sang. “They don’t want Putin’s army to reign. Their love for each other is like sister and brother, and that’s how they want to remain.” The song talked about Ukrainians experiencing pain at the destruction of their homeland and asked God to help them find the way to stay there. 

“I have written many poems,” Sister Bernice told The Catholic Free Press. “I was inspired to write that poem; I could … feel some of the experiences the people of Ukraine are suffering.” She said she later put this poem to music and sings it daily as a prayer.  

Members of American Heritage Girls Troop 0716 from Our Lady of Mount Carmel/Our Lady of Loreto Parish read some of the prayers. 

Resident Carol Dunn said the prayer service “made you stop and think” and she was impressed with the young people.

Mrs. Brennan said she had invited troop leader Jackie Penny to bring the girls, who were happy to participate, she said.  

They are “working on different ways to serve and pray with the larger Catholic community, so Judi’s solidarity prayer service was a lovely opportunity for them,” commented Ms. Penny. 

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