People at a vespers service for peace hold candles at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. BARB UMBERGER | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Jeanne Meyer strongly advocates praying for peace in the face of what she called the “the evil that has taken over” as Russia’s military continues an assault on Ukraine that began Feb. 24. Meyer, 71, put her prayers to work with about 90 others Feb. 27 at a vespers service for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

“I just hope that our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph and Jesus will keep everyone safe and put an end to this evil … with the crisis in Ukraine, and to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from what he’s trying to take over,” she said.

Meyer, a parishioner at the Basilica, said she also believes that “we need to pray for Russia,” recalling the Virgin Mary’s plea at Fatima to pray for Russia’s conversion.

Following a build-up of Russian troops along the Ukrainian that began in late 2021, Putin ordered the invasion, and missiles have struck military and other targets across Ukraine, including Kyiv, its capital.

Immigrants from Russia, Olga Baxtin and her husband, Viatcheslav Belyaev, said they are not fans of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They attended the vespers service to pray for peace in Ukraine and to support the Ukrainian people. BARB UMBERGER | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

President Joe Biden and U.S. allies have applied increasingly strong economic sanctions against Russia and its leaders since the initial invasion. Representatives of Russia and Ukraine met Feb. 28 near the Belarus-Ukraine border, but no break-through negotiations were reported.

At the vespers service, Basilica rector and pastor Father John Bauer presided and about a dozen members of the basilica’s Schola Cantorum sang, positioned front and center. A lector, Carol Frenning, 75, read from Isaiah 2:4, “one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”

A Schola soloist sang intercessory prayers, including “for an immediate end to the invasion of Ukraine, and for the safety and security of the Ukrainian people” and “for a conversion of heart, for all those who perpetuate fear, promote hatred and wage war.”

Long-time parishioners and people from across the Twin Cities participated, including one couple who emigrated from Russian nearly 20 years ago and now live in Plymouth. Olga Baxtin and her husband, Viatcheslav Belyaev, said they are no fans of Putin. “We are against Putin, we are against the war in Ukraine and we support Ukraine,” Baxtin said.

While people can donate money to help those in Ukraine, that’s not enough, said Baxtin, explaining she is agnostic, but willing to pray. “We’re not only bodies, but souls, too,” she said.

A parishioner of Holy Name in Minneapolis, Donna Porfiri, 69, said she attended because her heart breaks for the people of Ukraine — and for the people in Russia who have been jailed for protesting the invasion. “It’s a terrible situation,” she said, “and I am so moved by the bravery of the Ukraine people. I just pray that their courage will remain strong and that God will protect them.”

Pat Levy, 61, who attends the multi-denominational Mills Church in Minnetonka, said she was happy to join her Catholic brothers and sisters in prayer for the Ukrainian people. “My heart aches for the needless loss of innocent lives,” she said, and she feels small and helpless facing “the evil that has perpetrated such deeds.”