Metropolitan Borys Gudziak in Poltava: Prayer, Honoring Heroes, and a Conversation on Leadership in Wartime

During his stay, Metropolitan Borys visited two Ukrainian Greek-Catholic parishes in the city — All Saints of the Ukrainian People and the Holy Trinity — and met with local clergy.

The program included a meeting with the Caritas Poltava team, a visit to the Memorial to the Defenders of the Poltava Community, and to Mistohub — the city’s development hub that combines a shop of local producers, a coffee shop, and an event venue. Metropolitan Borys also met with Metropolitan Fedir Bubniuk of Poltava and Kremenchuk (Orthodox Church of Ukraine). Their meeting took place at the Dormition Cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Together with city officials and Svitlana Medvedieva, head of the NGO Families of Fallen Defenders of Poltava Region, Metropolitan Borys visited the burial site of Ukraine’s defenders at Zaturyn Cemetery, where a memorial complex is being created. Svitlana Medvedieva shared the story of her fallen son Artem and emphasized the significance of this place as a space for joint prayer by the families of the fallen. Metropolitan Borys stressed the importance of preserving memory within local communities — in the places where the Heroes lived and where they continue to live on in people’s hearts.

On the morning of August 23, following the traditional moment of silence, Bishop Borys took part in the Flag Day ceremony and the raising of the highest flag in the Poltava region. He also visited the Poltava Regional Museum named after Vasyl Krychevsky and the Ivan Kotliarevsky House Museum.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Metropolitan held a meeting with representatives of the local community, including entrepreneurs, servicemen, veterans, relatives of fallen defenders, and scholars. The focus of the discussion was leadership during the war.

“All these experiences — meetings, liturgies, prayers for the fallen, conversations with representatives of academic, administrative, and cultural circles, and especially the testimonies of mothers of fallen soldiers — help me better explain what is truly happening during the war and how Ukrainians living close to the front maintain their resilience, solidarity, and creativity,” Metropolitan Borys said.

He also emphasized that Poltava is changing: among administrators, entrepreneurs, educators, and cultural leaders, a reform-minded community is taking shape, one that seeks cooperation with UCU and is eager to learn more about the life of the Church. He expressed gratitude to the city leadership for the invitation and to the UCU Rectorate for building strong connections with Poltava and its communities.