“There Was No Choir, Yet the Whole Church Chanted”: Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz Leads Liturgy in Iracema, Brazil
On Sunday, September 21, the Holy Family Church in Iracema (Archeparchy of Curitiba, Brazil) hosted a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz, Bishop Emeritus of the Apostolic Exarchate in Italy, presiding. Among those who concelebrated with him were the Basilian Fathers who maintain this church, as well as Fr. Ihor Yatsiv and Fr. Vitaliy Tokar, who arrived from Ukraine together with the Zhyve TV team.
The church was filled with the faithful. The moment of communal chanting was particularly impressive—all the people united in prayer in Ukrainian, even those who hardly spoke the language. “There was no one in the choir, but the whole church was chanting. It was incredibly moving,” said Father Ihor Yatsiv.
In his homily, Bishop Dionisio emphasized three core aspects. The first was the significance of communal chanting during the Liturgy: “Not only do we sing together, but the entire heavens sing with us. For, according to the Holy Fathers, heaven descends to earth, and we ascend to heaven. Chanting unites us with the angelic choir.”
The second part of the homily centered on the mystery of the Cross. The bishop reminded us that all the pain and suffering of humanity is gathered in the crucified Jesus Christ: “Jesus took upon Himself all human sins, all the ramifications of sin—suffering and death. But through his death, he conquered death and granted us life.”
Bishop Dionisio shared his personal experience of battling a serious illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then that he experienced a deep union with Christ: “I decided to walk the Way of the Cross with Him. And the moment I spoke His words, ‘Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit,’ everything fell silent. Only the next day did the doctors somehow bring me back to life.”
The third point of the homily focused on the Christian calling to carry one’s cross together with Christ and in unity with other people: “We cannot suffer alone. Christ is with us in our suffering. And what He did not experience, such as war, we continue in His Body—the Church. We are in solidarity with all humanity that suffers and perishes. But we never die alone—always with God and with all humanity.”
As to the war in Ukraine, the bishop said, “God doesn’t leave us. He is with us in the suffering caused by sin and evil. If we suffer with Him, there will be a resurrection, there will be life. After death, there’s always a resurrection.”
At the end of the Liturgy, the clergy and faithful prayed for Ukraine—for a just peace and victory. Priests from Ukraine testified to the truth about Russian aggression, which the Ukrainian people continue to endure. “We pray, believe, and fight for victory to come and for a just peace to reign,” they emphasized.
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