It was standing room only at Canberra’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church today as the local community gathered to pray for Ukraine.

Flowers, candles, and wreaths were laid across the footpath and at the Holodomor Memorial of the Ukrainian great famine, along with signs of solidarity tied to the fence.

Parish Priest Father Michael Solomko led the special service and prayed for God to protect Ukrainians from the senseless attack by Russia on their country.

“I’m very happy with the outpouring of support from Canberrans, and the local community who have come to pray with us,” Father Michael said.

“We all feel helpless at this time, but we are really grateful to the Australian Government and the community for all the help they’ve given us. The letters of support I’ve received highlight how helpless we all feel, but it helps all of us immensely just knowing we have people standing behind us.”

Amongst the sea of the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag was ACT Senator Zed Seselja, who said he was there to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and Ukrainian people in Canberra.

“I know they are suffering deeply, and the world stands with them. There’s lots of sadness and worry for their loved ones, and they want to see the Ukrainian people prevail in this battle. That’s definitely the sentiment here in the church,” Senator Seselja said. 

“I encourage people to get behind the number of appeals for support with their money, because we just need to find every way to support the people of Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church concluded the service with a sausage sizzle fundraiser, offering traditional Ukrainian food for sale.

The local Ukrainian School of Canberra students were selling traditional Ukrainian items to also raise funds for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

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