‘We are not alone’: Crowd gathers to hold candlelight vigil for Ukraine before Ukrainian Independence Day

WARREN — On the night before Ukrainian Independence Day, a crowd gathered in the parking lot of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Warren. They sang Ukrainian songs and prayers, their faces illuminated by candlelight.

This year’s Independence Day was a somber occasion, for it also marked six months since Russia invaded.

“(People) need to get together, especially in times like this, so they can talk and it becomes easier for them to deal with,” said Fr. Daniel Schaicoski, the church’s senior pastor. “Because sometimes what I see in people is the sense of helplessness coming in. … In difficult times we get together to pray, and on the eve of celebrating our independence from Russia, (there is) nothing better that we can do than pray.”

After a wreath was laid at the foot of a memorial by a Ukrainian-American member of the U.S. Air Force, Schaicoski led the crowd through a number of songs and prayers in both Ukrainian and English.

A number of elected officials and congressional candidates were in attendance, some of whom took an opportunity to speak. Warren Mayor Jim Fouts called on people to stand united with Ukraine.

“We must stand united with Ukraine, stand up against Soviet totalitarianism … and that we must remember,” he said.

Fouts voiced his concern for the children of Ukraine, stating that the United States needs to send books and educational equipment to Ukraine.

He also echoed a sentiment he’s held strong since the invasion began — Warren will welcome anyone displaced by the fighting.

“As mayor, Warren wants to be the first to welcome those displaced people to Warren,” he said. “I want them to come to this country, and I want them to come to the city of Warren.”

U.S. Rep. Andy Levin followed Fouts in addressing the crowd. He said that he would continue to fight to support Ukraine.

“This is not something the free world can accept,” he said. “And we’re going to keep fighting to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggression.”

He said that while the United States is divided, everyone on the Foreign Affairs Committee is in agreeance on supporting Ukraine.

“My Republican colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee and my Democratic colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee all agree that we have to do whatever it takes to support the independence of Ukraine,” he said. “It is the canary in the coal mine of the survival of democracy in this world.”

Former Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Carl Marlinga, a candidate for Michigan’s 10th District Congressional seat, said Putin should never be allowed to be recognized in the halls of government, calling him a “war criminal.”

“He should be called in as such; he should be treated as such,” he said.

He said that, as George Washington marshaled his forces in the American Revolutionary War, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is doing the same with his people for an “inevitable victory.”

Marlinga ended by saying Ukraine needs a world that does not tire of supporting it, and that the United States should continue to give it support.

“We have to let the Ukrainian people know that we will never let them down, that we will always be there and rejoice with them in the final victory,” he said.

Natalie Melnyczuk, who works with the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan’s Government Outreach and Advocacy committee, acknowledged proclamations and tributes that had been issued by local and state officials, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Fouts.

“We are not alone,” she said.

Contact Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637 or bwells@candgnews.com.