In Sacramento, California, the St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church hosted the January Ukrainian event “Ukrainian Night,” which brought together all who support and pray for Ukraine, its defenders, and those affected by the war.
This was reported by the organizers of “Ukrainian Night.”
“Prayers for the victory of Ukraine, Ukrainian defenders, volunteers, and medics, for those who lost their loved ones, for refugees, prisoners of war, civilian hostages, and kidnapped children,” the post said.
As reported, joint prayers were also dedicated to the Ukrainian and American governments. After the service, Brother Timothy of the Hospitallers of St Martin addressed the audience with an inspiring speech.
It was also noted that the Sunflower Society called on the community to take concrete actions in two areas.
“First, we call on you to follow the Russia’s War on Faith project and spread truthful information about Russia’s persecution of religious communities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” the message says.
According to the organizers, anyone interested can also join in organizing screenings of the documentary “A Faith Under Siege” in US churches. The second direction was an appeal to American lawmakers to support the bill H.R. 5962 on the return of abducted Ukrainian children.
A separate spiritual part of the evening was the artistic word.
“In addition to prayers, we were blessed by a beautiful poem performed by Elina Volotko,” the organizers note.
The Ukrainian Evening is a monthly initiative organized by Stefan Scotts, Svitlana Lotko, and the Sunflower Society.
“This is a space where church and community leaders come together in prayer while working on projects for the benefit of local communities and Ukraine,” the statement summarizes.
Background
H.R. 5962 is a legislative initiative introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress (2025–2026), officially titled the Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act.
The primary purpose of the bill is to authorize the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State to provide law enforcement and intelligence technical assistance, training, and advisory support to the government of Ukraine. This is aimed at facilitating the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of Ukrainian children forcibly displaced and abducted in connection with the war.
Photo: Ukrainian Night
Author: Inna Mikhno