Lydia Tomkiw

Pope Francis recently praised Russian historical figures in a speech to Russian youth. To members of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic community, these comments were deemed “painful” amid the ongoing war with Russia, and put a spotlight on their needs and concerns.

​​​​​​​Many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have lost limbs and need to be fitted with prosthetics. A group of soldiers in New York City is receiving treatment, and they’re already thinking about what their lives will look like when they return home.

In 1922, a Ukrainian choir sang the song “Shchedryk” at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The tune became a Christmas sensation known as “Carol of the Bells.” This Sunday, a Ukrainian choir will once again perform the famous song at Carnegie Hall. 

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense granted special permission for the male musicians to leave the country, calculating that the world will be more motivated to protect Ukraine if it sees its culture as something precious and worth saving.

In recent weeks, some Ukrainians in Warsaw have opened their own schools to let displaced children finish the school year in their own language and according to their own education system.