JAMAICA PLAIN -- In times of crisis, people turn to prayer and community for support. This was the case on Feb. 24, as over 100 people gathered at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church for a prayer service after Russian forces invaded Ukraine earlier that day.

The service was led by Father Yaroslav Nalysnyk, pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church, and Father Roman Tarnavsky, pastor of the nearby St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"This is a question about life and death, about freedom and oppression, and today, during this service, we will pray for God's help," Father Nalysnyk told members of the media before the liturgy.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was present, as well as dozens of Catholic and Orthodox faithful. As the service drew to a close, the clergy thanked Mayor Wu for showing support for the Ukrainian community.

Several of those who attended the liturgy were born and raised in Ukraine, others were children of Ukrainian immigrants and many feared for the safety of their friends and relatives still living in Ukraine.

Anastasia Shmidt grew up in Ukraine and came to the U.S. three years ago. She appreciated the reassurance that the priests gave the community.

"Everyone needs to hear that because right now we cannot know what to expect," Shmidt said.

She said the prayer service helped the parish community understand "that we are all together in this, (and) we can support each other."

"It's making me feel a little better because I know I'm not alone in this," she said.

Her fellow Christ the King parishioner Sophia Pankevych spoke similarly: "The best thing is to know that there are people who support you, and there's a shoulder to cry on."

Pankevych, who grew up in the U.S., visited Ukraine this past July. She described Ukraine as "a beautiful country, (with) so much culture (and) history."

Pankevych remembered how one of her teachers told her that the purpose of studying history is so the events of history will not be repeated.

"It's sad to see that history repeating itself. And our Ukrainian people, they can never live in peace; they always have to live in fear that something like this may happen," Pankevych said.

Christ the King parishioner Mykola Konrad also visited the country recently and has been reflecting on its history -- and now worrying about its future.

Konrad was born to Ukrainian immigrants in Philadelphia. He was named after his grandfather, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who was murdered by the KGB in 1941. Blessed Mykola Konrad was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

Speaking to The Pilot, Konrad recalled growing up in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union. He said that when the country gained its independence in the 1990s, it was like being relieved of "a psychological load."

He and his wife and children recently spent four months living in Ukraine before returning to the U.S. in January.

"Coming back from that, seeing what a vibrant country it developed into in the last 30 years, since it was freed from the Russians, and now the shock is that it's going to go right back into that," Konrad said.

He expressed fear, not only for the immediate impact of the war, leading to Ukrainians losing their homes or their lives, but also the "longer-term ramifications." He predicted that, if Russia takes control of the country, the people of Ukraine will lose many religious, cultural, and intellectual freedoms, and the kind of persecution his grandfather suffered will again take place.

"Part of me, having just come from there, says, 'Huh, maybe I should be there, maybe I should be helping in some way," Konrad said.

"It's very much like the evils of Hitler and the evils of Stalin, but in 2022. It's a very sad time," he said.

Konrad referred to statements that Russian President Vladimir Putin made in a televised speech on Feb. 21. The Russian president presented a revisionist view of Ukrainian history and expressed the belief that Ukraine does not have a right to exist as an independent nation.

"What he stated in his speech was (that) he doesn't believe this nation, these people, this culture, has an existence, or has a right to exist. So he's going to, in essence, eradicate it," Konrad said.

He said he hopes people do not forget about Ukraine or the fact that it was a sovereign nation, even if it ceases to be one in the coming days.

"It has its own culture and identity that is very different from Russia," Konrad said.

The following day, Feb. 25, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley released a statement in his weekly blog entry addressing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"People of good will are united in calling for an end to this war," he said.

Cardinal O'Malley joined Pope Francis in calling upon the faithful to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting for peace. The cardinal also expressed solidarity with Father Nalysnyk and his parishioners, as well as all Ukrainians of any faith.

"We will keep the people of Ukraine close to our hearts. We pray to Our Lady Queen of Peace to keep watch over our brothers and sisters in Ukraine," Cardinal O'Malley said.