As Delaware Ukrainians watch invasion, ‘nothing to do but cry and pray’

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth day Sunday, Sonya Patronik stood inside Wilmington’s Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church and prayed for her family as they sheltered in the cellars of their homes near Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

In the time since the invasion, Patronik has felt overwhelming helplessness as relatives relayed their experiences of hearing bombs outside their windows during the ongoing military assault. 

She has had to mute her phone and its notifications, otherwise it makes her cry. 

“You’re helpless. You can’t do anything and nothing to do but cry and pray,” Patronik said. 

Patronik, a Wilmington resident whose parents fled Ukraine during WWII, was “horrified” when she saw the news that Russia had invaded. 

“It’s just scary, very upsetting and depressing,” she said.

Patronik was one of about 100 people who attended a prayer service for those in Ukraine at the church Sunday. Shortly before the gathering, several dozen other parishioners gathered at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church for a weekly Mass. 

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Leaders of Wilmington’s two Ukrainian churches, one Orthodox and one Catholic, denounced the invasion and emphasized the need to support the citizens of the country and its refugees. Wilmington residents with ties to Ukraine have been reeling in the wake of the invasion as they exchange messages with family in the country and watch the “horrific” events unfold. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was putting nuclear forces on high alert Sunday following economic sanctions by the West and “aggressive statements” by NATO powers. 

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The European Union has announced plans to close its airspace to Russian airlines and to fund a weapons purchase to help Ukraine. As of Sunday night, more than 200,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to USA Today.

Walt Schurga, a native of Germany and longtime parishioner of St. Nicholas recalled his parents’ journey as he sat, clutching a cup of coffee in the basement of the church following the service.

He found it difficult to speak about the current events in Ukraine as he recalled how his parents were forcibly taken from their home country, Ukraine, into Germany during WWII. His parents met inside of a German displaced persons’ camp before eventually immigrating to the United States. 

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The weeks leading up to the invasion and the days since have left him feeling anxious for his remaining family in the country. He has remained in constant contact with his cousins in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine from where his family hails.

“I feel bad for the people of Ukraine – they don’t deserve that,” Schurga said. 

In the weeks leading up to the invasion, Schurga maintained regular communication with one of his cousins via Facebook Messenger, speculating about whether or not an invasion would actually occur. 

Now, Schurga checks in with his family every day to try to keep abreast of developments. As of Sunday, Lviv has remained relatively untouched by the effects of the assault on the country but that could change, Schurga said. 

“As of yesterday morning, things are pretty quiet but depending on what Putin wants to do, that could obviously change,” Schurga said. “They’re wondering when it’s going to come to them and how it’s going to play out.”

In Lviv, an energetic resistance of baristas, teachers and janitors has been forming to combat Russian forces, according to reporting by The New York Times. 

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At the table next to Schurga, 65-year-old Mark Miller, a longtime member of the Ukrainian Catholic religion, sat and talked with a few fellow attendees of the service. Miller described himself and other attendees of Sunday’s service as “very emotional” as they watched what was happening in Ukraine. 

Miller was appalled when he saw the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine Thursday. 

“I was sick to my stomach,” he said. 

Borys Gudziak, Archbishop-Metropolitan for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, recently referred to the invasion of Ukraine as “unsettling.” Gudziak is the spiritual leader of Ukrainian Catholics in Delaware. 

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The Rev. Volodymyr Klanichka, pastor of St. Nicholas and native of Ukraine, could not believe it when he saw that Russia had invaded his home country. Klanichka said he has had trouble eating and sleeping in the days since the invasion. 

“My heart is devastated with what happened in Ukraine,” he said. “It’s a very difficult and troubling time for our motherland.” 

A few miles away at Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, its pastor, the Rev. Stephen Hutnick, denounced Russia’s invasion and asked attendees to support the country and its residents.

Hutnick, who spoke to members of various religions and numerous Delaware politicians, including U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, did take solace in the fact that the events in Ukraine had brought people together.