“Your Memory Is Eternal”: the 92nd Anniversary of the Holodomor
On Saturday, November 22, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City hosted the Ukrainian community for the annual commemoration of the 92nd Anniversary of the Holodomor—the Famine-Genocide of 1932–33. Organized by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the gathering brought together clergy, diplomats, community leaders, parishioners, and many children who joined the remembrance.
The program opened with remarks from His Eminence Metropolitan Antony, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. He focused on the children who died during the Holodomor, noting that “one-third of all victims were young children—lives extinguished before they could fully bloom.” He emphasized that the famine was a deliberate act designed to break the Ukrainian village and family, recalling the heartbreaking words heard across Ukraine in 1932–33: “Mama, give me some bread.” The Metropolitan urged all present, especially the youth, to pray for Ukrainian children suffering displacement and abduction today. “For each child lost then—and each child suffering now—we say: you are not forgotten,” he concluded.
A Panakhyda memorial service followed, with responses sung by the Ukrainian DUMKA Choir under Professor Wasyl Hryczynsky, giving the liturgical portion of the commemoration its solemn and prayerful atmosphere.
After the Panakhyda, Mr. Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President of UCCA and Master of Ceremonies, welcomed attendees and spoke about the community’s ongoing responsibility to preserve truth and memory. His Grace Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan of Philadelphia, and Archbishop Daniel Zelinsky of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA were among those present.
Brief reflections were then offered by several public officials and diplomats. Senator Charles Schumer, a longtime friend of Ukraine and the Ukrainian-American community, once again attended the commemoration—something he has done faithfully for many years. He began by acknowledging this tradition: “I never miss this event,” he said, noting that the Holodomor remembrance has always held deep meaning for him. Schumer reflected on the moral lessons of the tragedy, saying, “One genocide followed another in Europe. Remembering the Holodomor reminds us what happens when the world turns its eyes away from human suffering.” He emphasized that supporting human dignity, freedom, and historical truth remains essential.
Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, spoke of the Holodomor as “a living memory carried in the DNA of the Ukrainian people,” adding, “Nothing will be forgotten. Nothing will be erased. Justice must prevail.”
Ambassador Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, remarked that speaking about the Holodomor is not dwelling on victimhood but safeguarding truth: “The reason we insist on naming it what it was—a genocide—is because truth is essential to preventing future crimes.” He added that the lessons of the Holodomor remain urgent for the entire world.
Bishop Paul Chomnycky, OSBM, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, also addressed the gathering. He stated plainly that the Church gathers each year to pray for those who died without graves, names, or families left to mourn them. “Today, 90 years after the hand of famine passed over the Ukrainian steppe,” he said, “we remember those who had no one to remember them. We weep for those who had no one to weep for them. And we pray for those who had no one to pray for them.”
Bishop Paul drew attention to the suffering of Ukrainian children today, describing the forced removal of children during the current war as “a crime almost unimaginable in its cruelty.” He urged the faithful to keep these children in prayer and remain aware of their ongoing plight. To deepen the reflection, he referenced a scene from a story by Evhen Hutsalo, in which a starving boy hides a small icon of the Mother of God under his torn shirt—a quiet reminder that God does not abandon the innocent, whether in the famine of the 1930s or in today’s hardships.
Before concluding, Bishop Paul thanked His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Very Rev. Enrique Salvo, Rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, for hosting the Ukrainian community once again and for providing a sacred space for this annual remembrance.
The ceremony ended with the DUMKA Choir’s heartfelt rendition of “Боже Великий, Єдиний” as children and parishioners processed with a large Ukrainian flag down the main aisle—a visual reminder that Ukraine remembers, endures, and remains steadfast in its affirmation of human dignity and life.
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