Orphans of Chernobyl

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans … in their trouble.”

James 1:27

On April 26, 1986, at 1:23 AM, a core meltdown occurred at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, creating a chemical explosion and a fireball which blew off the reactor’s 1,000-ton steel and concrete lid. Some 190 tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were expelled, spewing radioactive substances to a height of more than 1 kilometer into the earth’s atmosphere.

It is estimated that the explosion released more than 200 times the radioactive fallout of the two nuclear weapons used at the end of World War II, spreading a radioactive cloud over large parts of the former Soviet Union which includes modern day Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. This radioactive trail exposed the unsuspecting public to levels up to 100 times the normal background radiation.

The Chernobyl accident killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, some 135,000 people were evacuated. However, it was not until the third day after the explosion that the Soviet authorities reported the full scale of the accident, and the people of Ukraine did not learn the truth until May 3, 1986.

More than twenty years later, the effects of radiation fallout are still being felt in Ukraine through dust particles deposited in the earth by rainfall and through the food chain of plants and animals. The Chernobyl nuclear reactor still remains a serious threat and as a result 2 million people have illnesses caused by the radiation, and non-governmental organizations estimate the disaster has caused more than 700,000 early deaths. The long term exposure to these low doses of radiation has left a serious impact upon the children. Children are still being born to this day with severe disabilities that causes their parents to either not want them or who can’t help them and they are placed in orphanages.

As Christ once said “Let the little children come to Me,” these children are unable to reach out and feel the hand of Christ, so the church has reached out to them, so that they too can feel the love of Christ and enjoy His comforting hand in their time of need. In the spirit of bridging the ministry of Christ with all, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA has asked Father Nicholas Bacalis – Dean of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral to help sponsor an event to bring everyone together in our community and help those who are defenseless and in need of care and they are the Orphans of Chernobyl.

On October 3rd 2010, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Richmond is proud to welcome His Grace Bishop Daniel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA — Western Eparchy as he joins us at 5:30 PM for a Benefit Dinner that will be hosted by the AHEPA family, along with a presentation to share his stories about the Orphans of Chernobyl. We ask for your support and your fellowship on that very special day so that these orphaned children can also feel the same love that Christ has and shows us each and every day. Please RSVP by September 25, 2010 to Subdeacon Nicholas Zachary at 804-467-1800 or 804-440-6832.

By Subdeacon Nicholas Zachary

Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral is located at 30 Malvern Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.

Any parishioners from St. Nicholas who are interested in attending and helping to set up or prepare light hors d’oeuvres are encouraged to contact Fr. Robert for more information.