Ukrainian priest fears for family, homeland as invasion continues
There is a tremor in his voice when Father Taras Svirchuk, C.Ss.R., speaks about the situation in Ukraine. His family there is safe, including his mother and sister, who live in Western Ukraine. But the future is unknown, he said, since Russia began a military invasion of his home country in the early hours of Feb. 24. He also has cousins in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and fears an uncle and aunt serving in the Ukrainian military could be deployed at any moment.
Father Taras is the pastor of St. John The Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark, an Eastern rite church in communion with Rome and overseen by the Archeparchy of Philadelphia. He has lived in the United States since 2008. Father Taras is a religious member of the Most Holy Redeemer, the congregation commonly known as the Redemptorists, to which Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark, also belongs.
“Everybody is overwhelmed,” Father Taras said. He watched American news reports from the City of Lviv, where his sister manages a hospital readying to treat wounded soldiers. “We are asking everybody to pray because we know that we need God to intervene and help us.”
In a statement issued earlier today, Cardinal Tobin urged prayers for the people of Ukraine. He encouraged the faithful to participate in the day of prayer and fasting for peace that Pope Francis has announced for Ash Wednesday, March 2.
“We must always reject war as a political solution and pursue honest and respectful dialogue among nations as the only way forward,” the Archbishop of Newark said.
Up until the last moment, Father Taras was hopeful that a peaceful resolution could be reached between Russia and Ukraine.
“Even though we understood that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would attack, you still have this little hope that maybe not,” he said. “It’s difficult to imagine that in the 21st-century, war can happen in Europe. I was just talking to a priest there, and I was talking to my family. So, it’s very hard.”
Father Taras said he spoke with his mother and his sister today after the military invasion began in the early morning. His mother, who lives in his hometown of Novoyavorivsk, reported that the city streetlights were off and that people were stocking up on groceries and medical supplies.
“People are trying to get produce and bread from the stores to have enough,” he said. “Everybody is trying to get medicine in the drugstore or something just to get ready for the war because they don’t know what to expect.”
Joining in prayer
In his message, Cardinal Tobin concluded, “I invite everyone in the Archdiocese of Newark, and all who long for peace everywhere, to join me in praying for the people of Ukraine.”
In-person prayer services will be held at Father Taras’ parish tonight and tomorrow and livestreamed on the St. John The Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Facebook page.
The Archeparchy of Philadelphia established a fund for war victims and humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and is accepting donations on its official web page.
Featured image: Father Taras Svirchuk, C.Ss.R., is pictured in 2019 holding a microphone at St. John The Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark where he is pastor. (Courtesy of Father Taras Svirchuk, C.Ss.R.)
