As the world faced with anxiety Russia’s threats against Ukraine, I prayed, and asked for prayers, that peace would prevail.
Now we can only pray for the Ukrainian people, especially those very much in harm’s way, not only militarily but personally, in the face of a brutal regime that stifles all opposition and demonizes its enemies.
The Catholic Church in Connecticut includes not only the Latin Catholics of our dioceses, but also Ukrainian Catholics who belong to the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford. We need to remain closely united to them and to their Bishop, the Most Reverend Paul Chomnycky, in the days to come.
May we heed Our Lady’s words at Fatima when she said to pray the rosary, pray for peace. And I make my own the words of Pope Francis when he asked that we devote ourselves intensely to prayer and fasting this Ash Wednesday, that the world may be preserved from the madness of war.