A screenshot from the YouTube video of “Diary from Kyiv,” a daily video and podcast series produced by St. Rita Radio, an EWTN affiliate in Norway. / null
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 5, 2022 / 02:00 am (CNA).
A Catholic Ukrainian journalist is documenting day-to-day life in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country — and sharing her faith in God along the way.
“These days, I fall asleep with the rosary in my hands and the prayer ‘Hail Mary’ on my lips,” the journalist in Kyiv, who remains anonymous for security reasons, says in her most recent diary entry on March 3. “I believe I’m holding Mary’s hand. She’s nearby.”
St. Rita Radio, an EWTN affiliate in Norway, is translating and sharing the journalist’s daily messages in the form of a video and podcast series titled “Diary from Kyiv.” The first episode was released on Feb. 26.
The 3- to 6-minute video episodes (available on YouTube as well as Spotify and Apple Podcasts) feature a voice-over from a translator as images or short video clips from Ukraine appear. The unidentified journalist’s poignant words shine through, providing powerful imagery and thought-provoking sentiments.
“The question arises in my head, where is Christ in this?” she asks in the Feb. 28 episode. “He loves us, the Ukrainians, as well as the Russians, the Poles, and the Americans.”
“We are all his children. However, the devil has taken possession of hearts and blinded them, so there is war, destruction, and death,” she adds. “Today my task is to pray, be converted, do good as far as I can, and go through this Golgotha with trust in the Lord who passed through it first.”
A huge following
Pål Johannes Nes, who produced the series, told CNA that the diary project “started with an idea to show the story of the people living in war.”
The 42-year-old chief editor located in Haramsoya, Norway, founded St. Rita Radio in May 2020 with his wife, Erika Eva Nes. A year later, in 2021, they started working together with EWTN.
Even though it is a radio network, St. Rita Radio has been producing video for the last year, Nes added. He called “Diary from Kyiv” “a show made for social media.”
“The response has been almost too much, for a small Internet radio in Norway,” he said of the series’ success. “I think we are closing in on 1,000,000 views now. Every episode is shared 10-20,000 times.”
Today, Nes leads a team of four working together on the series as volunteers — including their journalist friend in Kyiv.
Nes said he knew the journalist prior to the invasion. “I asked her if she would be willing to tell her story,” he explained to CNA. “The story about how to live a life of faith during the time of war.”
Sustained by prayer
That story is unfolding in ways that neither of them ever could have imagined.
Recounting a recent attack in Zhytomyr that destroyed 10 buildings, injured 12, and killed 2, the journalist highlighted the good.
“We are already used to tragic news and it turns out that we often focus on it,” she said. “Or maybe we should start thanking God. For what? Even for the fact that 12 people did not die but live. For going through another night and another day.”
“Although we are failing from discouragement and despair because we want it to end sooner,” she added, “Jesus also fell but got up and continued carrying the cross.”
One of the most difficult days came on Feb. 27, when she remembered sleeping only two hours and spending the rest of her time in constant prayer. Not allowed outside, she recalled announced air strikes and shelling that hit, among other things, a children’s hospital.
“I’m texting all my friends to pray,” she said. “Today many people spent the night on their knees with the rosary in their hands, weeping and begging God for mercy.”
Throughout the episodes, the journalist thanked listeners for their prayers and asked them to continue to pray. She asked for the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to whom Ukraine is dedicated, she said, and St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of Kyiv.
After a rocket fired at a Kyiv suburb just 30-35 kilometers (roughly 20 miles) from her home, the journalist realized the fragility of her own life, she said in her March 1 episode.
“We are alive, and it’s a miracle,” she said of the attack that came immediately after she watched Mass online. “It was an incredible experience to pray further, realizing that a rocket can hit at any moment and in my house, as well.”
The following day, she described the strange passage of time in Ukraine during the invasion. “Every day,” she said, “lasts like a whole year.”
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Weekday Mass is celebrated in the Church of Sts. Simeon and Anne in Jerusalem, where the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community (keilla) gathers together. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Nov 19, 2023 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Among the many expressi… […]
Thousands of pro-life advocates gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. / Katie Yoder/CNA
Washington D.C., Dec 2, 2021 / 08:04 am (CNA).
Anna Del Duca and daughter, Frances, woke up at 5 a.m. Wednesday morning to brave the 30-degree weather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. They arrived hours before oral arguments began in the highly-anticipated abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The case, which involves a Mississippi law restricting most abortions after 15 weeks, challenges two landmark decisions: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe in 1992.
“We’re looking forward to the end of Roe versus Wade in our country,” Anna, who drove from Pittsburgh Tuesday night, told CNA. In her hands, she held a sign reading, “I regret my abortion.”
