“Many children have met God here for the first time,” catechist Ivanka Fedorak told me during my recent trip to western Ukraine. I was there with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to visit some projects helping people fleeing the war.
“When the children arrived, they seemed frightened,” Ivanka said. “I have seen them relax and open up gradually. Their hearts have opened to each other and to God.”
Ivanka helped coordinate a series of pastoral activities for displaced children at St Andrew’s Catechetical Centre in the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk (photo). Many of the children had never prayed before, and it was here that they first felt inspired to talk to God.
I was startled to see some children pretending to be shooting at each other while playing in the park. The magnificent Carpathian Mountains in the background evoked a sense of peace, but the one true backdrop for these children’s lives is war.
Everyone I spoke to during the week-long trip had a tragic story to tell. They all had images to show on their phones of sons, brothers, fathers, cousins and friends who had either recently perished or were still fighting in the east.
The few young men remaining in the peaceful regions didn’t know how much longer their exemptions from military duty – due to raising at least three children – would apply. But even those men aged under 60 who are exempt aren’t allowed to leave the country. Priests can’t leave either and may be called to the frontlines as military chaplains at any moment.
Constant reminders of the unfolding crisis include countless new cemeteries along the roads, billboards commemorating the fallen heroes and military checkpoints looking for deserters. Photos of deceased young soldiers are on display at shops and restaurants owned by their families.
The Church has been providing a great deal of help for those traumatised by the war. For instance, ACN is supporting the creation of a counselling centre in the Catholic Diocese of Mukachevo to ease the suffering of those returning from or escaping the battlefield.
Bishop Mykola Petro Luchok of Mukachevo stressed the desperate need for prayers, while acknowledging how difficult it is to know what peace will ultimately look like: “Even if the war ends one day, will there be true peace? Peace means more than people finally not killing each other.”
The prevailing atmosphere, even in those areas considered peaceful, is that of a profound fatigue and no hope for a lasting resolution anytime soon. Nevertheless, in the face of this great exhaustion, many people seem to be accustomed to a new way of life.
Last winter, people all over Ukraine had to get used to daily power blackouts. ACN supplied generators for Church buildings, such as monasteries and pastoral centres, and covered heating costs to help keep those sheltering there warm.
Most of these displaced families – mainly women and children – have since sought refuge in the West. Those remaining in Ukraine told me that they were bracing for similar hardships this winter.
The Albertine Sisters of Lviv are one of many religious orders offering help to displaced families. This contemplative community altered its way of life and opened its doors to those needing a place to stay. The Sisters have also been working with volunteers to prepare meals for the hungry.
Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv is also doing everything he can to ease the suffering of those who have lost their homes in eastern Ukraine. Those frequenting the soup kitchen maintained by the archdiocese looked at the archbishop as a friend.
Archbishop Mieczyslaw was Pope St John Paul II’s personal secretary for nine years and Pope Benedict XVI’s for two. His humility shone through as he was conversing and sharing a meal with those relying on his diocese for nourishment for body and soul.
Those who wished and were allowed to leave Ukraine are already gone, and the longer the war goes on, the less likely they are to return. Therefore, the importance of helping people stay in the country can’t be overstated. The assistance provided by the Church is indispensable, but those carrying out this mission need unprecedented support to be able to continue.
Those planning to stay in Ukraine include those studying at the Catholic Seminary in Lviv and the Uzhhorod Greek Catholic Theological Academy – both supported by ACN. These institutions are oases of calm, reserved optimism.
In a collapsing society with record unemployment, seminarians are blessed to have a sanguine vision of serving their communities in the future. These young men and the children I met in the Archeparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk are the hope of a country suffering both material and spiritual devastation. They need all the help they can get to be able to realise this hope.
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