Hamilton marks Orthodox Easter with prayers for those in Ukraine

On Orthodox Easter on Sunday, Ukrainians in Hamilton and all over the world prayed for an end to the war in Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky had recently said that Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the country over the Orthodox Easter holidays.

“It’s brutality on innocent people, that’s all it is. The rules of war have fallen off,” said Father William Makarenko of St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in northeast Hamilton. “Remember, you’re talking about Russians who are Orthodox, killing Orthodox Ukrainians. It makes no sense.”

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has expressed full support for Putin’s war against Ukraine.

Kirill is a major religious figure in Russia and has repeatedly bestowed blessings on the Russian military, framing the war as a holy struggle against what he has called “western scourges.”

Father Makarenko says Ukrainians should remain hopeful in the face of continued fighting.

“You can’t fight darkness with darkness,” said Father Makarenko. “If you have dark thoughts you’re just adding to the problem. You have to fight darkness with light.”

Many churches and organizations in Canada, including St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, continue to provide support for the war and for Ukrainians fleeing it.

The president of the Ukrainian National Federation Hamilton Branch says Orthodox Easter is a reminder that more can be done.

“While we are moving in the right direction here in Canada and I’m grateful to our government and our local officials for helping out, more needs to be done,” said Konstantyn Sheweli, “We need to help the immigrants that are coming here, we need to give them the refuge that we seek because they are coming from a war-torn country.”

Across Ukraine, while churches used to be full for overnight and morning Easter services, this year, limited gatherings were recommended, with concerns they could be targets for missiles.

However, residents still attended church and continued traditions.