‘We are praying for an Easter miracle,’ says Ukrainian priest in Dublin parish

He has an important message of hope for Easter Sunday.

“At Easter, we Ukrainians have a beautiful hymn we sing which goes like: ‘Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death.’ That is our message of hope,” he said.

“After Good Friday, Easter always comes. Easter is the victory over death and sin.

"That’s our hope, that always after Good Friday comes Easter — and it has to come for Ukraine.”

Ukraine celebrates Easter next weekend, but Fr Kornitsky and parishioners have spent recent days putting preparations in place to make sure they have some of the comforts of home.

“It is the most celebrated feast in Ukraine, and I know people will be getting even more homesick — missing their families back home. People are anxious.

“Many of them are stressed or traumatised and even depressed. I think it is going to be a lonely time for some.

“A lot of things can be done. For example, on Thursday we were making Easter bread here in Donnycarney because there is a tradition in Ukraine that people use their own kitchens to make Easter bread — but many people now are staying in hotels and may not have access to a kitchen.

“So, we gathered here in Donnycarney and made 350 Easter breads for people to take home before our Ukrainian Easter.

“When people come together, gather and prepare for Easter, it makes them feel at home.

"When you feel at home, you feel safe and I think it is very important for people who fled the war in Ukraine to feel safe.

“We pray for peace in Ukraine, we pray for our families back home and we pray for a big miracle to happen, the message of Easter.”

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