Move aside St. Anthony, I’ve adopted a new Patron Saint.
An image of Mary Magdalene cradling a Javelin missile launcher has become a fast-spreading symbol of Ukrainian support. The image of the fictitious “St. Javelin” has gone viral.
Though many sellers of “St. Javelin” merchandise are depicting her on T-shirts, flags, bumper stickers, and other items, the original design is attributed to a Canadian marketer, Christian Borys, who donates 100% of profit from orders he receives to Ukarainian humanitarian aid.
Mr. Borys is of Ukrainian heritage and wanted to support Ukraine in their fight for survival against the Russian invasion.
“Saint Javelin” depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the US-made FGM-148 anti-tank weapon. These missiles are among the arms being sent by Western allies to the Ukrainian forces.
Borys doesn’t take full credit for the concept of “Saint Javelin.” He was inspired by the work of US artist Chris Shaw, who in 2012 painted the Madonna holding a gold-plated AK-47. He commissioned a colleague to draw the image cradling a Javelin launcher, and began printing stickers.
When he posted the sticker image on his own Instagram account a few days before Russia invaded Ukraine, and asked if anyone would be interested in buying one, he hoped to raise C$500 for the Help Us Help Charity, a long-standing, Canadian-based organization operating in Ukraine.
Other Instagram users shared his post. As of March 10, Borys had raised C$1.16M (US$925,000; £842,000).
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
