ILLINOIS DIVISION OF UCCA HOLDS A CANDLELIT VIGIL IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHORNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS –
The Illinois Division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA-IL) will marked the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster with a somber candlelit vigil on the evening of April 26, 2006 on the steps of Saints Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago.
Orest Baranyk, President of the Illinois Division of UCCA greeted the over 200 Ukrainian-Americans who gathered on the steps of Sts. Volodymyr & Olha Church to participate in the candlelit vigil. The Vigil began with an address by Chicago’s new Consulate General of Ukraine, Vasyl Korzachenko. His address was followed by a speech by Dr. George Kuritza about the lasting impact and current day challenges of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Dr. Kuritza is the President of the Illinois branch of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) and is Board Certified in Radiology.
Following Dr. Kuritza’s speech, clergy representing the many Ukrainian churches of the Chicagoland area joined together to serve a short memorial service in honor of the victims of Chornobyl. The memorial was lead by the Rt. Rev. Mitrat Ivan Krotec, pastor of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago.
After the memorial, the Illinois Division of UCCA invited the public to the Ukrainian National Museum to view the photo-documentary exhibit “Chornobyl – 20 Years Later” by Chicago Ukrainian-American artist Luba V. Markewycz. Ms. Markewycz is the Vice President of Chicago’s Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) and a teacher at the LaSalle Language Academy in Chicago.
Katya Mischenko-Mycyk
