“Together”: children’s choir of St. Sophia Cathedral performs spiritual songs at the Ecumenical Prayer in the Vatican
On Saturday, September 30, an ecumenical prayer vigil, “Together — Gathering of the People of God,” was held in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican before the opening of the 16th Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which began on October 4 in Rome.
Pope Francis, members of the Synod, young people, leaders and delegates from various churches and Christian communities, including the clergy of the UGCC — Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Apostolic Exarch in Germany and Scandinavia, Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh, and Auxiliary Bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy, Bishop Teodor Martyniuk, congregated in prayer.
Among the thousands of pilgrims, the event was also attended by parishioners of St. Sophia Cathedral together with the vicar, Fr. Dmytro Kudin, and students of the Catholic school of the same name, the Liberton Children’s Choir, who were assigned a special mission. The Ukrainian children performed spiritual pieces, praying for peace in Ukraine and around the world.
The prayers began with a shared gratitude, during which representatives of different nationalities and churches thanked for the gift of unity and the synodal path, the gifts of our neighbors, and, in a special way, for the gift of peace and all of God’s creation. The Liberton Children’s Choir, directed by Vasylyna Ilkiv, complemented the prayer of gratitude by performing the famous song “Alleluia” in Ukrainian.
The ecumenical vigil continued with the Taizé prayer: a meditation on the Word of God, performing spiritual songs, petitions of various intentions made by representatives of Christian communities worldwide, and the prayerful silence of thousands of believers. In conclusion, Pope Francis said a prayer, standing together with the leaders and delegates of various churches before the cross of our Savior.
UGCC Department for Informationbased on the materials of the press service of the Religious Society “St. Sophia”
