A Family Christmas

Knights of Columbus bring together bereaved families to celebrate Christmas in Ukraine

By Solomiia Karpiv

Jan. 21, 2025

Bishop Mykhaylo Bubniy, exarch of Odesa, Ukraine, and state chaplain of the country’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Knights, stands with widows, Knights and priests from the Odesa deanery in Pivdenne, Ukraine, during a Christmas liturgy and dinner hosted by the Knights in December.

The number of widows and orphans in Ukraine has steadily grown over the past three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. During the Christmas season, Knights of Columbus in Ukraine hosted special dinners to welcome over 700 guests, including wives, mothers, and close relatives of fallen soldiers in the ongoing war with Russia.

The Christmas dinners are one of the many ways the Knights are supporting those most affected by the war, said Ukraine State Deputy Mykola Mostovyak.

“Our Order was founded by Blessed Michael McGivney to serve widows and orphans,” Mostovyak said. “That is why, for the second consecutive year, we have been hosting Christmas dinners for widows and mothers [of fallen sons] in different parts of Ukraine.”

Last year, six councils across the western and Kyiv regions hosted dinners, bringing together hundreds of people over the holiday season. This Christmas, the initiative expanded both in scale and reach, with 10 councils participating across Ukraine — from the west to the central-northern and southern regions. Dinners were held for the first time in Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Zhytomyr, Bila Tserkva, Buchach, Irpin and Brody.

Most of the 10 meetings began with Divine Liturgy followed by Panakhyda — a solemn Byzantine memorial service for the souls of the deceased.

“It was about remembering our fallen heroes and their spiritual presence with us,” explained Father Myroslav Latynnyk, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest in Irpin who worked with Blessed Mykolai Charnetsky Council 16890 in Irpin to arrange the gathering. “Everyone brought photos of their sons and husbands, which we placed on the table. We read aloud the names of the fallen — over 170 from our community.”

Participants of this dinner, called “Christmas in the Family,” shared unconsecrated prosphora — small loaves of bread used for holy Communion in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church — while exchanging heartfelt wishes.

The subsequent meal featured traditional dishes, customary activities and lively carol performances, including the vertep — a traditional Christmas nativity play performed by the children. Guests were also invited to view an exhibition of plush toys and paintings and had opportunities for spiritual conversations with the priests.

Many of the participants belong to a community that meets every Saturday at the Nativity of Theotokos Church in Irpin for shared discussions and prayer. Among the attendees was a notable guest — the mayor of Irpin, who heroically led the city’s territorial defense during the early days of the war in 2022.

At the event’s conclusion, the women received angels handcrafted by two parishioners who had relocated from Donetsk.

State Deputy Mostovyak noted that Christmas gatherings like those in Irpin demonstrate how prayer, shared meals and traditional carols can provide much-needed support to the families of fallen heroes.

“It also helps us better understand their needs, which often go beyond material assistance,” Mostovyak explained. “[They also need] psychological rehabilitation, spiritual support, and simply human attention.”

Guests enjoy a meal provided by Blessed Mykolai Charnetsky Council 16890 in Irpin, Kyiv region, during a Christmas dinner hosted for the wives, mothers, and close relatives of fallen soldiers. — Bishop Mykhaylo Bubniy, exarch of Odesa, Ukraine, and state chaplain of the country’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Knights, stands with widows, Knights and priests from the Odesa deanery in Pivdenne, Ukraine, during a Christmas liturgy and dinner hosted by the Knights in December.

Similar programs including joint prayer for the deceased, refreshments, carols and a vertep, took place at each Christmas gathering organized by the Knights.

“We must continue supporting families who have lost loved ones, so they don’t feel abandoned by society and know they are remembered,” said Father Latynnyk. “The sacrifice of their son, husband, brother or grandson is immense. The loss of a hero is a loss for all of us.”

In Pivdenne, a southern port city near Odesa, the Christmas dinner was attended by Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy, exarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Odesa and state chaplain of the country’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Knights. He personally served kutya — a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dish made of wheat, honey and poppy seeds — to the widows and mothers present.

“I thanked them for their sons and husbands who gave their lives so that we could be free and have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas today,” said Bishop Bubniy. Addressing the guests, he expressed the Church’s unwavering support, emphasizing its readiness to share in their pain and offer a helping hand.

“Serving kutya is my tradition, as a bishop,” he said. “Whether at my residence, with the military, or with others, I always serve kutya first, just as my late father did. He’d bring hay into the house, place it under the table as a symbol of Christ’s manger, and then my mother would set the kutya on the table. My father would serve it to us children and all present at the dinner.”

For many of the women, coming from different faith traditions in Odesa region, the experience was unique and deeply moving. They expressed gratitude as the bishop personally served them kutya, prayed with them, and handed out gifts.

In Kryvyi Rih, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Council 18620 and the Unbreakable community, composed of families of the deceased and military personnel, are engaged in parish activities and volunteer work with Caritas.

“I knew the Knights help those in need, but I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise — an invitation to the Christmas dinner that allowed us not only to get closer to the Knights, but also to other families,” shared Alyona Borozenets, an active member of the community who lost her husband in 2015.

“At Christmas, when families gather, we no longer have the chance to be with our husbands and sons. That’s why the attention and care we receive from men during this time is so meaningful,” she added. “This dinner is about unity and family comfort, about attention and care.”

*****

SOLOMIIA KARPIV writes from Lviv, Ukraine.