CANORA - Joining communities all across Canada, on Feb. 24, a candlelight vigil was held at the Ukrainian Heritage Museum in Canora to mark one year since the Russians attacked Ukraine.
Approximately 30 Canora and area residents were in attendance. Dorothy Korol, organizer, said she was pleased with the turnout, “especially on such a cold winter’s day.”
Audrey Hrycak opened the program.
“On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Canora, we welcome you and thank you for joining us in recognizing the one-year sustained invasion of Ukraine.”
The group joined in the singing of Ukraine’s National Anthem.
All in attendance were invited to light a candle as part of the vigil.
A prayer for Ukraine
The Prayer for Ukraine was spoken in Ukrainian by Zennovia Duch, who then led the group in English.
“O Lord our God, You are the Only God in heaven and on earth, You have dominion over all kingdoms and nations. Strength and power are in Your hands, and no one can resist You. You rest upon the cherubim and the seraphim and we constantly praise You, so what can man do against you?
“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; behold with Your eyes the evil intentions of our enemies. We believe that You alone are merciful and strong, and that You can deliver us from their hands. You saved Your servant David from the hand of the strong, showing, once again, that Your strength is in the weak, and accepted the sorrow of Hezekiah's heart, granting him more years of life.
“Give peace and tranquility to our God-loving people, and recompense us not for our sins. For we remember the words of our Savior, Your Only Begotten Son, and our Lord Jesus Christ: 'All who take the sword, shall perish by the sword.’
Therefore, we do not rely on our weapons, but only on You, knowing Your power. You work miracles, from You comes victory and defeat. Grant our Ukraine a deep and inviolable peace, protecting her from war and invasion of enemies, and giving her all that is good for the benefit of soul and body. For You are the God of mercy, the King of Peace and the Savior of our souls, and we offer unto You glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
After a moment of silence to reflect on the impact of the past year of war in Ukraine, there was group singing. Songs included Memory Eternal and In the Meadows.
Displaced Ukrainians welcomed: mayor
Mayor Mike Kwas addressed the gathering on behalf of the Town of Canora.
“We would like to send out our deepest condolences to the families of Ukraine that have lost loved ones, that still have family back in Ukraine and to the family and friends that are battling this unjustifiable war. It is good to see so many gathered here in the embrace of community, unfortunately I wish we were all gathered under much different circumstances.”
Kwas said this war has been a life-transforming event for so many people.
“It's hard to believe that we are all standing here today because of something that has become such a senseless and meaningless war. This war has been going on for a year already, which is such a shame for the innocent people that have had to endure this pointless war. To think that in this day and age, the person who started this has chosen violence over peace. A year ago, to the day, when I heard about the invasion of Ukraine my heart sank, I could not believe that this could happen.
“I thought of all the innocent people that would be affected and how their lives would be forever changed. There is definite admiration for all the courageous men and women that have been caught up in the middle of this war. They have had to have the courage to fight, the courage to stand up, and the courage to leave to live a more peaceful life.
“We as the Town of Canora are more than happy to welcome the displaced citizens of Ukraine into our community and hope that we can make their stay here a positive and inviting one. I would like to thank Terry Dennis, our MLA, for all of his hard work and positive attitude in helping to bring the citizens of Ukraine to our community. Thank you to all the volunteers for all their help in getting the families settled and to all the people that have made donations. When this senseless war is over, I hope that each family can take home a little piece of Canora with them.
“As we honour our grief, let's remember to give thanks for the lives of our loved ones and may the light guide us forward toward healing in peace. Thank you.”
Committed to helping Ukrainians: MLA
Canora-Pelly MLA Terry Dennis, Legislative Secretary responsible for Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations, also found it hard to believe that “today marks the one-year anniversary since Putin’s senseless attack on Ukraine. Today, we gather to pray and honour those who have died and those who continue to battle for the freedom of Ukraine and its people, and a victorious end to this war!
“Vladimir Zelensky and the resilient people of Ukraine have bravely battled Russia, surprising them as they continue to battle,” added Dennis. “The pride and bravery of the people of Ukraine will continue and they will win this battle against mad man Putin and the Russian army.
“Over 100 years ago Ukrainians moved to Canada, including many of our grandparents and families, and settled into Saskatchewan. They built this place and made a better place for us to live and call home. We now have over 140,000 people of Ukrainian descent living in Saskatchewan today, about 13 per cent of our population.
“The Saskatchewan Government has committed to sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine and will continue to do so. We have a Memorandum of Understanding agreement with Open Arms Air and have landed four planes of Ukrainian families from Warsaw, Poland with a fifth planned for the end of March or early April. We are also looking to secure more flights to Saskatchewan.
“Our government is committed to helping as many displaced Ukrainians to Saskatchewan that want to come and start a new life. We have one of the best welcoming packages in Saskatchewan, helping them with social insurance numbers, health cards, driver’s licenses, applications for federal and provincial funding, housing, jobs and much more. Over the last year, we have welcomed over 3,500 displaced Ukrainians into our province. Our government and the people of Saskatchewan have done a great job on welcoming these families.
“We will continue to welcome all the displaced Ukrainians needed until this senseless war on Ukraine ends.
“Thank you to the Government of Saskatchewan, the UCC of Canada, the UCC of Saskatchewan, the various Ukrainian groups and volunteers, and to all of the people of Saskatchewan for opening their hearts and their homes to all of the displaced Ukrainians during this time of uncertainty. Slava Ukraine!”
Dorothy Korol closed the vigil by expressing gratitude for the support shown by everyone in attendance, and for those who participated in the program.
