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НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Вересень-Жовтень 2025 33 UNWLA Commemorates International Children’s Day with Children Praying for Children Event On June 1, 2025, people around the world celebrated Interna- tional Children’s Day, a day established during the World Con - ference for the Well-Being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1925 to celebrate and support the world’s children by promoting their well-being and their rights, including access to basic needs such as food, healthcare, and education. Children in many countries are currently experiencing difficul - ties, with UNICEF estimating that 1 in 6 children globally live in areas affected by conflict — including the children of Ukraine. Soyuzianka Iryna Chalupa wrote the following Children’s Prayer in 2024 for Ukraine’s children. Dear God, please calm and comfort all of Ukraine’s children affected by russia’s war on Ukraine. Help their parents to protect their families. We pray to you today, to be with the children, understand their pain, protect them so they will not be hurt. Help them find sleep through the dark night hours. May they know you are there. Help them find a safe place where they are not afraid. Lord, please protect the vulnerable children of Ukraine, protect their families and restore them to their homes and cities so that they do not feel abandoned and forgotten. Instill the belief that they will be safely returned to their families, home, and country. Amen! At St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, MI, children recited this prayer in Ukrainian and English after the Di - vine Liturgy on June 1. Father Roman Fedchyk, administrator of the church, shared his understanding of the prayer and related it to what was said by Jesus, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). The church held a fundraiser Maria Holian , Member-at-Large on June 14 that generated $5,000 for orphans in Ukraine. The UNWLA prayer had a deep ef - fect on all parishioners. Hanna Cher - netska said the words “Help them find sleep through the dark night hours” awakened her emotions because the effects of the war can affect children’s sleep and otherwise remain in their lives for many years. Some adults sug- gested that the prayer could provide spiritual protection for the children’s hearts. Linn Crescentia stated, “In - stead of leaving God, may stress drive them to God. God has bountiful bless - ings for them.” Children also responded with sen- sitivity. For children who came from Ukraine, where they were trauma- tized by drones, seeing planes flying in America was traumatizing; they thought that they needed to hide. Melanka told me that it is frightening to see fireworks because they are a re - minder of war. Victoria expressed her sadness that “children stolen by russia can’t be with their parents. Children deserve to be with their parents.” Life in America provides safety for Ukrainian children. The children that I spoke with are adjusting to life in America and said they feel fine. The prayer provided spiritual protection for their hearts. Parents are grateful that their children can experience a good life. The prayer was also shared with oth - er parishes. Nancy Bialkowski offered it to Father Ivan Turyk, pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the As- sumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Perth Amboy, NJ, who shared the prayer with the parish’s children. The prayer was also shared with the Sis - ter Servants of Mary Immaculate at St. Nicholas Church in Passaic, NJ, and with Sister Eliana, Provincial Supervi- sor of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Minersville, PA. May we all trust in God to save the children of Ukraine and the children of all countries because they are the future of the world.
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