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In the last few days, Kyiv has become unsettled. The noise of blaring sirens has become more frequent, which means increased risk of air raids. I also seem to sense an increase in the sounds of battles fought on the outskirts of the city, all kinds of explosions, and the hiss and whizz of things flying over our heads.

Artist Makoto Fujimura uses materials and techniques from nihonga, a Japanese style of painting. The pigments are pulverized minerals and precious metals applied in multiple layers, in what he describes as “a slow process that fights against efficiency.” Prayer and contemplation are woven into the work. The tiny mineral particles refract light, often creating subtle prismatic effects.

A letter from my Dominican Family in Ukraine, penned by Jarosław Krawiec OP, Kyiv, March 8, 2022, 4:45pm.

Friends of Shem Center, I include here this recent letter my Chicago Dominican province received from the Vicar Provincial in Ukraine that gives a moving account of what they are experiencing there. Live news coverage clearly shows the crime of genocide at the hands of Putin’s army. Civilians, many of them children are being killed.…

Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus from the Album “Golden Echoes of Kyiv – Divine Liturgy.” Translation: It is finished. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who is thirsty I will give a drink without cost, from the spring of the water of life. — Revelations 21:16

Zelenskyy called on “all countries of the world to immediately and effectively respond to this crime of the aggressor’s tactics and to declare that Russia is committing state terrorism. We demand full responsibility for terrorists in international courts. “

God of mystery, who is ever beyond us — For years now we have faced with courage, with exhaustion, with despair, a common invisible enemy. And while it has been plenty hard, our brothers and sisters in Ukraine now add to that fight a very real, very visible one. An enemy with a name, with a face, with an agenda which goes against the very essence of our shared humanity.

Music rooted in an ethnic culture offers a poignancy that touches hearts. Overlay today’s news of the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and we can feel the peoples’ ongoing struggle for freedom and independence. We need not know their language to be touched by the spirit that comes through their music.

As a member of the Dominican Order I have some concern for my brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Having received this letter from my Dominican Provincial Office in Chicago, I am bringing your attention to the bond I have with them. Please view the web site that is posted at the end of the letter to get a sense of their presence in Ukraine.

Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz is hoping his new sculpture will help put a spotlight on an issue he believes too many individuals and governments would prefer to look away from. And on Sunday, Feb. 6, the pope offered his blessing — both to the sculpture and to the religious sisters on the front lines leading the fight against human trafficking.