Ukrainian bishop shares message of prayer with the people of South Mississippi

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) -While he stands with his brothers in Christ listening to the anthem of his war-torn home, Ukrainian Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi visits South Mississippi hoping to help his home through the power of prayer.

It’s a power that his friends say helped to shape him into the man he is today.

“As a bishop and shepherd of his people, he has remained there no matter what happened. He was on a hitlist of the Russian army and thank God, they didn’t find him, and they withdrew,” said Bishop Louis F. Kihneman.

The message Bishop Kryvytskyi hopes to spread while in South Mississippi is a message of keeping the faith.

“I also came to say it is in the power of those who continue to pray to shorten the suffering of my people,” Kryvytskyi said.

That message spurred his brothers in Christ to lend a helping hand to Ukraine.

“So, we as a diocese reached out to the people of his diocese especially but also to the people of Ukraine to help them because they need everything,” Kihneman said. “Trying to find generators and even camping equipment they can use in their homes, apartments or wherever they are living right now has been really a challenge for them.”

It’s a challenge that Kryvytskyi believes can be solved with the help of a loving community.

“Once again I invite everyone to pray that we continue to pass the test of faith,” he said.

Bishop Kryvytskyi and the archdiocese ask South Mississippi to keep praying for peace in Ukraine.

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