Imagine being sent to a foreign country where you don’t know the language and your task is to bring people closer to Christ.
Last year Father Yosafat Khaimyk, OSBM, was sent to Edmonton from the Kamin’-Kashyrsky region of Ukraine. He arrived speaking no English.
Six months later he is in Vancouver as mission speaker – in English – for a Lenten mission at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. I was one of the fortunate ones to join our Ukrainian sisters and brothers for the three days of Divine Liturgy where the mission was presented.
While Father Yosafat was here I noticed something unusual about him: he heard a very large number of confessions every day of the mission. When he wasn’t addressing the community, he seemed to be hearing another confession. I was not used to this from the Roman Catholic missions I had attended in the past. This made it difficult to interview him because he was always being a priest!
Three days later when the mission was over, I sat down with Father Yosafat at coffee. (St. Mary’s administrator Father Joseph Pidskalny, OSBM, suggested I talk with him if I really wanted to know what was happening in Ukraine at the moment, since much of his family is there, many of them serving in the military.)
There were some Ukrainians gathered at the same table with us and they listened intently as he answered my questions. Father Yosafat never talked about the war during any of his mission talks. But now, holding back emotion, he confirmed that he had two brothers and six cousins in the Ukrainian military. He told me where they are serving, and then said, “The country has been at war for most of the past 300 years.”
He described how in central and eastern parts of Ukraine “there are not as many people who believe in God.” But since the Russian invasion, “more people are seeking out priests and have begun to go into the churches.”
Then he said, “there is also a spiritual and natural battle going on” at this moment in Ukraine.
He did not elaborate on the comment and we all respected his silence.
I asked Father Yosafat what we as Roman Catholics could do that would most help the people of Ukraine right now.
He had two requests. “Talk about it,” he said, referring to the invasion. “Bring it up in every conversation you have with everyone you speak with.”
Then, “Pray. Pray and pray.”
He and the others at the table then fell silent.
The Church has given us this wonderful season of Lent when we slow down and gain focus. Holy Week has great stillness. So I ask my brothers and sisters in faith to do as Father Yosafat asked. Speak up and pray.