A Visit from Ukraine's Bishop Vitali Kryvytski
- Joseph Busatto
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
By Jean-Manuel Granda
We recently had the honor of hosting Bishop Vitali Kryvytski of the Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr in Ukraine. He was accompanied by his translator, Father Alejandro from Chicago, who has been living in Ukraine for 15 years.
Opening his talk, the bishop told us, “We come from a country that holds to anything they can to survive.”
He acknowledged that while he did not come to speak about politics, faith often takes its context from politics. He noted that what they are living through right now is a genocide, but he reminded us that the first Christians went against the current, and that is what made their faith stronger.
“We Mature Faster”
The bishop shared that during times of war, people mature faster. He recalled the second day after the war broke out. He gathered all his priests online, men he has known for many years. When he saw them on the screen, they seemed 10 years older. He had to give them indications of what to do during the invasion, knowing it would probably be the last time he saw them. They understood the challenges in front of them and had to learn new things to survive. They knew it was not just a fight for land, but a civil war, and it was a war of good against evil.
The Power of Prayer
He spoke about the power of unity. It was the bishops in Ukraine who asked the Holy Father for a common prayer. On March 25, 2022, Pope Francis announced a common prayer throughout the Church.
The bishop used a metaphor: “When it rains there are a lot of small drops of water, and when there is a lot of rain there are a lot of plants. It is the same thing with prayer. When it is a small one with many, it can bring lots of fruits.”
Miracles in the War Zone
Bishop Kryvytski said they would need more time to tell us about all the miracles that have occurred. He shared two specific stories:
The statue: When the Russians arrived at the seminary, they took everything. A missal fell in the kitchen and very precisely hit the head of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. When the priests returned months later, they thought the Russians had pushed it over. But after analyzing it, they understood it was something else. Five days later, the Russian army moved out of the northern part of Kyiv, something the Russians called an “act of goodwill.”
The soldier’s book: When a parishioner went to fight on the front line, he took a small prayer book so he could have daily readings, knowing there was no internet. That year, the printing of the book used slightly thicker paper than previous printings, and some people had complained that they could not carry the book anymore because of the bulk.
During the war, this man got shot while fighting. The bullet hit the book. When they took him to the hospital, the doctors said that if the book had been thinner, the bullet would have gone through. The bishop noted that life is based on small decisions. The Word of God saves us from mistakes and temptations, and in this case, it saved a life. He added that this did not happen by chance and that his own uncle had the same thing occur to him where a bullet hit a book.
Life for Students in Ukraine
The bishop compared our lives here to theirs. He noted that while COVID-19 created an imbalance here, the four years of full-scale invasion have been worse. Even little children in daycare have gotten used to air alerts; they do not react, they just get their things and go to the shelter.
For students, power is only available for four hours out of the 24. He said, “We thought that in the 21st century it wasn’t possible for these things to happen … not our country.”
He offered advice to the students in the room.
“If politics here make mistakes, and you have the opportunity to prevent that, go ahead and do it. Maybe those politicians did not study well in school. We see it with the Russian politicians … they probably did not study physics very well and do not know that everything in life is connected. God created order, and we are the ones who mess that up.”
Student Q&A
Student question: In times like these, how do you strengthen your faith?
Bishop Kryvytski: In my experience, it is the simple things that help. For example, the Word of God. The daily readings had a big impact on how God was speaking to us. People would tell me, “It looks like you chose the right readings for today,” and I would tell them no, it was not me who chose them. They were already prepared, and it is the same readings all over the world. Also, during the attacks when you hear the missiles falling, it is easy to pray and sometimes it is difficult, but you can get the Rosary and the Holy Spirit helps you pray. Even many soldiers ask for Rosaries.
Student question: How do you cooperate with members of the Church in occupied territories?
Bishop Kryvytski: It is very difficult. Before the war, the Russians had some sort of respect for the Roman Catholic Church because they knew if they attacked the RCC, there would be consequences all over the world. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation has mercenaries all over the world who are Catholic, but they do it for evil reasons. There are only a few priests left in the occupied territory. There is a parish there that does not have anyone physically; they have a secret camera to listen to everything secretly. We are fighting for freedom so we do not go back to the Soviet Union. I know what the persecution of religion is and life in a communist regime, like the ones in Cuba.
Student question: When the Russians invaded, did your faith get weaker or stronger?
Bishop Kryvytski: Maybe yes it got weaker, maybe no. With the fruits I mentioned, maybe yes it got stronger. But then it seems it has gotten weaker because we are fighting an enemy that is much stronger, and it is like losing in a game of chess. We are stronger due to the faith of the people, but we still need a lot of help. Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Be perfect like I am perfect.” We are called to be perfect not like Superman, but in the place where God has put us … a concrete person that can change things. When living a normal life, just like a train passing by, you do not really feel it as much as when it is at war.
Student question: Is it more difficult for the youth to maintain their faith or the adults?
Bishop Kryvytski: Maybe the challenge is the same for both. A mother of a dead soldier prayed for the war to not start and it began, and her son died. Maybe some feel like God does not listen. Us in school, we plan a future, but during the war, it is hard to plan anything. The youth during the war see that things do not fall in place. It is difficult carrying a cross of not knowing what is going to happen. A lot of people in Florida ask when the war is going to end, but we do not know; we need to figure out what we are going to do today. A lot of young people who feel like they cannot do it anymore just leave the country, and we do not judge them because anyone can get tired. It is like a test; some pass, some do not.
Student question: How did you get rations during the war?
Bishop Kryvytski: In Kyiv it was fairly easy during the start of the war. Now, even with millions of people moving, we are blessed to say we have no refugee camps. Today it is more difficult with the heating. Millions of people after the latest attacks do not have water or electricity. It is not a matter of comfort. They say here in Florida the iguanas fall when it is freezing; there, people are freezing and do not have food to stay warm. We are changing our parishes to hubs where people can stay warm. We are looking to buy 23 tons of gasoline just for the generators in Kyiv parishes. It is more difficult on the eastern side. One of our prisoners on the eastern side takes water in buckets to soldiers and civilians every day. Even with the drones flying over, they know him but do not attack him.
Student question: How has the Vatican supported you?
Bishop Kryvytski: The Vatican has supported it ever since the war started. They have several projects, though they do not have lots of money to give. A cardinal comes with ambulances and money to the most necessary places and then returns to the Vatican. Also, the Vatican spreads the word to different organizations that can help.
The Formula
The bishop left us with this cycle to think about: “Difficult times form strong people. Strong people create comfortable times. Comfortable times build weak people. Weak people make difficult times. And then it repeats itself in a cycle.”
Afterward, when talking to Mr. Jesurun, the campus minister, he said the experience was great for Columbus.
“I think Bishop Vitali was a wonderful experience for our boys. It gave them the opportunity to see beyond the regular sight beyond Miami, and it gave them the chance to see how the Church acts in times of war. I think it made what was going on in Ukraine real, and as well our prayers. It showed that our prayers meant something to someone.”
