Chain of light and prayer: candles for Ukraine lit in France
As Lent is underway and Ukraine has entered the second year of a large-scale war, the French charity organization L’Œuvre d’Orient organized a charity event called “Chain of Light for Ukraine.” The association offers to light a candle purchased for a donation, “accompanied by a prayer in communion with Ukrainians.”
The organization L’Œuvre d’Orient which has been supporting Christians in Ukraine since 1924, invites Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools across France to light a candle during Lent in prayer for all Ukrainians. The donations collected during the campaign, which will last until April 9, will be used to support the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in its service to its people.
The Association plans to distribute 20,000 candles with the print of the Ukrainian flag and the Greek Catholic cross to all who intend to unite in the work of mercy praying to end the war in Ukraine. In addition, each candle will come with a prayer card requesting God to “open our eyes and hearts, giving us the courage to establish peace” and to keep “the flame of hope alive in each of us so that we persevere in choosing dialogue and reconciliation so that peace will eventually prevail.”
It is worth noting that since the beginning of the full-scale war, L’Œuvre d’Orient has shown solidarity with people suffering in Ukraine by developing its humanitarian mission.
Recently, the day before Christmas, the association’s employees delivered 42 generators to Ukraine to help cope with the cold and power outages in response to the power outages. The generators were distributed to Greek Catholic parishes and Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernivtsi families.
Previously, the association had sent ambulances and several hundred tons of essential supplies to Ukraine. Moreover, philanthropists work directly with families or communities affected by the war, connecting them with French communities to create a solidarity network.
To analyze the needs of internally displaced Ukrainians and actively respond to the challenges, L’Œuvre d’Orient staff members have visited Ukraine several times with humanitarian missions.
The UGCC Department for Informationbased on the materials of Vatican News
