On the morning of the invasion of Ukraine the Archbishop of Canterbury and York issued a call for us to pray for those impacted by the war in Ukraine, the lives lost, and for peace.
We share in the belief that this call to prayer remains as urgent today as it did at the start of the conflict, and reiterate our commitment to supporting those impacted by this war – this includes supporting those displaced, and now settling in our diocese.
Friday 24th February marks one year since the invasion of Ukraine. We invite you to join us in hourly prayer in the Cathedral Nave, we also have a designated space for prayer, reflection and to light a candle.
A special service of Choral Evensong will take place at 5.30pm on Friday 24th February and can be joined in-person, or online below:
We invite our community to pray with us:
Holy and Eternal God
in Christ you show us the way of your kingdom,
which is the way of love.
On this first anniversary of the war against Ukraine,
transform the hearts and minds of all who make for war to the way of your kingdom,
grant courage and hope to all who work to bring peace,
and pour out your mercy and love for all innocent victims of this atrocity.
Help us and all people to be peace-makers,
that your kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
A translation of the prayer in Ukrainian:
Святий і Предвİчний Боже
у Христі показуєш нам дорогу Царства Твого,
що є шляхом любові.
У цю першу річницю війни проти України,
перетвори серця й розуми всіх, хто йде до війни, на шлях Твого царства,
дай мужність і надію всім, хто працює для встановлення миру,
і вилий свою милість і любов до всіх невинних жертв цього звірства.
Допоможи нам і всім людям бути миротворцями,
щоб прийшло Царство Твоє і на землі, як на небі.
Амінь.
We invite you to join us in taking action in the following ways:
By donating time and money
Sanctuary in Chichester supports refugees and asylum seekers locally. Sanctuary is part of the wider City of Sanctuary movement and became a registered charity (no. 1181855). To offer your support, by either making a financial donation or volunteering your time, please click here.
Christian Aid is working with partners to provide hope and to ensure people survive and rebuild. To contribute your support, please click here.
If you are part of a Church
The Church of England has published a helpful ‘toolkit’ of resources for those seeking to help which can be found here.