Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
Sviata Vechera from the Heart Volunteers preparing Sviat Vechir packages As Ukrainians, we celebrate Christmas with wonderful rituals, many of which revolve around the Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vechera. Sur rounded by people we love, we sing or listen to ko- liady and admire the glistening bulbs and twinkling lights of our yalynka. The sounds and scents ema nating from the kitchen are warm and familiar ... a lid is removed from a pot and the delicate aroma of mushrooms beckons us to the dining room table where the good china has been carefully and lov ingly arranged around a single candle on this gentle night. Gathered around this table, we join hands with those who are present, remember with a prayer or a moment of silence those who are missed, and give thanks to the Lord for His manifold blessings. For some within our communities, the scene described above is typical. For others, it is not. For them, Sviata Vechera is often a nostalgic picture tinged with wistful longing for Christmases past. Age or illness or loneliness has changed things; the inexorable passage of time has made it difficult to carry on the old traditions in the same way. But Christmas, and Sviata Vechera in particular, is something to be shared with others, not mourned as a distant, pleasant memory. For two organizations in the Ukrainian community in Philadelphia this ideal is an active mission. Many years ago, Philadelphia's Ukrainian American Senior Citizens Association and members of the Philadelphia Region of the UNWLA joined forces to begin a wonderful tradition. The men and women of these organizations chose to remember others in the community at Christmas time with the gift of time and a more tangible gift—a package of traditional Christmas Eve foods. These packages were lovingly prepared and delivered to friends and neighbors or even to strangers whose names ap peared on Ukrainian organizations' membership lists. Three years ago, the women of the UNWLA's Regional Council of Philadelphia agreed to accept a leadership role within this partnership and assumed greater responsibility for the project. The Philadel phia Regional Council's motivation for increasing its commitment to the project was twofold. It was a way to keep the growing number of elderly, wid owed, or infirm members of the UNWLA involved, remembered, and honored, and it was a way to en sure that the beautiful tradition would continue for decades to come. Early in December, volunteers from both organizations met and planned what has become a well-organized and well-executed agenda. Some Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
