Ghoti Ichthus
Pray so they do not serve alone. Ephesians 6:10-20
‘A great pity’: Ukrainian Village Faces a Churchless Easter
"LUKASHIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — A single metal cross remains inside the church of shattered brick and blackened stone. Russian soldiers used the house of worship for storing ammunition, residents said, and Ukrainian forces shelled the building to make the Russians leave.There will be no Orthodox Easter service here Sunday in this small village in northern Ukraine.
One of the church’s golden domes was blown off. Its gilded cross is propped up against an exterior wall.
“It’s a great pity,” resident Valentina Ivanivna, 70, said, standing with her bike on Orthodox Good Friday as men dismantled abandoned Russian military vehicles nearby.
The church in Lukashivka, a village near the city of Chernihiv, survived World War II and the most austere years of the Soviet Union, a time when authorities stripped it of its religious icons, residents said.
This time, locals think it will take years for the church to recover its past beauty.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...vania-europe-5458f9a894bbac7cb80d4e6f6d55849d
Its bells fell onto unstable ground that is littered with ammunition casings and cans of Russian tinned meat. A stand for candles remains, along with a dented teapot and a pasta strainer.
Outside, the finned part of a rocket is stuck in the mud.
Villagers have vowed to rebuild, whatever it takes. They’ve already started on their own homes, even as they wait for basic services to resume."
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https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...world-war-ii-c8a4785266692df05d421ebdb748cf2e
