b'THE EMBROIDEREDHANDKERCHIEF of the Ukraine and MaryBy Fr. Johann Roten, SMB arely known to much of the public until recently, And yet, where daily life is a struggle and historyUkraine is a wide-open land, mostly flat and repeats itself as a long-suffering tragedy, the humanvery fertile, the second largest country of Europe soul stubbornly reaches beyond itself for hope andafter Russia. Vulnerable to invasion from East and West, strength. This is where Ukrainian history and its Marianthe history of Ukraine has been a centuries-long battle devotion have their beginning and permanent anchor.for identity, recognition and independence. Coming Indeed, it repeatedly has been said that the Ukrainianinto her own only recently (Aug. 24, 1991), freedom people put exceptionally strong trust in the protec-and statehood again seem to be threatened. tion of the Mother of God, combining their histori-Images courtesy of the cal existence and survival with the protection andUkrainian Mariancare of Mary, the Mother of God.Collection, MarianThe history of the Ukrainian people and Mary beginsLibrary at Universitywith the coming of Christianity in 988, and the proclama-of Dayton. tion of the Bohoroditsa (Mother of God) as the Queenof Ukraine by Yaroslav the Wise (d. 1054). The story isongoing as liturgy and devotion, culture and politicsamply demonstrate, culminating in the millennialcelebrations of 1988.But the relation between the Ukrainian people andMary is more than factual history; it is a true love story.A love story made of need, suffering and despair, butchanged, over and over again, into hope, new begin-nings and perseverance. For, indeed, there always hasbeen the Mother of God, intercessor and protectress.Gatherer of the people, she not only was consolationand healing, but also the promise of freedom, a pillarof dignity and symbol of happiness.Much of the Ukrainian Marian devotion is expressedin the celebration of and with icons. Ukrainian pietyvoiced in words is simple, not least because humanaffection and fervor are treasured and made visual inthe icon. The icon is not an end in itself. The icon is awindow open unto heaven, and, by the same token,becomes the voice of God and the saints, or at leastits echo, for the believing heart. In this sense, theRejoice, O Mother of God by Mother of God, or Bohoroditsa, is represented with Mykola Butovych a variety of different icons. Mother of God, she is the4 Call 1.800.348.4732'