St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church holds successful Standing with Ukraine fundraising dinner
Apr 14, 2022 | News, Canada, Featured
Fr. Pishoy Salama and Fr. Thomas Hanna from the St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church with the attendants of the fundrainsing dinner, among them (R-L) CEO of Ukrainian Credit Union Limited (UCU) Taras Pidzamecky, Chair of the Board of UCU Yaroslaw Borys and President of UCC Alexandra Chyczij (third from the right). Photo: NP-UN
New Pathway – Ukrainian News.
On Sunday, April 10, 2022, people from more than 50 ethnicities congregated at the St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church in Markham, ON for a fundraising dinner for the Ukrainian humanitarian relief and resettling of Ukrainian refugees in Canada. This charity event was organized in collaboration with Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC).
The attendants were guided by words from John 3:18, “Let us not love in word of our tongue, but in deed and in truth”. As 10 million of Ukrainians are now displaced in war-torn Ukraine, and more than 4 million fled the country, the St. Maurice & St. Verena community is not standing aside but acting to help people affected by the Russian invasion.
One could tell how much thought a team of youth volunteers from the St. Maurice & St. Verena Church invested in preparation for the evening. Colours of the Ukrainian flag – yellow and blue – were used for posters decorating the windows of the All Nations Banquet Hall, for the flower arrangements, and even for the icing on the cookies placed on the tables.
The program for the evening included performances by a bandura ensemble “Zoloti Struny”, beautiful Arabic worship music from a well-known Middle East Gospel singer Ziad Shehadeh, a silent auction, and a pysanky writing demonstration. Guests also enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Among the speakers were Fr. Pishoy Salama and Fr. Thomas Hanna from the St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church, and Chief Jim MacSween from York Regional Police.
The keynote address was delivered by Alexandra Chyczij, President of the Ukrainian National Congress. The speakers repeated Mother Theresa’s words, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop”.
All proceeds from the sale of tickets and items at the event were donated directly to Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal established by UCC and CUF. The Ukrainian Canadians present at the fundraiser expressed their gratitude to the St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church community for their solidarity during the time of hardship and for each drop that was added to the ocean of love, hope, and support for the people of Ukraine.
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