Holodomor

Facts about Holodomor Holodomor, which means, “to kill by hunger, to starve to death,” was a peacetime tragedy in Ukraine. This took place in the years 1932 and 1933 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The government, led by Joseph Stalin, forced all farmers to give up their land and join collective farms. The government then demanded that these collective farms produce more grain than was reasonable. When the peasants failed to meet the quotas, the government seized all food from them leading to the deaths of millions of men, women and children. The Soviet government denied this event even occurred and talking about it was forbidden. Since the fall of the USSR, the world has been slowly gaining awareness and understanding of the magnitude of the Holodomor. Today we remember this tragedy to honour the people who died and to prevent events like this from happening again.

Help us to remember the victims of Holodomor and to pray that, with God's assistance, the lessons of history help us find lasting encouragement for mutual understanding, harmony and peace. As we honour the millions of Ukrainians who died as a result of Famine Genocide, we recall the dramatic events of the Holodomor and offer our prayers to God. Let us pray for the repose of the souls of the dead, asking God to grant eternal rest to all those who were unjustly deprived of the gift of life. And let us pray that never again will the horrors of genocide be felt by anyone in any country today or anytime in the future. For these intentions, together we pray the Our Father… Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen. A Prayer for Holodomor