Blessed Nykyta Budka and Omelyan Kovch
The true victory is not only peace, but the victory of love over hatred, light over darkness, and faith over fear. Our nation needs not only the strength of weapons, but also the strength of the spirit — a spirit that is born through faithfulness to God.
On Saturday we commemorated the Holy Martyr Mykolai Charnetskyi and the 24 Blessed Ukrainian Martyrs. Today we especially remember Blessed Martyr Omelyan Kovch, who chose to remain with those condemned to die in the Majdanek concentration camp, and Blessed Nykyta Budka, the first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in Canada, whose life ended in exile.
As Ukraine continues to endure the injustice and suffering of war, we often ask: Where is God? Where is hope? The Church answers by pointing us to these blessed martyrs.
Blessed Omelyan Kovch witnessed the horrors of war, human cruelty, and the fear of death. Yet he chose love. He remained a priest among those abandoned by everyone else, bringing them hope and Christ’s presence. When Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky tried to secure his release, Fr. Omelyan wrote: “Here I see God, Who is the same for everybody, regardless of the religious distinctions which exist among us.”
Blessed Nykyta Budka faithfully served immigrants who had been scattered across a foreign land, often forgotten and left with very little. Though he became Canada’s first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in 1912, his earthly journey ended in exile.
These blessed martyrs did not run from suffering. They brought Christ into their own lives and into the lives of others. Today, Ukraine is living through its own Golgotha — but Golgotha is never the end. Those who believe in the Resurrection know that the Cross is never empty. It always leads to new life.
Today our people, like our blessed martyrs, continue to pay the price for freedom, dignity, and truth. Every sacrifice, every tear, and every prayer is precious before God. Even when we feel powerless, we are called to remain faithful, to pray for peace, to support those who suffer, and never allow evil to change our hearts.
Let us pray for Ukraine, that God may grant it peace; for those who suffer, that God may grant them strength and hope; and for one another, that we may never lose faith, asking the Blessed Martyrs to help us remain faithful, courageous, and full of hope. For if Christ is risen, then no darkness is eternal.
