The Light of Guadalupe in the Shadow of War

Knights in Ukraine turn to the Patroness of the Americas for a miracle of peace and the strength to build a future of hope

By Kateryna Kolodii

Dec. 11, 2025

Group of Ukrainian Knights, priests, and their families stand with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe after blessing the image. — Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy, exarch of Odesa and state chaplain of the Knights of Columbus in Ukraine (center), joins brother Knights from Kyiv councils after blessing an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church in Kyiv on May 19.

In the flickering candlelight of a Catholic church in Lviv, a young Ukrainian couple kneels before an image of the Virgin Mary. Outside, life is marked by air raid sirens, power outages and the uncertainty of war. Yet the couple experiences a profound sense of peace.

The image they pray before is not one of the Byzantine icons typical of the Eastern Catholic tradition, but a representation of Our Lady of Guadalupe — the patroness of the Americas, of the unborn, and of the Knights of Columbus.

The scene captures a growing spiritual reality in Ukraine: As the country endures the trial of war, the message of Guadalupe — God’s mercy revealed to the suffering — has found significant resonance among Ukrainian Knights and their families.

Leading up to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Knights in Ukraine have organized a nationwide prayer movement, held Dec. 8-12. The five-day initiative has included the daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy, offered with special intentions for Ukraine’s victory amid Russian military aggression; for Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines; for the resilience of families carrying the heavy burdens of war; and for a just and lasting peace. Each day, different councils have led the praying of the rosary, with prayers livestreamed from their parishes, allowing brother Knights from across the country — and the world — to join in.

Uniting Knights from Lviv to those on the front lines, this spiritual campaign has sought the protection of the Blessed Mother to establish a “civilization of love” in a land fighting to survive a modern “culture of death.”

“For Ukrainian Knights, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a sign of hope during wartime, as she appeared to a people experiencing suffering and injustice,” said Ukraine State Deputy Mykola Mostovyak. “She is a mother of unity among different cultures, which strongly resonates in a country in need of solidarity.”

A PILGRIMAGE FOR PEACE

The roots of this Marian devotion in Ukraine are anchored in a pivotal pilgrimage. In 2019, several years before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Bishop Mykhaylo Bubniy, exarch of Odesa and state chaplain of the country’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Knights, traveled to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City at the invitation of Bishop Bryan Bayda, CSsR, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada and assistant state chaplain of Ontario.

Standing before the miraculous tilma of St. Juan Diego, Bishop Bubniy prayed for an end to the conflict that had been claiming lives in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

“As a pilgrim from a country bleeding because of war, I had to pray for peace,” recalled Bishop Bubniy. “It was a unique pilgrimage. First of all — a different world, a different people, a different mentality. I was especially impressed by the simplicity with which Mexicans came to the sanctuary. There was no deceit. I saw their love for their mother.”

For Bishop Bubniy, the Marian apparition holds a powerful theological significance relevant to Ukraine’s current plight. Referencing the book Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love, co-authored by Past Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, who served as the postulator of St. Juan Diego’s cause for canonization, the bishop noted that the Aztec society was marked by a “culture of death,” rooted in human sacrifice to the sun god. Into this darkness, Mary appeared as the mother of hope.

A Ukrainian Bishop blesses new image of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy, exarch of Odesa and state chaplain of the Knights of Columbus in Ukraine, blesses a new image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church in Kyiv on May 19.

“With the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico came a culture of life, a culture of hope, a culture of love,” Bishop Bubniy said. “And from Mexico, it spread throughout the Americas, and then to Europe and the whole world.”

Bishop Bubniy returned from the pilgrimage full of hope. He had a copy of the miraculous image, which had been touched to the original tilma, installed at the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kyiv. The chapel’s location at the grave of Prince Askold, a ninth-century figure of national significance, has become a spiritual anchor for the Knights in Ukraine’s capital.

“It was a sign that the Mother of God wanted a shrine on that site,” Bishop Bubniy said of his invitation to go on pilgrimage to Mexico. “A small miracle that Mary worked for the Knights of Columbus community in Ukraine.”

THE PROTECTOR OF FAMILIES IN LVIV

While the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe watches over Kyiv, the devotion has also taken root at the parish level in western Ukraine. Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 17913 was established in Lviv four years ago. For Grand Knight Ivan Hots, the choice of a patroness was natural, given the presence of an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in its parish church. Devotion to Our Lady under that name has since grown into an important part of the community’s identity.

In a country where families are often separated by military service or displacement, the council has fostered a unique tradition to strengthen the domestic church. “After every wedding, the pastor leads the newlyweds to the image of the Mother of God,” Hots explained. “Because [Our Lady of Guadalupe] is the patroness of the unborn, the couple prays for the birth of a new generation.”

This focus on family and life is countercultural in a time of war, and it aligns perfectly with the Order’s mission. “Knights who have families often pray for the gift of children,” Hots said. “My son-in-law is also a Knight; he has four children. My own son also has four children. … I believe that devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe blesses our family.”

With the reality of the war never far away, prayer is a necessary spiritual weapon for the Knights of Council 17913.

“Prayer is needed every day,” said Hots. “For each of us, for every Ukrainian — so that there may be peace on earth.” Quoting an old Ukrainian proverb, he emphasized reliance on divine assistance: “Without God, not even to the doorstep.”

A SPIRITUAL BRIDGE ACROSS CONTINENTS

Two Knights and a priest stand with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe during a prayer ceremony — From left, Grand Knight Ivan Hots of Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 17913 in Lviv, Council Chaplain Father Jacek Kocur and District Deputy Viacheslav Olishyevskyi stand with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe during a prayer ceremony at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Lviv in December 2024.

This year, the Order continues this tradition on a national level in Ukraine. The five days of prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe preceding the feast day serve as a spiritual bridge connecting the Ukrainian jurisdiction with the Knights of Columbus worldwide, said State Deputy Mostovyak.

The initiative highlights the specific role Mary plays as the “Mother of the Civilization of Love.” At a time when Ukrainians face deep psychological and spiritual wounds, the temptation toward despair or hatred can be overwhelming. But the message of Guadalupe remains one of tenderness and reassurance.

“People long for the miracle of peace, yet also for the strength to endure in struggles,” said Mostovyak. “Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared during a time of great darkness, and through her, God restored light to an entire people.”

Amid the war, Knights of Columbus in Ukraine continue their charitable work, particularly by supporting widows and orphans and aiding the wounded. But they also kneel in prayer, trusting Our Lady.

“Mary is the one who leads to the Savior — regardless of how and where she is depicted, whether in Mexico, Univ, Zarvanytsia, or Hoshiv,” Bishop Bubniy said, listing prominent Ukrainian Marian shrines alongside Guadalupe. “Mary is the same Mother of God and Mother of the Church, and under her protection, we can walk forward. She will not allow us to go astray.”

To learn more about the Order’s work in Ukraine and to support those efforts, visit kofc.org/ukraine.

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KATERYNA KOLODII writes from Lviv, Ukraine.