The grieving Ukrainian community gathered at the Saint-Sophie Orthodox Cathedral on Saint-Michel Boulevard on Tuesday night to celebrate the memory of Maria Fleckenkovska, who was fatally hit by a car on her way to school last week. His mother called the drama an “unintentional crime” and said she didn’t blame the driver.
Posted at 8:51pm Updated at 10:13pm
“He also has his family and I don’t want him to suffer too much in this situation,” Galynalegenkovska said through a translator at the end of a pre-ceremony press conference.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Galynalegenkovska, mother of Maria
She had just taken a few minutes to thank a long list of organizations and people who came to her family’s aid, from the police to Sainte Justine Hospital staff, including the Canadian government. “I was very surprised and touched by the response from the Quebec community,” said the grieving mother.
“Not hundreds, but thousands” of people have sent her messages of support, she revealed, reading a message in French.
My heart is torn by this immense loss. It is impossible to describe my condition with only words. But today I feel the incredible warmth emanating from the words of support from Canadians.
Galynalegenkovska, mother of Maria
A crowdfunding campaign launched shortly after last week’s tragedy had raised more than $153,000 a week later “to cover funeral expenses” and support the family.
From the Eastern Front of Ukraine, where he fought against Russian troops, her husband, Andrii Lehenkovskyi, was able to travel to Montreal in time for the child’s funeral. He plans to stay there “two or three months” before returning to Ukraine to defend his hometown. The family would like to bury Maria in the country and continue to live in Canada despite everything.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Maria’s parents, Andrii Lehenkovskyi and Galyna Fleckenkovska, pray over her coffin.
“I hope that the soul of little Maria will beg God to protect all children so that they no longer experience the horrors of war and the loss of loved ones,” concluded Galyna Fleckenkovska.
” A tragedy “
This tragedy comes as a blow to members of the Ukrainian community in Montreal, especially in the context of the war in their country, the Reverend of the neighboring Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ihor Oshchipko, testified.
“It’s a tragedy, but also for people in general because it transcends nationalities,” he added before entering the ceremony. “We will do everything we can for the family. »
The ceremony began with songs sung by the choir in the cathedral. Then the priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia, Volodymyr Kouchnir, spoke, mainly in Ukrainian, to emphasize the memory of Mary.
The latter had only met the mother and her three children once during a Sunday mass before the tragedy.
A heartbreaking decision
The Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Montreal, Eugene Czolij, then spoke of the “multiple atrocities” committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, including “rapes, forced adoptions of Ukrainian children and evacuations”. He wanted to provide insight into the context in which young Maria’s parents made the decision that her mother, brother and sister would move to Canada.
Then the vast majority of those present lined up to offer their condolences to the grieving parents.
Remember that last Tuesday, while walking to school in the Ville-Marie neighborhood, Marialegenkovska, 7, like so many other Quebec students, was mowed down by a motorist who didn’t stop after the collision.
The driver who allegedly hit Maria, Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 45, surrendered at a Montreal South Shore police station the same day, after which he was charged with a fatal hit and run at the Montreal Courthouse, where he was serving the services in took advantage of a Spanish interpreter.
The official funeral of young Maria will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Alfred Dallaire funeral complex, not far from Sainte-Sophie Cathedral.