Anna Del Duca (right) and her daughter, Frances, traveled from Pittsburgh to attend a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments for the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. Katie Yoder/CNA
“I would like to use my testimony to be a blessing to others,” she said, so that “others will choose life or those who have regretted abortion or had an abortion would turn to Jesus.”
Anna remembered having an abortion when she was just 19. Today, she and her daughter run a group called Restorers of Streets to Dwell In Pittsburgh that offers help to women seeking healing after abortion.
Anna and Frances were among thousands of Americans who rallied outside the Supreme Court before, during, and after the oral arguments. To accommodate them, law enforcement closed the street in front of the court. Capitol police also placed fencing in the space in front of the building in an attempt to physically separate rallies held by abortion supporters and pro-lifers.
At 21-weeks pregnant, pro-life speaker Alison Centofante emceed the pro-life rally, called, “Empower Women Promote Life.” The event featured a slew of pro-life women of diverse backgrounds and numerous politicians.
“It’s funny, there were so many diverse speakers today that the only unifying thread was that we want to protect preborn children,” Centofante told CNA. They included Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Catholics, agnostics, atheists, women who chose life, and women who regretted their abortions, she said.
She recognized women there, including Aimee Murphy, as people who are not the typical “cookie cutter pro-lifer.”
Aimee Murphy, 32, founder of pro-life group Rehumanize International, arrived at the Supreme Court around 6:30 a.m. She drove from Pittsburgh the night before. Her sign read, “Queer Latina feminist rape survivor against abortion.”“At Rehumanize International, we oppose all forms of aggressive violence,” she told CNA. “Even as a secular and non-partisan organization, we understand that abortion is the most urgent cause that we must stand against in our modern day and age because it takes on average over 800,000 lives a year.”
She also had a personal reason for attending.
“When I was 16 years old, I was raped and my rapist then threatened to kill me if I didn’t have an abortion,” she revealed.
“It was when he threatened me that I felt finally a solidarity with unborn children and I understood then that, yeah, the science told me that a life begins at conception, but that I couldn’t be like my abusive ex and pass on the violence and oppression of abortion to another human being — that all that I would be doing in having an abortion would be telling my child, ‘You are an inconvenience to me and to my future, therefore I’m going to kill you,’ which is exactly the same thing that my rapist was telling me when he threatened to kill me.”
On the other side of the police fence, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Abortion Access Coalition and NARAL Pro-Choice America participated in another rally. Yellow balloons printed with the words “BANS OFF OUR BODIES” escaped into the sky. Several pro-choice demonstrators declined to speak with CNA.
Voices clashed in the air as people, the majority of whom were women, spoke into their respective microphones at both rallies. Abortion supporters stressed bodily autonomy, while pro-lifers recognized the humanity of the unborn child. Chants arose from both sides at different points, from “Whose choice? My choice!” to “Hey hey, ho ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go!”
At 10 a.m., the pro-life crowd sudddenly went silent as the oral arguments began and the rally paused temporarily as live audio played through speakers.
Hundreds of students from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, traveled to Washington, D.C. for a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. Katie Yoder/CNA
During the oral arguments, students from Liberty University knelt in prayer. One student estimated that more than a thousand students from the school made the more than 3-hour trip from Lynchburg, Virginia.
“Talking about our faith is one thing, but actually acting upon it is another,” he said. “We have to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. So to me this is part of doing that.”
Sister Mary Karen, who has been with the Sisters of Life for 21 years, also stressed the importance of prayer. She drove from New York earlier that morning because, she said, she felt drawn to attend. She came, she said, to pray for the country and promote the dignity of a human person.
“Our culture is post-abortive,” she explained. “So many people have suffered and the loss of human life is so detrimental, just not knowing that we have value and are precious and sacred.”
Theresa Bonopartis, of Harrison, New York, was among the pro-life demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. She runs a nonprofit group called Entering Canaan that ministers to women and others wounded by abortion. Katie Yoder/CNA
She stood next to Theresa Bonopartis, who traveled from Harrison, New York, and ministers to women and others wounded by abortion.
“I’ve been fighting abortion for 30 years at least,” she told CNA.
Her ministry, called Entering Canaan, began with the Sisters of Life and is observing its 25th anniversary this year. It provides retreats for women, men, and even siblings of aborted babies.
Abortion is personal for Bonopartis, who said she had a coerced abortion when she was just 17.
“I was kicked out of the house by my father and then coerced into getting an abortion,” she said. “Pretty much cut me off from everything, and that’s something people don’t really talk about … they make it try to seem like it’s a woman’s right, it’s a free choice. It’s all this other stuff, but many women are coerced in one way or another.”
She guessed that she was 14 or 15 weeks pregnant at the time.
