On this Easter, the story of resurrection for one North Texas congregation symbolizes the ongoing suffering and resilience in Ukraine, the country where many of the parishioners were born and still have family.
The blessing before you eat is a ritual many faith traditions share.
On Sunday, traditional Easter baskets filled with meats, bread and cheese lined the parking lot of Saint Sophia Ukrainian Catholic Church in The Colony.
The bringing of baskets to the church marks the end of the 40-day lent, to quite literally, break-fast.
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Father Pavlo Popov blessed each basket with prayer and holy water after the Easter service on Sunday.
“We are partaking of the joy of the feast, banquet of the Lord but at the same time with our minds – our souls - are uniting with those especially who are in need and are suffering right now,” Popov said.
Chrystya Geremesz is a board member of the Ukrainian American Society of Texas and attended the service Sunday.
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“Ukrainians need that,” Geremesz said. “They need that prayer, that involvement, that support to know that things will be okay and that we will prevail.”
Geremesz and UAST have been among the Ukrainian organizations in North Texas that have raised both awareness before the February 24 invasion by Russia and during the last seven weeks by coordinating rallies and a variety of ways to support ongoing humanitarian efforts across Ukraine.
“When I read Ukrainian news, you can see how many new marriages, how many new families are starting right now,” Popov said. “So, you cannot stop that life. Just like Christ resurrected, so will Ukraine resurrect.”
