Riverhead’s Ukrainian community held its annual flag-raising ceremony at Town Hall today, in celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day. Event officiants and town officials also spoke out in solidarity with Ukraine.
A crowd gathered near the flagpole on East Main Street, made up mostly of Ukrainians, young and old. Almost all of the attendees were wearing the national colors or a vyshyvanka, a shirt embroidered in a traditional Ukrainian style.
After a brief delay to prepare the flagpole, the ceremony began.
“I would like to start with a moment of silence for the victims of the terrible fires in Hawaii, and for the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine,” St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Pastor Bodhan Hedz said.
The crowd bowed their heads. According to the New York Times, Ukraine has suffered at least 170,000 killed and wounded since Russia invaded in February 2022. Over 1,000 people have died in a wildfire that swept over the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Councilman Bob Kern led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before Supervisor Yvette Aguiar gave remarks.
“It’s important that we support, you know, countries… [where] democracy is being challenged,” Supervisor Aguiar said. “We’re going to make this a tradition, God bless you all.”
The flag-raising took place as the crowd sang the Ukrainian national anthem. Children were invited to help raise the flag up the pole.
Assembly Member Jodi Giglio addressed the crowd next: “I was on the Town Board here locally for 10 years, standing here with you and raising the flag,” she said. She wished Ukraine a happy Independence Day.
“Tomorrow, we will continue our celebrations of the Independence Day, with the service, with the Mass, with the Divine Liturgy for the fallen heroes of Ukraine. All of you are invited,” Fr. Hedz said. “God bless you, God keep you, glory be to Jesus Christ, slava Isus Khrystos, slava Ukraini.”
“Slava Isus Khrystos, slava Ukraini,” the crowd chanted in unison.
[“Glory be to Jesus Christ, glory to Ukraine.”]
History rhymes for Fr. Hedz’s church. It opened for the first time in 1924, after a civil war in the former Russian Empire (which then included Ukraine) led many to flee. The church ministered to refugees from World War II as well, when some fled from both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Now, the church is working to support a community under siege again, holding fundraisers, food drives, and community events in solidarity with Ukrainians in Riverhead and abroad.
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