LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The Rev. Ihor Koshyk, who pastors a Ukrainian Catholic Church in Los Angeles, felt the urgent need to open his parish for a prayer vigil Thursday night after Russian forces attacked key cities across Ukraine and as the number of casualties kept rising.

“The role of our church at this time I see as the Ukrainian haven here. It’s a piece of Ukraine on American soil,” said Koshyk, of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Thursday (Feb. 24).

“I opened up the church for whoever wants to come and pray,” he said. “Many people feel anxiety, fear, frustration … To be together in church, to be together as a Ukrainian family and support each other, that’s very important.”

Koshyk, who was born and raised in Ukraine, said that when church members gathered last Sunday, “everybody had in mind that there is some kind of danger, but nobody, even in a worst dream, could think that this Sunday would be a different world.”

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For Mykhaiw H., it has been difficult to sleep and work since Russia’s invasion of his country. Although he’s not particularly religious, he decided to go to the church.

“I can’t do anything. I call my family all the time … I don’t know how to deal with it. That’s why I came to the church — because if you pray, it makes you feel better. You feel connected to the community,” he said.

Mykhaiw H., who did not feel comfortable having his last name published due to the invasion in his country, was born and raised in Ukraine and decided to come to the U.S. for a job offer four years ago. He choked up thinking about the last time he was with his Ukrainian family in 2018. He felt some comfort that his family is in Western Ukraine.

“It’s my people,” he said.

Zoryana Volos speaks at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Ukrainian Catholic Church, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Los Angeles. Volos said she’s worried about her sister’s sons in Ukraine. Here she shows a photo of one of her nephews. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

Zoryana Volos went to the parish Thursday evening and described it as “almost like my home.” Volos said she has been a Ukrainian Catholic member since 1995.

“I believe in God, and I also believe in truth. I’m a very, very strong Ukrainian,” she said.

Volos said she felt helpless because she wanted to be in Ukraine to help the soldiers — she worried about her sister’s sons who she said serve in the Ukrainian military. 

“I wish I could go to Ukraine any time and see my family,” she said.

Volos called Putin a “dangerous” and “corrupted” leader and said: “I think only God can decide what to do with Vladimir Putin and how he’s going to end up in this world.”

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As for Koshyk, he sees his role as not just to offer support for people, but also to help dispel the misinformation spreading across social media. Koshyk was also appalled by Tucker Carlson, who on Tuesday questioned why Americans hated Vladimir Putin.

The Rev. Ihor Koshyk opened his Ukrainian Catholic Church, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to offer support for Ukrainians in Los Angeles, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

Koshyk said he tells congregants to be careful, “because the information needs to be really confirmed.” Koshyk has alerted them of Russian bots and urged them to only communicate information they know is “100 percent” confirmed.

“There’s a lot of explosions all over Ukraine, all the major cities were hit … this is something that was confirmed by the official state news in Ukraine,” Koshyk said.

Koshyk’s parents, his brother and his family, and dozens of cousins are in Western Ukraine. He said he’s been in constant communication with them.

“I talk to them and they just bring me to tears,” Koshyk said. “They say, ‘We don’t know if we’re going to live tomorrow because this is so scary.’”