Many Ukrainian Americans are observing Orthodox Easter this Sunday, but they’re finding it difficult to be joyful when their ancestral homeland has been torn by the Russian invasion
Parishioners walk in procession around the church, Friday, April 22, 2022, during a Good Friday service at St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Allentown, Pa.. While Easter is the most joyous of holy days on the church calendar, marking the day Christians believe Jesus triumphed over death, many members of Ukrainian Orthodox churches across the United States are finding it difficult to summon joy at a time of war. The rituals leading up to Easter are the same.
“This is a very strange Easter for us,” said the Rev. Richard Jendras, priest at St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “It should be a joyous holiday, and it’s all about new life, and yet here we are being confronted with the harbingers of murder and killing and genocide and death.”
Most Catholics and Protestants celebrated Easter last Sunday, but Eastern Orthodox are celebrating this Sunday. They usually do so later than Western churches because they use a different method of calculating the date for the holy day, which they call Pascha. Some Ukrainian Catholics, particularly in Ukraine itself, also are celebrating this Sunday.
While Orthodox in America can celebrate freely, “our relatives and friends in Ukraine are under pressure from an invading army and aren't as free to celebrate as they wish," Fessak said."They may not be able to get to churches. They may not be able to walk about town like they wish. They may not be able to have traditional foods they might have on Easter.”“The Ukrainian population has shown they are highly keen on retaining Ukrainian independence,” he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukrainian Chicagoans celebrate Orthodox Easter in the shadow of warMany Ukrainian families around the world and in Chicago celebrate the Orthodox Easter this Sunday but like the resurrection of Christ in their faith, this year they hope to see suffering turning into joy become a reality for Ukraine.
Read more »
UN secretary-general calls for Ukraine-Russia ceasefire during Orthodox Holy WeekEaster is being overshadowed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and religious and world leaders need to join the call for a pause in the violence during one of Christianity's most important holidays, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Read more »
Chicagoans house Ukrainian refugees, donate Easter baskets to those displaced: 'It's like a miracle'Chicagoans are housing Ukrainian refugees and donating Easter baskets to those displaced as war between Russia and Ukraine continues.
Read more »
Volodymyr Zelensky says the Russian dream is 'to steal a toilet and die'The Ukrainian president used Easter imagery in his video address as he told Ukrainians 'we believe in the victory of life over death.'
Read more »
US to welcome Ukraine refugees but no longer through MexicoWATCH LIVE: Special Report: President Biden to announce new military assistance for Ukraine amid war with Russia
Read more »