“I realized that, at that moment, I was representing the other widows of fallen soldiers,” said Oksana Zhukovska, who last February gave a brief reflection in the first of a nine-part video series, inviting people to pray for peace in Ukraine. “I realized we would be seen around the world, that others would pray with us and support us.”
The Knights of Columbus-produced video series, which featured novena prayers and testimonies of Ukrainians like Zhukovska, premiered in the nine days leading up to the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2024.
After yet another year of devastation — and ongoing material, spiritual and psychological aid to those displaced and otherwise affected by the war — Knights of Columbus worldwide continue to unite themselves in prayer and solidarity with those affected, including more than 3,000 Knights and their families living in Ukraine. And Knights and others are once again invited to pray the novena for peace beginning Feb. 15, in anticipation of the invasion’s third anniversary.
In a heartfelt call to participate in the novena, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv and Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy of Odessa — state chaplains of the country’s Latin-rite and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Knights, respectively — wrote: “We appeal to our brother Knights and all people of goodwill around the world to join us in this novena prayer for peace and healing in Ukraine.”
REACHING HEARTS GLOBALLY
The novena videos reflect the immense pain and loss endured by Ukrainians in three years of full-scale war. Each of the nine videos feature someone who has personally suffered — widows, orphans, grieving parents and displaced persons — giving voice to countless others who shared similar struggles.
“For those forever changed by the crucible of war, that the Lord may heal their wounds, restore their strength, and fill them with the breath of new life,” prays Mykola Viuk on the fifth day of the novena.
Viuk, a veteran who lost both legs in battle, said that many of the veterans he met in the rehabilitation center where he was waiting for prosthetics struggled with depression, finding it hard to move forward.
Last year, people from around the world joined in prayer for medical staff, rescue workers, survivors and patients, veterans and the deceased, internally displaced persons and refugees, prisoners of war, and for the youth and their future, as well for the Ukrainian people and defenders. Throughout Ukraine, K of C councils worked with local parishes to host live broadcasts of the videos for each day of the novena, bringing it to an even wider audience.
Viewers on YouTube and Facebook shared their prayer intentions in the comments, revealing the prayer’s profound resonance: “For peace and victory for Ukraine!” “For the health and protection of the Ukrainian people” “Lord, avert the horrors of war!”
“It’s another example of the global solidarity of all Knights,” said Artem Mynko, Ukraine public relations chairman and deputy grand knight of St. Alexander Council 16626 in Kyiv. “We know Knights in the United States, Poland and other jurisdictions are praying with us. It means a lot to know our brothers continue to support us during this difficult time.”
During his October 2024 visit to Ukraine, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori also emphasized the importance of the global solidarity of the Knights, as a fraternal organization, with war-torn Ukraine.
Besides the material response — care packages, assistance to refugees, support for orphans, delivery of supplies to eastern Ukraine — the supreme chaplain explained, “One of the great things about being a Knight is that you know a Knight on the other side of the world is supporting you by his prayers and by a common mission.”
Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, who accompanied Archbishop Lori during his visit, added: “My dream would be to … show that the entire religious community of the world, not only Christians, is praying, it is together, with Ukraine and with other countries against the war.”
REFUGEES UNITED IN PRAYER
Last year, Ukrainians staying at the refugee center run by the Foundation for Pastoral Care for the Family in Przemyśl, Poland, also joined in praying the novena. The foundation is supported financially by the Knights of Columbus, and over 2,000 refugees have passed through its three centers, said Aneta Hudycz, co-founder.
Since the center’s chaplain, Father Marek Machała, had previously collaborated with the Knights, he received an invitation to pray the novena via email, which he extended to the center’s residents. Father Machała purchased a Ukrainian missal so he could celebrate Mass in the refugee’s native tongue for each day of the novena. After Mass, everyone could join in a Eucharistic Adoration, accompanied by songs.
“We also distributed the novena text, encouraging everyone to participate,” said Hudycz. Each day, a different Ukrainian resident read the prayer.”
Hudycz was particularly touched by the participation of one resident, Nataliia Voitenko, who had learned less than a month before that her nephew had died in the war. Voitenko read the part of the novena that prayed for husbands, sons, fathers and all men who have died in the war.
“On the one hand, I could see how hard it was for her, still such fresh mourning,” Hudycz said. “And on the other hand, I could see how this prayer seemed to soothe her pain. I could see how this community prayer gave her strength in her sadness, that we were with her in her suffering.”
Later that evening, Voitenko wrote to the Knights: “We sincerely thank you for your help and support, for the opportunity to come together and pray for peace in the world, for our loved ones, and for our defenders. Thank you for being with us this evening.”
Residents expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share their worries, fears and hopes with Jesus. As Hudycz said, many still hold onto hope, believing the war will eventually end, and they pray for the day they can return home.
The Church’s pastoral efforts during the past years are focused on supporting families affected by the war — particularly widows; families with the wounded or missing; prisoners of war; and children, especially those who have been deported or suffered the brutality of the conflict.
In January, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, met with Ukraine State Deputy Mykola Mostovyak and Bishop Bubniy at the Patriarchal Residence in Kyiv to discuss preparations for the Order’s novena for peace in Ukraine.
“The shared prayer of the novena, organized by the Knights of Columbus in Ukraine for the second consecutive year on the occasion of this tragic anniversary, is a call for unity, faith and action,” Mostovyak said. “This prayerful gesture not only brings the community together but also inspires many across the globe, reinforcing faith in justice and the triumph of good.”
Major Archbishop Shevchuk reflected upon the spiritual aspect and value of such a prayer during a meeting at his residence in Kyiv on Jan. 21 with mothers and wives of missing and captured soldiers: “When we pray and communicate with the living God, we connect to a source of strength. Prayer truly gives us the strength to endure everything. It heals our limitations, making it a space for healing the wounds of war.”