Milwaukee, Wisconsin hosted Faith & Will Fest, a festival of Ukrainian culture, faith, and unity that brought the local community together at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church. The program included a worship service, a concert of Ukrainian music, performances by children and creative groups, traditional food, ethnic costumes, and family entertainment.
This was reported by St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The festival began after the Divine Liturgy, led by Bishop Venedikt and the church’s pastor, Father Igor Darmohray. Organizers emphasized that Faith & Will Fest is intended not only as a cultural or entertainment event, but also as an opportunity for Ukrainians to meet, support each other, and help Ukraine. A special symbol of indomitability was the Ukrainian military, who are in the USA for treatment and prosthetics.
The central part of the festival was a concert program with the participation of local Ukrainian performers and guests from Chicago. Igor Lemishka, a member of the bands "Svashki" and "Svat Band", the choir "Irmos" and a volunteer, performed on stage. The vocal and choreographic studio "Elegy" from Chicago, led by Svitlana Polyak, which this year celebrates ten years of creative activity, also joined the musical program.
The choir of the parish of St. Archangel Michael supported the festival with its singing. The group regularly accompanies church services and is part of the spiritual and cultural life of the Ukrainian community of Milwaukee. Students of the Native School at the parish and the children's choir "Dyvotsvit" under the direction of Nadiya Kavyuk also took to the stage. Children learn the Ukrainian language, history, culture and traditions and continue to learn about the heritage of Ukraine through song.
A separate part of the program was the performances of young dancers. The children's Ukrainian dance group "Kalyna" from Milwaukee performed on the festival stage. Under the leadership of the dancer of the ensemble "Dnipro" Caitlyn Mulhall, its participants get acquainted with Ukrainian dance and traditions of different regions of Ukraine.
Festival guests also saw a show of Ukrainian ethnic costumes by Roksolana Prokopiv, in which young models from the StarKids school under the leadership of Kateryna Grod took part. The show became part of the artistic program that combined Ukrainian tradition with a modern presentation of culture.
During the "Faith & Will" Fest, there were zones with traditional Ukrainian dishes, souvenirs and entertainment for guests. A separate program was prepared for children, and a prize draw was held among visitors. The organizers also provided covered seating so that the festival could take place regardless of weather conditions.
The festival became one of the events of the Ukrainian community of Milwaukee, where different generations could celebrate Ukrainian culture and traditions together. The program combined church tradition, Ukrainian song, dance, ethnic clothing and gastronomy. The organizers paid special attention to children who were born or raised in the United States, but continue to study the Ukrainian language, culture and history.
Photo: Petr Kovtun
Author: Danylo Pievchev