St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine honored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at its second annual Beacon of Hope Award Dinner on Sept. 26.
The invaders of Ukraine, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said in his address, more than anything else, “cannot stand free people, cannot stand free ideas,” and “cannot stand free societies.”
“This fight, this war, this invasion, is not about expanding territories. No, it’s not about soil. It’s about ideas. Because the invaders cannot stand free people, cannot stand free ideas, cannot stand free societies,” His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros said.
In His Eminence’s remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros recognized that the fight of the Ukrainian people is the fight for free civilizations, for human dignity, democracy, and against autocracy.
“In the face of terror from the skies and on the ground, the noble Ukrainian people have shown the world a bravery and a determination worthy of the greatest of kingdoms of this world,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.
“Tonight we pray in Ukrainian”
Opening the ceremony, the Ukrainian national anthem was sung, and the Lord’s Prayer was also led in Ukrainian by His Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. Opening remarks were made by Michael G. Psaros, Vice Chairman of the Shrine, who cited Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people’s heroic defense of the free civilizations as a cause for the award.
“President Zelensky’s tenacious and unconquerable commitment to his country, to his people, and to freedom reflect the spirit of St. Nicholas itself — a place where faith, resilience, and the eternal light of hope stand as a witness to the world,” Psaros said.
The Beacon of Hope Award honors individuals whose lives and leadership reflect courage, resilience and moral clarity in the face of adversity. It is presented to first responders, community leaders and humanitarians. The Shrine’s Board said Zelenskyy has shown those qualities throughout a presidency defined by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In announcing the award earlier this year, the Shrine’s Board of Trustees cited Zelenskyy’s leadership “in defense of freedom and human dignity” and his reported words at the outset of the full-scale invasion, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” Pointing to the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Board said it was especially fitting to honor a leader who embodies hope rising from darkness.
The award also described Zelenskyy’s “unwavering commitment to his people and to the principles of freedom” as reflecting “the spirit of the National Shrine itself—a place where faith, resilience, and the light of hope stand as a witness to the world.”
Ukrainian envoy advocates for ambition, tired of ‘resilience’
Among the evening’s speakers was Olga Rudnieva, co-founder of Superhumans War Trauma Center, which provides prosthetics and reconstructive surgery to people wounded in the war. Rudnieva was born in a part of eastern Ukraine now under Russian occupation. She told guests she returned to Ukraine after the full-scale invasion began and started building the center in 2022, when “everybody told us that we are absolutely crazy to build a hospital during the wartime.” Superhumans now operates three centers, with 650 staff across Odesa, Dnipro and Kyiv.
“The world says that we are resilient, and you know, I’m tired of being resilient,” Rudnieva said. “I want to be called ambitious, because we are an ambitious country. We don’t want just to survive; we want to build a better country.”
Zelenskyy had been expected to accept the award in person, but the demands of the war kept him away. Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, accepted it on his behalf at short notice. Melnyk told guests that the situation in Ukraine “has never been as dangerous as it is today” and that the award should serve as “a wake-up call to our American friends.” He, too, took issue with the language often used to describe his country.
Melnyk, who grew up in the Soviet Union, framed his appeal around the United States’ own image of itself. “Let me ask you, good people: what happened to the America that we once knew, admired, and looked up to?” he said. “For us, this America has always been a Beacon of Hope. And I can tell you, being here today, speaking with you, I have a feeling that this America is still there.”
The Ukrainian ambassador said he would bring the award home “as a Beacon of Hope that the United States and the great American people will stand by Ukraine and will leave no stone unturned to stop the war.”
“I am frankly sick and tired of hearing how resilient Ukrainians are,” Melnyk said. “Ukraine’s perseverance should never become an alibi for our partners not to go all in, not to pull out all the stops.”
Zelenskyy addressed the ceremony in a video message. “Hope does not grow by itself,” he said. “Even in the darkest times, it needs something like sunlight that helps a harvest grow. For us, that light is knowing that so many people are with us, that people like you are with Ukraine.”
With Ukraine preparing for another winter of Russian attacks on its energy system, Zelenskyy urged faster implementation of Ukraine’s agreements with the United States, including on the production and supply of Patriot air defense systems. “This really matters,” he said. “Please, speak about these wherever it can make a difference.”
The inaugural dinner, held last year in the presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, honored NYPD, FDNY and PAPD first responders for their service on September 11.
Photos by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos
