From the Head of the UGCC: With the intercession of Kyiv’s Oranta Mother of God, we pray for Ukraine’s victory

During the homily of the service, which is broadcast daily during the war at 12 noon on Zhyve.TV, the Primate drew attention to how special this prayer sounds in Kyiv, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. He explained that a very long curfew had been imposed in the capital on this day, for more than a day, as a result of which life in the city was paralyzed; our Patriarchal Cathedral is located a few dozen kilometers from active hostilities.

“I am especially pleased,” the Head of the Church emphasized, “to see our military chaplains, who came here from the occupied cities, from the front line today, strangely, by God's providence, so that we could experience this common prayer.”

“Today, our Patriarchal Cathedral is a special image of Mother Church: the Protecting Church, the Teaching Church, the Nursing Church, because under it, in the crypt, there is a place where dozens and hundreds of Kyivan citizens find refuge, especially during air strikes,” he stated. This church, the Head of the UGCC continued, is a center of special social services, where everyone in need can receive appropriate assistance.

“Here Mother Church prays for her children, embraces them under her wings, protects and nourishes them, and most importantly, a special blessing comes from here, from our Patriarchal Council. Here, in our crypt, rests His Beatitude Lubomyr - a special, prayerful person for our people, our Church and State,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized.

The homilist called on all the faithful to pray the prayer of intercession during the war. According to him, this prayer has special power and significance in wartime. And we, the children of Ukraine, have a special need for it, since the prayer of intercession is the spiritual protection we ask of the Lord for those in greatest danger.

“In this prayer we pray for others: a mother prays for her children, a priest for his parish, a bishop for his diocese, and all of us together for Ukraine. With the prayer of intercession we pray for the victory of Ukraine,” he explained, and emphasized: “We know that the victory of Ukraine is the victory of good over evil, the power of God over the cruelty and greed of the invader. Victory has already begun, and we can feel it, experience it, even during this prayer today.”

The Major Archbishop recalled that Kyiv has a special tradition of such prayer, and he recounted the well-known ancient belief about the Kyiv Oranta: "The Kyiv Oranta is also called the Indestructible, or Immovable Wall. This ancient 11^th Century mosaic depicts the full-length Blessed Virgin Mary with her hands raised in prayer. It is an icon of the prayer of intercession. The Mother of God has always raised her hands continuously in prayer over her people."

The Head of the Church explained that currently, in joining the Immovable Wall, our Blessed Virgin Mary, in prayer, the Ukrainian people are preparing for a special event which takes place on Friday, March 25: the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Archbishop recalled the Mother of God’s request for prayer for the conversion of Russia, proclaimed in the Revelation at Fatima, and stressed that right now the Holy Father wants to pay attention to this request in order to overcome the evil descending upon our lands. He also recalled that Ukraine was consecrated to the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who built the cathedral of Saint Sophia and created the mosaic of the Immovable Wall. He then consecrated his city, his people, and his State to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“When the war in Eastern Ukraine began on April 6, 2014, we renewed this consecration of our people and state to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the enemy was stopped by the power of God's truth and His light,” the homilist added.

“May evil be defeated in the north and south, west and east of Ukraine. We know that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a symbol of her holy and pure will. May this consecration be the moment when the head of the serpent will be crushed again by the power of the prayer of the Mother of God herself, the Kyivan ‘Immovable Wall’,” stated the Head of the UGCC.

The UGCC Department of Information