HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL SERVICE AT ST PATRICK CATHEDRAL – LIVESTREAM
Ukraine’s Holodomor, Stalin’s Famine Genocide of 7–10 million Ukrainians in 1932-1933, ranks among the worst cases of man’s inhumanity towards man. In memory of the innocent victims of this Soviet Genocide, 3 million of which were children, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), annually co-organizes an ecumenical commemoration at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on the 3rd Saturday of November, which regularly attracts thousands of attendees from across the tri-state metropolitan area.
This year, the organizers of our annual event advise our community not to travel to St Patrick’s Cathedral this November 21st. Case reporting of COVID-19 continues to spread in New York City with increases recent hospitalizations concerning local authorities enough to begin limiting non-essential gatherings in certain neighborhoods. We encourage you to instead watch the livestream from St Patrick’s Cathedral to mark the 87th year of Holodomor commemoration.
In lieu of a mass gathering with remarks by elected officials, Metropolitan Antony, Prime Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, and Bishop Paul Chomnycky, Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford, will lead a panakhyda (the solemn Ukrainian liturgical service for the repose of the departed) at the cathedral without the usual masses of priests from the surrounding parishes con-celebrating, nor the revered sound of the Ukrainian Chorus “Dumka” of New York singing the responses.
This service will be livestreamed at https://saintpatrickscathedral.org/live.
While this annual event is an iconic and treasured event for our community, UCCA puts the health and safety of our community, especially those few remaining survivors of the Holodomor Genocide who attend this commemoration every year. After careful consultation with church hierarchs, and following on the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concerns and other circumstances, UCCA has informed our invited speakers that this year’s program will be abbreviated.
UCCA and the rest of our event organizers look forward to once again organizing this solemn commemoration on November 20th, 2021, marking the the 88th year since the crime of the Holodomor was committed against the Ukrainian people.