Learn about the miraculous image from the Blessed Mother to the Ukraine nearly 800 years ago–and also print the Consecration Prayer which will be used on March 25th by the Pope.
There is a MIRACULOUS ICON in the village of Zarvanytsia (pronounced zar-van-EET-see-uh) in the Ukraine!
The shrine where it is displayed in a parish church has become one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world, despite the attempts during the time of the Soviet Union to shut it down.
And like Lourdes, there is a miraculous spring with healing waters that has worked thousands of cures.
Read on–then scroll down to download a FREE coloring page AND prayer for the families of the Ukraine.
In the year 1240, the Mongols invaded Kiev. They destroyed churches and monasteries. One monk escaped the invaders by traveling over 300 miles to the west.
Finally collapsing in a wooded area, He prayed urgently to the Mother of God, pleading for help against the invaders. Still praying, worn out from his wounds and fear, he fell asleep.
In a dream, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him. She was accompanied by two angels holding white lilies. She blessed him, and then she reached out to touch him with a stole around her neck.
When he suddenly awoke, he saw a bright light and a beautiful valley surrounded by dense forest. Suddenly, a spring of clear water shone in the dewy grass, and above it an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus in her arms miraculously appeared before his eyes.
The icon is carved on lime wood which is covered with a thin layer of gold–except on the faces and hands of the Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus. Their faces are beautifully painted, and their hands are raised in blessing.
The monk washed in the spring and his wounds were healed and his strength returned. He took the icon into a cave to protect it and named the place Zarvanytsia, from the Ukrainian meaning the place were his sleep was disturbed.
People heard of the miraculous cure–and began coming to the waters for healing themselves. A chapel was built to house the icon.
In 1867 Pope Blessed Pius IX blessed two crowns—one for the Blessed Mother and one for Baby Jesus—which were placed on the icon. On October 15, 2017, Pope Francis renewed the blessing of these crowns at St Peter’s in Rome.
But despite the hundreds of years of peaceful gatherings of the faithful, in World War II, the icon had to be hidden by the villagers to protect it from the Soviet soldiers. The Soviets brutally persecuted the Church.
During the nearly 50 years that the icon was hidden, Soviet authorities blocked roads to Zarvanytsia on holy days, wrapped the miraculous spring in barbed wire, and blew up the church. They even poured diesel down the well with the miraculous water. All religious services were forbidden.
In 1989 when the Soviet Union fell, the icon came out of hiding, and the shrine was restored. It remains a major pilgrimage destination.
In 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II made an official visit to the Ukraine and had the icon brought to him at St Nicholas Church in Kyiv. He prayed before it asking the Blessed Mother to bless his visit and the people of the Ukraine.
Now, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has asked all the bishops of the world to join him in consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, March 25, 2022.
We’ve made it easy for your family to join in–the download below includes the prayer which will be used for the consecration. You can also click here to see how your diocese is participating in the consecration.
Now–Download our 5-page coloring download with the prayer of consecration here:
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If you would like more unique coloring pages commemorating visits from the Mother of God to people on earth, get Our Lady Color-by-Number & Prayer Download now! This 18-page coloring download includes a coloring-by-number page and a background & prayer page for each of the following:
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Our Lady of Grace
- Our Lady of La Vang
- Our Lady of Hope
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- BONUS: Our Lady of Knock coloring activity
If you enjoyed learning about Our Lady of Zarvanytsia, please share this blog post with your friends and family!
And, if you work for a parish, please share this blog with your parish community!
Thank you! I am sharing this with my Catholic School since the time the Pope is doing this is during lunch.
I too will be sharing with my F. F. families! I also regularly promote your company on our Facebook page and through other means! Thank you for your ministry!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing our content!
Thank you very much for this information. I have shared it with all the staff at my church and will be giving this to all of my Faith Formation families.
Thank you for helping us spread the word at the parish!!
Our parish has reached out to families with this prayer of Consecration but this is a marvelous resource for our Religious Education children! Thank you so much for the added history, as well! Peace!
Thank you for sharing with your parish!
Thank you so much for this timely resource. I plan to share it with my CCD classes this evening. May God bless the people of Ukrane and may Our Blessed Mother shield them with her mantel of grace.
Thank you for sharing with your CCD classes!