Requiem service at St. Patrick's marks anniversary of Great Famine (11/25/01)

Requiem service at St. Patrick's marks anniversary of Great Famine

by Andrij Wowk
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

NEW YORK - Diplomats, prelates and members of the Ukrainian community in the New York metropolitan area gathered at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, November 17, to commemorate the 68th anniversary of "a very dark page in history": the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933 during which between 7 million and 10 million Ukrainians perished for resisting Stalin's policies of collectivization and the right for a free and independent Ukrainian state.

The commemoration, an annual event sponsored by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), took on special meaning this year, as several speakers linked the tragedies in Ukraine to the evil perpetrated by terrorists on the United States during the September 11 attacks.

Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S. opened the requiem service with introductory remarks. Metropolitan Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Church officiated at a requiem service (panakhyda) to honor the memory of millions of Ukrainians who died during the Great Famine. The Dumka choir of New York sang the responses.

Following the religious service, UCCA President Michael Sawkiw, Jr. greeted the congregation and introduced the keynote speaker, Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States. Calling the famine "a very dark page in history," the ambassador mentioned the brutal tactics of the Stalin regime, and the lack of attention paid to the famine by most of the world at the time the genocide was unfolding.

"Exiled Ukrainians around the world spent decades in resolute struggle for acknowledgment of this tragedy by the world community. Still, many governments and mass media did not believe or did not want to believe that the Famine actually happened," he said.

Referring to the terrorist attacks in the U.S on September 11, the envoy noted that he "could not help but find a parallel between the events of 68 years ago, and 60 days ago," and that these attacks "resonate with all Ukrainians" because of their own memories of the Great Famine. "We stand together with the United States," Ambassador Gryshchenko underscored.

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Valeriy Kuchinsky, delivered a statement on behalf of the minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, Anatolii Zlenko, in which he stated: "No one can count how many gifted scientists, politicians and writers passed away at that time. Who can tell how many working arms we are missing now when we build a Ukrainian state?"

"The Famine touched the very foundations of our nation. The totalitarian machine, which targeted humankind, brutally and violently wounded the Ukrainian people and struck our soil with tragic ordeals," the statement continued.

Mr. Sawkiw also read a letter from President George W. Bush addressed to the Ukrainian American community on the occasion of the solemn anniversary. Mr. Bush noted: "We honor the memories of those who died and pledge to never forget their suffering in the face of evil ... As we confront the challenges of a new era, the leadership and the people of Ukraine owe it to the victims of the Famine to ensure that their dream of an independent, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine is fully realized."

Orysia Woloszyn delivered an executive proclamation of the governor of New York, George E. Pataki, which designated November 17, 2001, as "Ukrainian Famine Day of Remembrance" in New York State.

Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, was present throughout the religious service and was introduced at the end of the program by Metropolitan Soroka. In his remarks to the gathered faithful, Cardinal Egan recalled his days in Chicago and his cooperation with the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy in that city.

He underlined the need to remember the victims of both the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine and the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, noting that victims of calculated political evil do not die in vain, since "God has not forgotten them."

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