“WITHOUT YOUR ASSISTANCE, WE WOULD NOT SURVIVE”

Reflecting on one full year of war in Ukraine, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church disclosed to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the prayers, solidarity, and material support to Ukraine are helping to give his people hope and means of survival.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. Since then, more than 100,000 troops on both sides, as well as tens of thousands of civilians, have been killed. Electrical blackouts remain a constant issue for the greater part of the country. In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been appealing for additional foreign aid amid the latest Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The situation in Ukraine is still “deteriorating, especially from the humanitarian point of view,” said the Archbishop. “Some 15 million Ukrainians were left with no other choice but to abandon their home, of whom seven million are refugees outside Ukraine. Even if some Ukrainians are able to return to their homes, most lack the basic resources needed to survive,” he said.

A major focus of Ukraine’s Catholic leaders currently is recognising that people need “not just food and clothes, but also a word of hope”. He said that he and other leaders are in the process of creating a training programme for his priests to be able to provide basic psychological and counselling services for the many Ukrainians who are suffering from trauma as a result of war. The Archbishop also said he is working to establish a counselling centre in each of Ukraine’s Catholic eparchies.

During the press conference, Archbishop Shevchuk was asked about Fr Ivan Levytskyi and Fr Bohdan Heleta, two Redemptorist Catholic priests who have been captured by the Russians since late last year. The priests

Your Donation Is Saving Lives

had chosen to stay in territory under Russian occupation to serve the local Greek Catholic and Latin-rite Catholic communities. They are reported to have suffered torture at the hands of Russian invaders. Archbishop Shevchuk replied that the priests are still imprisoned and that information about their plight has come from people who were in the same cell with the priests, and were later released.

He urged prayers not only for the Ukrainian people but also for Christians in Russia who are suffering as a result of the war.

Also speaking during the press conference was Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine. He said there is currently a portion of Ukraine, with an area larger than Croatia, with no Catholic priests currently working there because they have been arrested or injured. Despite this, the prayers and support that is still coming into Ukraine is making a difference. He said he often hears from military leaders about miracles that have taken place during the war, such as missiles missing a car that was later found to have a rosary inside.

“We feel your presence, we feel your closeness … your prayers are producing miracles,” Archbishop Kulbokas said.

UKRAINE ACN HAS DIRECTLY HELPED MORE THAN 15,000 UKRAINIANS SINCE THE WAR BEGAN

When Russian troops began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, bombing major cities and attempting to capture Kyiv, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) was one of the first aid organisations to provide immediate assistance to Ukrainian civilians.

Over the last 12 months, there was no let-up in those efforts. On the contrary, they multiplied and have directly helped more than 15,000 people, most of whom are dedicated to serving the most needy and desperate, including those who have lost all their possessions, or even family members, during the war.

As an international charity, ACN’s total aid to Ukraine in these first 12 months of war amounts to over 292 projects. A large portion of this assistance consisted of emergency existential aid, which benefited 7,447 diocesan priests, religious sisters and brothers, and diocesan staff. These are the men and women who have remained on the ground, sometimes in the most dangerous situations, keeping the life and activities of the Church going and allowing it to continue to provide the spiritual and material needs of the local population.

As extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures, many seminaries and other Church buildings opened their doors to families fleeing the conflict. The resulting extra burden on food and basic services was shouldered by ACN, through aid for 738 seminarians, as well as the funding of 231 kitchen upgrades and portable ovens, or other household equipment to parishes, monasteries, seminaries, and other relevant institutions that are aiding refugees.

The first weeks and months of the war saw a large wave of displaced people head to the west of Ukraine. ACN has been there for these people as well, and has provided direct support to 2,274 refugees, in the form of humanitarian aid through Church institutions.

Social and spiritual relief for young people and adults

Children and young people are always among the most affected in these times of crises, as the war imposes radical changes to habits and interrupts school routines. During this last year, the local Church has paid special attention to the needs of young people, including provision of opportunities for leisure that are essential for a healthy development. ACN contributed to this effort by funding youth pastoral activities and holiday camps in safe areas, away from combat zones, for 1,712 young people. Religious agents and thousands of lay volunteers gave their all to help their brothers and sisters in distress, leaving them at risk of physical and spiritual exhaustion. Therefore, ACN also funded 16 projects for formation sessions and spiritual retreats for 3,280 people, the vast majority of whom – 2,640 – were lay people and families involved in Church pastoral efforts, with the remaining 640 being religious, priests or catechists.

Generating warmth and hope

With the persisting energy crisis resulting from the war, the approach of winter brought with it new needs in terms of heating. ACN managed to provide 205 generators and 78 insulation or heating systems to different communities of consecrated religious, thereby allowing them to remain in their residences. To these efforts can be added 25 construction or renovation projects to improve, repair or enlarge buildings, including churches; three water or sanitation projects and three projects for the installation or replacement of windows. Besides all these projects, the Pontifical foundation also helped with the purchase of 80 cars and vans that were donated to dioceses, parishes, seminaries and religious orders, among others, and are used to provide pastoral care and to distribute supplies. As always, a very important part of ACN’s assistance came in the form of Mass stipends that help to support priests in their daily work. These Masses are celebrated for the intentions of benefactors and, of course, for an end to hostilities. At least 6,549 priests received Mass stipends, and the spiritual benefit of these is incalculable. ACN also helped in the purchase of 130 liturgical kits for priests to be able to celebrate Mass in different situations and settings, sometimes on the move or in conflict zones.