“All parishioners from the epicenter of the destruction attended Liturgy on Sunday,” says UGCC priest in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka
On the night of September 27–28, in the aftermath of a massive Russian attack, the homes of parishioners of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv were destroyed. The Lvivsky residential complex, where the chapel of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God Parish had been operating there for three years and where two dozen UGCC faithful now live, was damaged.
Photo: State Emergency Service of Kyiv Region
“There are about twenty of our parishioners living in this residential complex,” said Fr. Ihor Haiduk, parish priest of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God Parish of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “The homes of three families were damaged: windows were broken, and in some apartments, the frames were gone. It is by the grace of God that everyone survived, because they were in shelters during the attack.”
The priest was especially astonished that, despite the horror they had experienced, all the parishioners from the epicenter of the destruction came to Liturgy on Sunday. “Surely, this is a manifestation of God’s power: even in the midst of calamity, people turn to God in prayer before tending to their earthly affairs,” said Fr. Ihor.
Отець Ігор Гайдук з парафіянами під час Літургії, фото з парафіяльної фейсбук-сторінки
According to the priest, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church parish in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka provides support to those affected: there is a “resilience center” in the church premises where people can warm up and receive spiritual counseling. Fundraising for the construction of shelters is also in progress.
“We, as a Church, call on everyone who can influence the situation to do everything possible to end this horror. We support our people and urge them not to be afraid to ask for help,” added Fr. Ihor.
The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, called the night of September 27–28 “devilish” and thanked the Ukrainian soldiers who defended the country’s skies: “Ukraine has endured another horrifying night. At least four people are known to have perished in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old child. We are alive today because our soldiers spent the entire night shooting down Russian missiles and drones, fulfilling their mission to defend the homeland.”
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, to which the UGCC belongs, strongly condemned Russia’s massive terrorist attack on Ukrainian cities and villages on the night of September 28, 2025, and called on leading democratic countries to increase economic and political pressure on the aggressor in order to establish a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The UGCC Department for Information
