“Their Blood is Our Blood,” Says Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski During Pilgrimage Honoring Ukrainian New Martyrs in Starun

“28 Families — 28 Icons” is an initiative launched in January at the Blessed Simeon Lukach Retreat Center in the village of Starun. The goal was to paint icons of 28 saints of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. On June 27, these icons, painted in the same style, were consecrated during a prayer program by the Right Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Eparchy of the Holy Family based in London, in concelebration with Most Rev. Mykola Semenyshyn, Auxiliary Bishop of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy of the UGCC.

The website of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy informs this.

The idea behind the initiative was to have a family make a donation to paint an icon of one of the blessed saints, hence the campaign’s name. Icon painter Roman Yavorsky created the icons in a uniform style. Symbolically, the pilgrimage and consecration took place on the 23 rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Ukrainian new martyrs in Lviv by Pope John Paul II.

The consecration was preceded by a prayer program: a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held in the chapel of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, led by the Right Reverend Kenneth Nowakowski in concelebration with Most Reverend Mykola Semenyshyn, the priests of the pilgrimage site, Fr. Yuriy Sydira and Fr. Volodymyr Lukashevsky, along with numerous priests from the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy of the UGCC.

During the sermon, Bishop Kenneth reflected on the unity that the Church generates for Ukrainians worldwide: “On June 27, 2001, when St. Pope John Paul II came to Ukraine, he beatified our compatriots. Their blood is our blood. In today’s Gospel, we heard that we all have the task of preaching Jesus Christ to the end of the world. This is not only the duty assigned to bishops or priests, but also to you. My great-grandparents emigrated from Horodenka to Canada in 1896. There is a church there—our church. Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to greet you from the faithful of the Eparchy of the Holy Family based in London. We are not a large eparchy, but one of the finest. Now there are many of your countrymen there. Since the outbreak of full-scale war, the British have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainians. Not for a few weeks, but for several years. And it is wonderful to know that our fellow countrymen feel at home.”

“I must admit that today is my first time in Starun, but seeing you, I realize that you are my family. I am at home. It doesn’t matter where you are, because when you have a church, you are at home. We all have a duty, following the example of Blessed Simeon Lukach, to give our lives for Jesus Christ. This sanctuary is for us. I don’t know where you come from, whether far or near, but you are a light. Thank you for your prayers, especially for Ukrainians abroad, thank you for being a source of light,” said the bishop.

The bishop then called on the faithful to be constantly in prayer with the Ukrainian military, those who defend us and need our love. Bishop Kenneth assured those present that the world is with Ukraine and does not forget about our homeland.

Afterwards, the icons of the 28 blessed Ukrainian new martyrs were blessed. Each family held an icon of the blessed person for whom they had made a donation. As a prayerful remembrance of the initiative, each family was presented with copies of the icons.

The church then held a Moleben for the blessed Ukrainian new martyrs and granted full absolution to all those who fulfilled the necessary conditions, followed by a festive confirmation and a bishop’s blessing.