The Parish of Saint Savvas of Kalymnos in Banksia joined Ukrainians worldwide on November 23 to mark the 92nd anniversary of the Holodomor, the 1932–33 man-made famine that killed millions under Stalin.
A Divine Liturgy and memorial service were held at the church, resonating strongly with the parish’s Ukrainian faithful amid the ongoing war in their homeland.
During the service, Fr Savas Pizanias read a message from His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who called the Holodomor “one of the most tragic and unjust events in human history” and stressed that it was the result of a deliberate policy “to erase a people who cherished their freedom, their heritage, and their faith.”
He added: “Villages disappeared, graves multiplied, and entire generations were silenced… while tyrants may bury bodies, they can never bury hope.”
Members of the Ukrainian Free Kozaks of Australia were present as the Archbishop’s continued support for Ukraine and its faithful was reaffirmed. The church was filled with Greeks, Ukrainians and others.
The service concluded with prayers for the eternal memory of the Holodomor’s victims.
