The pews of Donnycarney Church, Co. Dublin, were full as the Ukrainian community celebrated Palm Sunday.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Vasyl Kornitsky explained that “the Mass was attended by hundreds of people. And the big church in Donnycarney was full. I was very happy to see so many children in the church last Sunday”.
“It was a joyful celebration. But at the same time, for us Ukrainians, there was a very deep sense of loss and sadness because we received this terrible news from Ukraine that 34 civilians were killed, and hundreds were injured.” Fr Kornitsky explained that grief and sorrow were present emotions during the Mass. “Every time we gather to celebrate Mass and pray together, we always remember how important it is for us Ukrainians to remain strong and to be strong in our prayers at a time when the war is causing so much division and sorrow and suffering.”
Fr Kornitsky encourages the faithful to “never lose hope, even though there is so much pain and sorrow. We always remain very strong in our faith and always ask God to help us and to bless the people of Ukraine and just to bring the peace that we have been longing for so many years.”
“Our Easter message is always a message of great hope and deep joy,” the priest said. “Because we rejoice in Jesus because he rose from the dead. He has given us new eternal life. New life and new hope. And we should always, especially in times of difficulty in our lives, keep this message of Easter and live it every single day of our lives. That after Good Friday always comes Easter. And we should always rejoice every single day of our life.
