NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On Sunday, September 20, after the 10:30 a.m. divine liturgy at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro spoke to the Ukrainian community about her trip to Ukraine last month.
She spoke with conviction and with determination, and made it clear that she is dedicated to helping the Ukrainian people.
The program started with Halia Lodynsky, teacher at the Ukrainian School and Ukrainian community activist, welcoming special guests and the community. Everyone then sang the American and Ukrainian national anthems. Ms. Lodynsky lit a candle during a moment of silence for all the people who died fighting for freedom in Ukraine.
Immediately afterwards, the director of the Ukrainian School, Myron Melnyk, introduced special guests Rep. DeLauro and the author of “Bloodlands” and Housum Professor of History at Yale University Timothy Snyder.
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, lead vocalist of the hugely popular rock band Okean Elzy, spoke about the younger generations in Ukraine and how they are helping the country.
Another important guest was there was Roman Lutsiuk, a soldier from Ukraine who has been getting medical treatment at Yale New Haven Hospital since January.
A younger guest who came to the program was Maria Shevchenko of Kyiv, who is a student at Choate Rosemary Hall.