Thank you very much for hosting me today in your parish as I visit Minnesota.

Dear Friends and Parishioners of Holy Cross,

Thank you very much for hosting me today in your parish as I visit Minnesota. I would like to take this opportunity and share with you what we as Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Ukraine, in the Delegation of the Polish Province of OMI, do in this war-torn country. Oblates take care of 8 parishes and the Catholic Media Center with the Ukrainian version of EWTN television. Our parishes are scattered all over Ukraine. In addition to parish and evangelization work in the postcommunism Ukraine, we are faced with humanitarian calls. The situation is changing, especially since 2022, when Russia attacked the territory of Ukraine. With the ongoing war, more challenges came to us in Ukraine: people mutilated physically and morally; many who have lost their jobs or have their pay reduced; destroyed buildings; many who lost their homes and belongings, and many other human tragedies. What do we do as Oblates?

In our monastery in Tyvriv, for over a year we sheltered a group of refugees, between 70 and 25 people. Currently, still several people live there. Unfortunately, due to Russia's constant aggression, this situation may repeat itself, especially in the event of a possible incursion of Russian criminals into Kharkiv or other cities in the future.

Many people are deeply wounded, physically and morally. These people need financial help for treatment or rehabilitation. We are trying to organize centers in our parishes where people can receive first moral and psychological help, an assistance in purchasing medicines or paying for costs of surgeries, which we already do.

We try to help those who have lost their jobs or lack money to support themselves with food. For now, such food banks and kitchens for the needy operate in our parishes in Kiev, Obukhiv and Chernihiv. Along with food, we support people with personal hygiene products, shoes and warm clothes.

Many people have their apartments damaged, broken windows, damaged roofs and furniture. We try to help such people in purchasing constructing materials for the renovation of buildings or apartments. For those who do not have heating, we buy firewood and bring it to their homes, sometimes covering more than 500 km, because their territories are still mined.

New realities related to the war may force us to build or adapt shelters in our churches, which is very expensive. At the moment, children from a nearby public kindergarten are taking shelter in the basement of our church in Chernihiv during bomb threats.

After the war is hopefully over, many soldiers will return to their cities, physically and mentally wounded. We want to help them by creating rehabilitation centers that will need financial resources, e.g., for heating costs or paying specialists. The cost of one session for those injured by war is $5,000.

Currently, due to the war, we have limited opportunities to reach the places most devastated by the war, but we hope that the war will end and we will be able to reach these ruined places and help the people who still live there. There will be many more challenges ahead of us that we are not fully aware of. Thank you in advance for trying to understand our situation and the situation of our people, for your prayers and generous support.

Father Vitalii Podolan OMI
Superior of the OMI Delegation in Ukraine