On April 4, 2025, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head and Father of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, visited Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University.
His Beatitude started his visit to from the University church of St. Sophia, where after performing a short prayer, Rector and Archpriest Viktor Pushko spoke about its history and significance.
Then Sviatoslav Shevchuk inspected Medical Faculty of Lesya Ukrainka University, since His Beatitude finds this matter meaningful due to medical education background. A short tour of the educational laboratories was provided by Dean Andrii Poruchynskyi.
“We must stand out, be modern. On the one hand, we need to maintain the traditions of medical education existing in Ukraine and abroad, and on the other hand, to be in the trend in order to compete, because this is quite a difficult niche. But we have such opportunities and such technologies, in particular, owing to the support of the regional and university administration. We did what we had to do in a short time,” said Andrii Poruchynskyi, talking about the activities of the young faculty and demonstrating modern equipment presented in the classrooms.
People filled the hall long before the start – the presentation of His Beatitude Sviatoslav’s book “Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!” proved that the word still has the power to unite.
The meeting was moderated by historian Serhii Hodlevskyi.
“Today in our blue-eyed Volyn, our ark of science, our University bearing the glorious name of Lesya Ukrainka, an extraordinary event is held.
Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, has visited us. Temples of science have always been famous for the presence of progressive thought, a new vision. But at the same time, they were famous for adhering to the canon, the law. You and I are the pupils of Christian civilisation. Our state, which is currently experiencing one of the most difficult times, is a Christian state. And these days we are being tested for whether we will remain such a Christian state, such a highly spiritual nation, and what we need to do for this and where to get the strength to persevere in this difficult struggle,” Serhii Hodlevskyi said, inviting Anatolii Tsos to deliver a welcome speech.
Acting rector of Lesya Ukrainka National University Anatolii Tsos emphasized that the educational institution has formed a real academic environment, the centre of which is books and science. He noted that the University’s philologists have prepared a Complete Academic Collection of Lesya Ukrainka's works in 14 Volumes, and recently presented the first 12-volume edition of Olena Pchilka’s works. The cult of the book, integrity, and academic spirit are the defining values of the institution.
"We are glad to welcome you at our glorious Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University. We have created a real academic environment here. An environment where the book is the basis of our life and studies. Therefore, the cult of the book, the cult of integrity, the cult of academic spirit are the basis of the University’s activities.
Therefore, when presenting your book was offered, there was no doubt. We thank you for coming, we are waiting for the presentation, and are working for the development of education, science, and our state," said Anatolii Tsos.
The book "Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!" combines the daily addresses of the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, which he addressed to people of good will around the world during the first year of the full-scale war.
His Beatitude recalled: the need to record a short video appeal arose on the very first day of the great war.
These concise messages found a response in the hearts of many, so they began to be converted into text and translated into six languages of the world. As Head of the UGCC says, this turned out as a surprise to him, because in those days, the primary task was to save people, not to write a book. However, this became a reason to think about how to put these texts under one binding.
“These daily video messages of the first year of the war turned into such kind of alarm, the ringing of a bell that spread from Kyiv to the whole world,” said Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
On one of his trips to Zhytomyr in the first days of the great war, His Beatitude Sviatoslav was stopped by an elderly woman who said with emotion: “We are scared, but it is so good that you are speaking to us.” These words reminded him of a moment from medical practice. A seriously wounded man suffering from unbearable pain found the strength to fight it after hearing the voice of his wife reading a book to him. Similarly, the voice of the Church, which addresses its faithful in times of great pain, becomes a source of strength and support. It was this understanding that became decisive for his daily appeals during the war – not only to convey the content, but to carry a living word giving hope.
“The word has power,” Sviatoslav Shevchuk voiced his conviction.
Approximately in the third month of the full-scale war, His Beatitude realised that he had a unique opportunity to address millions of people in different countries of the world and took advantage of this opportunity. His daily video messages, recorded during the first year of the war, contain the basics of Christian doctrine: from interpretations of major holidays to reflections on sustainability, ecology, and the moral challenges of war. These texts have become not only a spiritual guide, but also a kind of war diary. According to Svyatoslav Shevchuk, a lawyer from Paris, even noted that this publication can serve as evidence in an international tribunal, because it contains a chronicle of events recorded in real time.
The foreword to the book was written by the famous Ukrainian writer and publicist Oksana Zabuzhko, and the afterword was written by the American historian Timothy Snyder.
The design of the publication was also symbolic. His Beatitude Svyatoslav admitted that he had been surprised and moved by how the designers of the Komora publishing house, imbued with the content of the book, decorated it. The publication has a red border – in the tradition of the Church, this is how liturgical books intended for divine services are decorated. However, even more telling was the red ribbon-bookmark peeking from between the pages. When he first picked up the book, this ribbon seemed to him like a thin stream of blood, which seemed to flow from the text as a symbol of deep suffering.
Then the presentation turned into a live dialogue format. Svyatoslav Shevchuk answered numerous questions from the enthusiastic audience about faith and the church, the spiritual struggle against evil in these difficult times.
“After such meetings, you and I will emerge stronger. Because such meetings provide an opportunity to exchange spirit, strength. Not just thoughts. May the Lord God bless these reflections, this music, these words, so that a righteous and just peace may reign in our Motherland,” Svyatoslav Shevchuk concluded.
The meeting ended with a moving performance by the legendary Telniuk sisters who conveyed through their music the artistic refinement of the text of the book “Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!”.
Information Policy Office
