Candlelight prayer vigil held in Southfield to honor Ukraine one year after Russia invasion
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Friday marked one year since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Southfield held a candlelight prayer vigil to mark the day.
The local Ukrainian community gathered to pray holding candles and Ukrainian flags.
"We will pray today for Ukraine, we will pray for soldiers that have died, we will pray for the soldier that is still fighting to give them strength," said Father Paul Bodnarchuk.
The theme was "Powerless, Yet Powerful." They sang and prayed in the dark, in solidarity with the Ukrainians who are in the dark after Russia's attacks on Ukraine's power grid.
"We lost power just yesterday and we know how inconvenient that can be here in Michigan. And that's the reality for the past several months for Ukrainians in the bitter cold of winter," said Andrew Powers, with the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan.
At the vigil, they raised money for heavy-duty generators to be sent to Ukraine. Each one strong enough to light up a whole block.
"So when you look at her from the satellite, you can see her again," said Elizabeth Symonenko, a member of the Council of Metropolia and Secretary of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.
She said after 365 days of war, many people have become numb.
"I never thought it would last a year, I never thought it would happen in the first place."
She said we cannot move on, we cannot forget. The Ukrainian community is strong here and is growing.
Powers said there are about 50,000 Ukrainian Americans living in the metro Detroit area
"In this past year alone around 2,000 refugees settled in the area," he said.
Powers said everyone can fight their war in their own way, whether that's through donations, politics, or prayer.