MEMBERS of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newcastle gathered yesterday to mark the 40th day since the killings in Kiev to show support for those who have family or friends involved in the protests.
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A liturgical mass was held at Adamstown in which the names of the 103 people who died in Kiev were read out.
A prayer service was then conducted to reconsecrate the nation of Ukraine back to the Theotokos (Protection of the Mother of God)
‘‘Last Monday was 40 days after all those people got killed in Kiev,’’ Ukrainian Catholic Church parish priest in Newcastle Paul Berezniuk said. ‘‘So what we do on the 40th day is we celebrate what we can call the end of the journey, the end of their journey.
‘‘This is a very special event, a one-off that occurs sometimes once a century.
‘‘Events in Ukraine have triggered this event.
‘‘It is important that people over there don’t lose sight of Christian values, that they don’t get to the stage where they think they can do things by force.’’
The reading of the names will have special meaning for the nation that only gained its independence in 1991.
‘‘A large portion of those killed were aged between 17 and 35,’’ Father Berezniuk said. ‘‘That means those people were born from 1980 onwards and had never known what it means to be fearful. It’s significant that they started the protests and they died for it.’’
Similar ceremonies were held in a global day of mourning for the Ukrainian Catholic Church around the world.
