Prayer service strengthens resilience
BUTLER TWP — One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Rev. Yurii Bobko emphasized the importance of remembrance and resilience at a vigil Saturday evening, Feb. 25, at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“For us, this is not the time to get tired,” Bobko said. “Because if we think about people who are there in Ukraine — if we think about what they have already gone through and what is still ahead of them — then we all understand that we are not tired at all, in terms of others.”
The prayer service itself, according to member Karen Sheptak, is one of thanksgiving and compassion.
“It’s called a Moleben,” Sheptak said. “And that service is a prayer of thanks to God, and, of course, we pray that we are thankful for the lives that we have here and freedom, and we pray for those in other countries.”
Sheptak, a second-generation Ukrainian, said her prayer that evening was simple.
“Just that I pray that this war ends soon so that the suffering people of Russia and Ukraine can go back to their daily lives in peace and hopefully prosperity,” she said. “And that maybe soon Ukraine can be rebuilt.”
Bobko, himself from Ukraine, said that this hope can be tiring for many a year into the conflict.
“But at this time, as I said, we need to think about the people who are in Ukraine, whether they get tired,” Bobko said. “How is that for them during all of this time with missiles coming, with fear, with stress — how they feel, and what’s that for them.”
The service, according to Bobko, was a reminder that there was still work to do.
“Today, when people have gathered after a year of invasion, I think this is an important time to awake yourself again to the reality of the invasion, to the reality of those who are suffering there and to the reality of helping those who are in need that all of us are called to in this difficult time,” he said.
Bobko was joined by his family and in-laws. He said his in-laws came to the United States sponsored by United for Ukraine, a U.S. program designed to offer a two-year refuge in the country for Ukrainian citizens.
“They’ve told me the stories that happened to them and how stressful it was for them to go through that time, especially in the beginning when the invasion began, and how fearful and how afraid they were at the time,” Bobko said. “Especially when something is flying over your house or the missile is bombing right, let’s say, two miles from your house, and you can feel the ground shaking and your windows shaking because of the power that goes with that.
“This is something that they share. They still have, I believe, this little bit of trauma.”
Going forward, the most important thing, Bobko said, is unity.
“At this time of turbulence and stress in the world, I think that we as human beings need to hold on and remember that we need, first, to be human beings,” Bobko said. “That involves the understanding that we need each other — we need to help each other in our lives.”
Bobko highlighted international support for Ukraine as an example of this unity.
“We as Ukrainians, even though we’re living here, really appreciate all the help and support of people in America,” Bobko said. “Without the help of America, we don’t know what would happen. It’s very crucial, and we’re very thankful.”
Rose Raith, another second-generation Ukrainian and member of the church, said it is important to continue that support, especially as the war enters its second year.
“In the beginning there, we had a lot of people that would send donations to the church, and then you would send them on to the consistory, and the consistory would make sure that it was forwarded to those in need,” Raith said. “I just hope that people still support, you know?”
Sheptak said she took the same hope from Bobko’s message.
“I think he made that really clear when he stated that, you know, we are a Christian world, and we need to take care of each other,” Sheptak said. “And we do that by being neighborly.”
Bobko concluded the service with thanks to the congregation and members of the public who joined him in prayer, and he urged them to remember and pray for the Ukrainian people in their private lives as well.
“Remember about evil in the world that starts already within us — that starts in our hearts,” he said. “And if we share the light of love with our neighbor, then it will continue on and on to other people and will stop the evil in the whole world.”
