On Feb. 24, the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace will take place at 6 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland.
Local Ukrainian and orthodox churches and clergy members, including representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, plan to participate in the vigil.
There will be music, prayers and Bishop Edward Malesic will deliver a homily. Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat also plans to participate.
The service will include prayers for the fallen and injured soldiers, civilian casualties, internally displaced persons, refugees and those whose loved ones were injured or killed in the fighting and all who are suffering from the invasion. A special ecumenical prayer for peace will be offered.
The event is presented by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and Greater Cleveland’s Ukrainian community.
All are welcome to attend. The prayer vigil will be livestreamed on the diocesan website.
This will be the second major prayer vigil the diocese has hosted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bishop Malesic and Father Volodymyr Hrytsyuk, rector of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Parma, participated in a special prayer service for an end to the violence on March 6, 2022 in the cathedral. Hundreds of people attended that event
For more information on the Feb. 24 prayer vigil, email cma@gmail.com.