Rev. Mark Morozowich, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies, 2019.
In an open letter to The Catholic University of America community today, University President John Garvey wrote that the University, which has close ties with the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is “shocked and dismayed by the news that Vladimir Putin has violated the sovereignty of Ukraine. This is the most serious military aggression on a peaceful sovereign nation since World War II.”
“Our prayers are with the people of Ukraine, who face great uncertainty for their own personal safety, as well as their national sovereignty…Our prayers are also with the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which has strong roots here at Catholic University,” President Garvey wrote.
Rev. Mark Morozowich, the dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies (TRS), is a Ukrainian Catholic priest. TRS also houses the Institute for the Study of Eastern Christianity. Seminarians from the neighboring St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary study at Catholic University and the Ukrainian National Shrine of the Holy Family is across the street from the University.
President Garvey also invited the entire Catholic University community to join Pope Francis in dedicating Ash Wednesday, March 2, as “a Day of Fasting for Peace” and to join in the Pope’s prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace, “to save the world from the madness of war."