92nd ANNIVERSARY HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL
- Agios Savvas
- Nov 23
- 2 min read
The Parish of Saint Savvas of Kalymnos in Banksia, Sydney, joined Ukrainians around the world on Sunday 23 November 2025 to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Holodomor, the man-made famine of 1932–33 that claimed the lives of an estimated seven to ten million Ukrainians under Stalin’s Soviet regime.
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, the parish held a Divine Liturgy and memorial service honouring the victims of what is widely recognised as a genocide aimed at destroying Ukraine’s national identity. Each year, on the final weekend of November, Ukrainian communities worldwide gather to remember those who perished during the famine, including countless women and children.
As a number of parishioners at Saint Savvas’ are of Ukrainian descent, this year’s commemoration once again had deeper resonance as Ukraine continues to endure the hardship of a war now in its forth year following the Russian invasion.
During the service, Fr Savas Pizanias delivered a personal message from Archbishop Makarios, who described the Holodomor as “one of the most tragic and unjust events in human history.” His message emphasised that the famine was not the result of natural disaster, but of a deliberate policy designed “to erase a people who cherished their freedom, their heritage, and their faith.”
“Villages disappeared, graves multiplied, and entire generations were silenced,” the Archbishop wrote. “Yet even amid that suffering, the faith of the Ukrainian people endured. Their martyrs bear witness to the truth that while tyrants may bury bodies, they can never bury hope.”
Representatives of the Ukrainian Free Kozaks of Australia were welcomed during the service, as Fr Savas conveyed the Archbishop’s continued unwavering support for Ukraine and his request for ongoing prayers for a just peace. He also relayed the Archbishop’s blessings and paternal concern for all Ukrainians living in Australia and who by decree of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has placed all Orthodox Ukrainian Parishes in Australia canonically under His Eminence Archbishop Makarios’ omorforion.
The commemoration drew a full congregation of Greeks, Ukrainians, and members of other communities, filling the church, reflecting the multicultural character of both the parish and the wider Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. The service highlighted the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s commitment to caring for all its faithful, worldwide regardless of ethnicity.
The Memorial Service concluded with a solemn prayer: May the memory of the millions of victims of the Holodomor Genocide of 1932–33—men, women, and children who were deliberately starved—be eternal.
Comments