Address of Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), on Mother’s Day

Dearly beloved in Christ brothers and sisters!

Today, on the second Sunday of May, is a Mother’s Day. It is the day when we children, whether we are very young or already elderly, have to pray to God for our mothers and to thank them for the gift of life, for all this that they have done for us, for all that they went through for our sake. And thus from our side we become children in prayer, and vouch for our mothers in a very special way to the Lord. This will become our answer to those incessant prayers our mothers said for us, in particular those who belongs to the church organization Mother in Prayer. They unite to pray for us, their sons and daughters, for all of God’s gifts, so that we are happy. 

We want on this day to remember our parents with prayer, because the gift of life is passed through them and the Lord arranged it so children require a mother and father for normal development. Therefore today's prayer is for both of them.

This year Mother’s Day coincides with the day when we remember the war veterans of the 20th century. Today with words of gratitude we address all those who in that past tragic century sacrificed their lives, captives, and all others who suffered for the freedom of Ukraine from different invaders. Remembering them all, we wish to remember also in our prayers their parents and mothers, and thank them for educating their children in love to their land and people, who in the different ways fought and suffered for the freedom of their Motherland. Few such children remain, and their fathers and mothers already rest with God, but prayer, our communication with God, is not bound to time, space, or any other earthly dimension. We need to pray for them all – fathers and mothers, living and dead! Today we include them in our prayers. 

May the Lord Bless you and keep you

+ LUBOMYR