We live in a time of loss. The full-scale invasion of the occupiers on Ukrainian lands for the second year in a row brings daily losses, pain and shelling of Ukrainian cities. As a result, we have victims among the civilian population and among our military. Courageous sons and daughters of Ukraine give the most precious thing for our sovereignty – their lives, and thereby hold back the enemy’s onslaught.
According to tradition, the community of the city of Kotermak meets all the fallen soldiers of Drohobychchyna at the Crossroads of Heroes with lamps in their hands and with a prayer – there is a short memorial service, then the funeral cortege goes through the streets of the city to the center – to the Market Square. Here the fathers offer a joint prayer and a city-wide farewell to the protector takes place.
However, not all residents of the community consciously refer to the city-wide farewell to the Heroes. One often has to watch how some people, despite the funeral of a soldier on the Market Square, hurry about their own business, try to overtake the funeral cortege with their car and do not stop when the prayer for the fallen defender is heard. Taking this into account, Ivan Pankiv, the dean of the SDE of the UGCC, these days appealed to all conscientious residents of the community and called on them to stop their cars and get out when the funeral cortege with the fallen Hero is driving, in addition, when the city-wide farewell is held on Rynok Square – passers-by should stop at minute and pay respect to the fallen soldier. Because this is the only way we will honor the memory and feat of the defenders who gave the most valuable thing – their lives – for the integrity of Ukraine.
The situation is similar with the morning All-National minute of remembrance, which sounds every day at 9:00 a.m. – residents of the community are called to be aware and pause for a minute, thereby paying respect to all fallen Ukrainians whose lives were cut short by the war.