Roughly 40 people gathered for worship Sunday in the colorful, incense-filled sanctuary in the Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. More than 20,000 people of Ukrainian ancestry call the Pittsburgh region their home, according to 2019 U.S. Census estimates.
The Rev. John Charest, who has been at the 118-year-old parish for three years, gave a sermon on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus says those who served “the least of these” also served him.
“I am amazed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, all the workings he is doing right now,” Charest said, pointing to the outpouring of support for Ukraine.
But Charest didn’t sugarcoat the gravity of the invasion, which he says has been consuming almost all his time and energy. A third-generation Ukrainian, he and his wife are working to adopt three Ukrainian children who are currently living with a foster family in Kyiv.
RELATED: Ukrainian Christians Singing Days Before the Russian Invasion Goes Viral
“There was at least one night where they went next door and hid in the basement because the sirens were going off,” he said. “They haven’t seen any combat with their own eyes, they’re staying in the house. But they see the planes and they hear stuff. And they’re very nervous.”
Charest said he hadn’t anticipated Russia would launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But as he wrestles with disbelief, denial and even righteous anger, he warns against anti-Russian sentiment.
“I want to be anti-war, and pro-peace,” Charest said. “That’s where I’m trying to guide my people. Please don’t hate anybody. That’s what got us into this mess.”
Victor Onufrey, who has been attending St. Peter and Saint Paul’s since the 1990s, is the son of Ukrainian immigrants. His wife is also from Ukraine and has family there.
“We pray, and we ask God to protect our country,” Onufrey said. “And I don’t pray for Russians to die, but I pray that these guys lay down their arms and just say, ‘no fighting.’”
A retired colonel from the Air National Guard, Onufrey thinks the invasion is motivated by Putin’s desire to rebuild the Russian empire.
“I don’t think religion is anywhere near a primary reason for this conflict,” he said. “I am hoping that with time, the common Orthodox faith of both sides will bring us together more than it drives us apart.”
RELATED: Christians and Church Leaders React to Russia’s Violent Ukraine Invasion
In 2019, the ecumenical patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church recognized an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church has refused to acknowledge the Ukrainian church’s independence and a branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains loyal to Moscow.
St. Peter and St. Paul’s parish led a moleben, or prayer service, on Thursday and is preparing to serve an influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. Members are also attending local rallies, and the church is partnering with a neighboring Ukrainian Catholic church to hold weekly prayer services until there is peace in Ukraine.
“We know God is love,” Charest said. “Yes, there are terrible things going on, but God is still there.”
By
Renée Roden reported from New York. Kathryn Post reported from Pennsylvania.
This story has been updated. An earlier version identified Carolyn B. Maloney as a state senator from Manhattan. Maloney serves in the U.S. Congress.
This article originally appeared here.