“I saw my son. I had a saline abortion, so I saw him, which I always considered a blessing because it never allowed me to deny what abortion was,” she said. Afterward, she said she struggled with self-esteem issues, hating herself, guilt, shame, and more. Then, she found healing.
“I know what that pain is like, I know what that experience is like, and you know that you can get past it,” she said. “You just want to be able to give that message to other people, that they’re able to heal.”
Residents of Mississippi, where the Dobbs v. Jackson case originated, also attended.
Marion, who declined to provide her last name, drove from Mississippi to stand outside the Supreme Court. She said she was in her early 20s when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973.
“At the time, of course, I could care less,” she said. Since then, she had a change of heart.
“We were the generation that allowed it,” she said, “and so we are the generation who will help close that door and reverse it.”
Marion, who declined to provide her last name, was among those who attended a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, from Mississippi, where the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case originated. Katie Yoder/CNA
The crowd at the pro-life rally included all ages, from those who had witnessed Roe to bundled-up babies, children running around, and college students holding up homemade signs.
One group of young friends traveled across the country to stand outside the Supreme Court. They cited their faith and family as reasons for attending.
Mathilde Steenepoorte, 19, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, identified herself as “very pro-life” in large part because of her younger brother with Down syndrome. She said she was saddened by the abortion rates of unborn babies dianosed with Down syndrome.
Juanito Estevez, from Freeport, a village on Long Island, New York, at a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. Katie Yoder/CNA
Juanito Estevez, from Freeport, a village on Long Island, New York, arrived Tuesday. He woke up at 6 a.m. to arrive at the Supreme Court with a crucifix in hand.
“I believe that God is the giver of life and we don’t have the right [to decide] whether a baby should live or die,” he said.
He also said that he believed women have been lied to about abortion.
“We say it’s their right, and there’s a choice,” he said. When girls tell him “I have the right,” his response, he said, is to ask back, “You have the right for what?”
Mallory Finch, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was among the pro-life demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021.
Mallory Finch, from Charlotte, North Carolina, also woke up early but emphasized “it was worth it.” A pro-life podcast host, she called abortion a “human-rights issue.”
“I hope that it overturns Roe,” she said of the case, “but that doesn’t mean that our job as pro-lifers is done. It makes this, really, just the beginning.”
Glasgow, Scotland, Aug 13, 2017 / 04:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Workers building a three-mile tunnel under the streets of Glasgow, Scotland have a special patron, and a statue of her sits just outside the train that carries them underground each day.
I am praying intensely, with daily Mass, the Eucharist, the Rosary, and Chaplet of Divine Mercy for an end to this unjust war, for the injured, killed, and for those who mourn for them. Please join me in your prayers.
In 2015 Ukraine formally and explicitly adopted a “military doctrine” in which it “defines” and classes Russia as “military adversary”; and made it public. This is clear evidence of criminal intent to wage aggressive war, which is a war crime. Also included in the “doctrine” is an affirmation of eventually joining NATO as an integral aspect of dealing with the named “adversary”; which implicates members of NATO in the plan of aggressive war against Russia. The was signed by Porochenko AFTER Ukraine committed to the Minsk Accord.
The idea that you want to wage a war but not start World War III, does not prevent or absolve you from being guilty of war crimes.
The quotation is from the first link, US Dept. of Defense, “U.S. Security Cooperation With Ukraine”.
‘ The United States remains dedicated to assisting Ukraine to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations in support of a secure, prosperous, democratic, and free Ukraine.
…..
The United States and its Allies have established a Multinational Joint Commission and Joint Multinational Training Group to coordinate international efforts and help build Ukraine’s defense capacity to deter further Russian aggression.
…..
We are in close touch with our Ukrainian partners and NATO Allies to authorize and facilitate additional assistance to Ukraine, as well as employing all available security cooperation tools available to us. The Biden Administration has utilized Third Party Transfers authorized by the State Department allowing U.S. allies and partners, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, among others, to provide U.S. origin equipment from their inventories for use by Ukraine.
U.S. security assistance has enhanced the readiness, command and control, and situational awareness of Ukrainian forces through the provision of both non-lethal and lethal defensive items. This includes High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, secure communications, satellite imagery and analysis support, counter-battery radars, night vision devices and thermal scopes, sniper rifles, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures. We have also provided advisory services to reduce corruption and increase transparency within the Ministry of Defense and to help develop a modern combat training center.
…..
The United States has $595.9 million in active government-to-government sales cases with Ukraine under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system. FMS sales notified to Congress are listed on the DSCA website, and recent significant prior sales include: the 2018 sale of 210 Javelin anti-armor missiles, which has provided Ukraine with a critical anti-armor capability; the 2019 sale of 150 additional Javelins; and the 2020 Mark VI patrol boats sale. The Javelin sales were funded by a mixture of State Department FMF and Ukrainian national funds.
