October 02-08, 2022

Fastiv, 02-08.10.2022

Praised be Jesus Christ.

​The beginning of the month was full of various events in our life! We had to visit the walls of St. Sophia, and ancient Kyiv, and we also had to visit the equally ancient Kraków. In Kyiv, we received an award from the Verkhovna Rada “For services to the Ukrainian people,” and in Krakow, an award from the Lesser Poland Voivodeship Veritatis Splendor named after St. John Paul II. Thank God!

​Our group together with the rector of the Vorzel Theological Seminary, Father Ruslan Mikhalkiv, boldly went to the East, to Kharkiv, where we had the opportunity to spend the night with the Dominican Fathers in the parish house. The next day we were already in Balaklei and nearby villages of the Izyum district. The liberated territories look like a wounded, beaten man: destruction everywhere, burned, destroyed houses, mutilated trees, land plowed by enemy tanks, ruined people’s lives and plans, grief, tears, crying and needs, lots of needs… Residents of villages occupied for more than half a year need protection from the cold, during the “rule” of the invaders they had no gas, no electricity, no communication, and now the existing infrastructure has been destroyed. Therefore, we will sew blankets and pillows so that people have something to meet the winter.

We brought there 1,000 food kits (7,000 kg), essential medicines, gas bottles, hygiene products, and it turned out that candles were most needed, because not even everyone had enough… Our vanguard scouted the situation in Kharkiv Oblast, and in Fastov work did not stop for a day! Our quilting workshop sews thermal underwear, food and clothes were distributed in the Center’s building, the queue of people for help is not decreasing…

Summarizing this eventful week, we see that 2,382 food kits (14,400 kg) were distributed. We would like to thank our benefactors: the Guardian Eagle, the Dominican Vicariate in the Netherlands, in particular the community from Zwolle, Charitable Freta and the Charitable Foundation, who continue to collect humanitarian aid for our wards.

Father Mykhailo OP