Prayer for Ukraine
Almighty and Great God, accept our gratitude for your boundless mercy towards us. Hear the supplication of our afflicted hearts for the land and people of Ukraine, as they confront foreign aggression and invasion. Open the eyes of those who have been overtaken by a spirit of deception and violence, that they be horrified by their works. Grant victory over the powers of evil that have arisen and bless Ukraine with your gifts of liberty, peace, tranquillity and good fortune.
We implore you, O Merciful God, look with grace upon those who courageously defend their land. Remember the mothers and fathers, the innocent children, widows and orphans, the disabled and helpless, those seeking shelter and refuge, who reach out to you and to their fellow human beings looking for mercy and compassion. Bless the hearts of those who have already shown great generosity and solidarity, and those who prepare to receive their Ukrainian brothers andsisters in Ukraine’s greatest time of need. Bring us together as your children, your creation, and instil in us your strength, wisdom and understanding. May you be praised and glorified, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
+Kenneth Nowakowski
Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London
Ukraine Appeal Update from the Archdiocese
Due to the overwhelming generosity from our parishes, parishioners and community, all of our parish centres and St Margaret Clitherow Centre are now at capacity with donations of goods. Therefore we are bringing the cut-off date for donations forward and we are now unable to accept any further donations of goods (apart from any donations of medical supplies as these are in urgent demand).
Financial donations are still very much needed, a reminder that all details can be found here. We have received over £44,000 of donations for the appeal, a figure that is rising on a daily basis. Thank you again for all of your continued support. We are truly thankful for the wealth of goodwill and generosity shown by people across the archdiocese. A big thank you to all of our parish centre managers and volunteers from around the archdiocese who have supported us with this appeal.
We have had some enquiries about how the archdiocese will support the Ukrainian refugee scheme, particularly with using our properties to help house them. To participate in phase 1 of the government’s scheme, you have to have the name of the Ukrainian individual or family you are sponsoring to come in. We will seek to register interest for phase 2. There are a lot of elements we would need to get in place before we can safely offer any of our properties to refugees (including health & safety, safeguarding and wellbeing requirements). This is something we will be discussing in more details with trustees later on this week.
The Dean’s Weekly Message will return next week.
