The Visit of Metropolitan Borys Gudziak to Fastiv: Love as a Response to War
The visit to Fastiv on January 28 marked the conclusion of Metropolitan Borys Gudziak’s pilgrimage of solidarity to the church structures of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine.
In Fastiv, the Metropolitan presided over an Archierarchal Divine Liturgy at the Parish of St. Great Martyr Demetrius, where Fr. Vitalii Martsyniuk serves. Addressing the faithful in his homily, Metropolitan Borys expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to pray together with the community, calling it a “great joy, honor, and privilege” to be present with them.
its destructive force directly and daily, yet remain people of prayer and light. Despite danger, fear, and constant threat, he spoke of seeing radiant faces, hearing beautiful singing, and experiencing the strength of communal prayer. He emphasized the call of the Gospel to love God and one another and to live in love even in the most difficult circumstances.
Speaking about contemporary fears—of drones, missiles, and the advance of the aggressor—Metropolitan Borys warned against allowing fear to take hold of the heart. He described war as “the sum of all sins,” encompassing murder, destruction, and the attempt to erase land, language, history, and church life. At the same time, he reminded the faithful of a central Christian truth: love for one another covers the power of sin and ultimately conquers evil.
“How do we fight evil?” the Bishop asked. “With love.”
He encouraged those present to guard their hearts against division, envy, and resentment, urging them instead to rejoice in the good experienced by others and to nurture what is life-giving in their communities. Drawing on his experience of ministry in the United States, he spoke of the widespread loneliness he encounters there and underscored the vital importance of community, where love becomes a source of resilience and spiritual immunity.
Metropolitan Borys also recalled the experience of the underground Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which survived decades of persecution despite being reduced to a “micro-scale,” and called on the faithful today to remain focused on what is essential—the commandment of love, which he described as a guiding light that cannot be extinguished.
Concluding his homily, he offered words of support and gratitude to the people of Fastiv, affirming that his presence was a sign of solidarity from the global Ukrainian community, which loves them, honors their witness, and draws inspiration from their steadfastness.
Following the prayer service, the Metropolitan met with parish youth over coffee at the Korzhyk cookie workshop, where Mykyta, a young man with Down syndrome, works as a baker.
During his visit to the city, Metropolitan Borys also met with the Mayor of Fastiv, Mykhailo Netiazhuk. Together they visited the railway station, which was destroyed in a Russian missile-and-drone attack on December 6, 2025. Their conversation focused in particular on mental health, with the mayor emphasizing that security is not only physical but also psychological. The city cooperates with numerous organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), to develop mental health programs serving not only children and vulnerable individuals, but entire families, including internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories.
The visit concluded with a stop at a Point of Resilience operating in a railway car—one of the city’s initiatives to support the well-being of its residents amid the ongoing war.