From 2015 through 2019, the United States also authorized the permanent export of over $287 million in defense articles to Ukraine via the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) process. The top categories of DCS to Ukraine during that period were Ammunition and Ordnance ($129 million); Fire Control, Laser, Imaging, and Guidance Equipment ($56 million); and Firearms and Related Articles ($54 million).
In addition, since 2017, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation has provided over $17 million in Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs support to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine’s Maritime Border Guard Detachment through the Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Program. These efforts serve to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and to counter Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea through the development of small-boat interdiction and Rapid Response Units. EXBS assistance also bolsters Ukraine’s ability to effectively control, detect, and investigate trade in WMD, military, and other strategic technologies. This initiative supports building new operational, maintenance, and training facilities (including RRU stations in Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Odesa), as well as providing equipment, training, and mentoring. The effort not only replaces facilities lost during Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea, but provides modernized equipment, training, and procedures to enhance Maritime Guard operational capabilities. ‘
I am praying intensely, with daily Mass, the Eucharist, the Rosary, and Chaplet of Divine Mercy for an end to this unjust war, for the injured, killed, and for those who mourn for them. Please join me in your prayers.
In 2015 Ukraine formally and explicitly adopted a “military doctrine” in which it “defines” and classes Russia as “military adversary”; and made it public. This is clear evidence of criminal intent to wage aggressive war, which is a war crime. Also included in the “doctrine” is an affirmation of eventually joining NATO as an integral aspect of dealing with the named “adversary”; which implicates members of NATO in the plan of aggressive war against Russia. The was signed by Porochenko AFTER Ukraine committed to the Minsk Accord.
The idea that you want to wage a war but not start World War III, does not prevent or absolve you from being guilty of war crimes.
The quotation is from the first link, US Dept. of Defense, “U.S. Security Cooperation With Ukraine”.
‘ The United States remains dedicated to assisting Ukraine to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations in support of a secure, prosperous, democratic, and free Ukraine.
…..
The United States and its Allies have established a Multinational Joint Commission and Joint Multinational Training Group to coordinate international efforts and help build Ukraine’s defense capacity to deter further Russian aggression.
…..
We are in close touch with our Ukrainian partners and NATO Allies to authorize and facilitate additional assistance to Ukraine, as well as employing all available security cooperation tools available to us. The Biden Administration has utilized Third Party Transfers authorized by the State Department allowing U.S. allies and partners, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, among others, to provide U.S. origin equipment from their inventories for use by Ukraine.
U.S. security assistance has enhanced the readiness, command and control, and situational awareness of Ukrainian forces through the provision of both non-lethal and lethal defensive items. This includes High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, secure communications, satellite imagery and analysis support, counter-battery radars, night vision devices and thermal scopes, sniper rifles, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures. We have also provided advisory services to reduce corruption and increase transparency within the Ministry of Defense and to help develop a modern combat training center.
…..
The United States has $595.9 million in active government-to-government sales cases with Ukraine under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system. FMS sales notified to Congress are listed on the DSCA website, and recent significant prior sales include: the 2018 sale of 210 Javelin anti-armor missiles, which has provided Ukraine with a critical anti-armor capability; the 2019 sale of 150 additional Javelins; and the 2020 Mark VI patrol boats sale. The Javelin sales were funded by a mixture of State Department FMF and Ukrainian national funds.
From 2015 through 2019, the United States also authorized the permanent export of over $287 million in defense articles to Ukraine via the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) process. The top categories of DCS to Ukraine during that period were Ammunition and Ordnance ($129 million); Fire Control, Laser, Imaging, and Guidance Equipment ($56 million); and Firearms and Related Articles ($54 million).
In addition, since 2017, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation has provided over $17 million in Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs support to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine’s Maritime Border Guard Detachment through the Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Program. These efforts serve to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and to counter Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea through the development of small-boat interdiction and Rapid Response Units. EXBS assistance also bolsters Ukraine’s ability to effectively control, detect, and investigate trade in WMD, military, and other strategic technologies. This initiative supports building new operational, maintenance, and training facilities (including RRU stations in Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Odesa), as well as providing equipment, training, and mentoring. The effort not only replaces facilities lost during Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea, but provides modernized equipment, training, and procedures to enhance Maritime Guard operational capabilities. ‘
https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-poroshenko/ukraines-new-military-doctrine-names-russia-as-main-aggressor-idUSKCN0RO28F20150924
https://www.defensenews.com/home/2015/09/04/ukraines-new-military-doctrine-identifies-russia-as-aggressor-eyes-naval-acquisitions/
https://www.rt.com/news/314131-ukraine-russia-military-adversary/