Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Meeting with Ukrainian defenders in Perth
July 25, 2024
On Sunday, July 21, St. John the Baptist Parish in Perth was visited by guests from Ukraine who arrived in Australia as part of a fundraising campaign to support the Ukrainian army.
War veteran Major Andrii Berezovskyi, a former battalion commander who took part in the liberation of the Kherson region, defended Avdiivka and Bakhmut, and volunteer Pavlo Tsapiuk, founder of logistics charity “Military Post” and drone school “Volyn Falcons” who has been assisting the AFUO’s Defend Ukraine Appeal team deliver military aid to the frontline for over a year, are planning to visit seven Australian cities over the next two weeks to meet with local communities. This initiative is part of the Defend Ukraine Appeal aimed at raising funds for the purchase of drones, which are extremely important for the defence of Ukrainian positions.
The first meeting of the campaign took place on Saturday, July 20, at the Inglewood Football Club in Perth. It was during this meeting, which was also attended by Fr. Ihor Holovko, Administrator of the parish of St. John the Baptist in Perth, that the idea arose to organise another meeting in the church after the liturgy, so that those who could not attend the official meeting at the football club would also have the opportunity to listen and join in such an important cause.
So on Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, an informal meeting was held in the parish hall, during which parishioners had the opportunity to talk personally with Major Andrii Berezovskyi, volunteer Pavlo Tsapiuk, and Ms. Kateryna Argyrou, AFUO co-chair. Father Ihor Holovko and Ms. Anna Kanya performed a song as a sign of gratitude and support for all the defenders of Ukraine. The guests expressed their gratitude to all the donors, spoke about the current needs of the frontline, and stressed the importance of drones, which become the ‘eyes’ of Ukrainian defenders and save lives.
As Fr. Ihor Holovko emphasised, ‘These meetings are extremely important because they reduce the distance between donors and those in need. They allow us to hear directly from our heroes what exactly the frontline needs.’
