The generosity of countless benefactors has helped to keep the Church in Ukraine alive and ready to continue helping those suffering most from the full-scale invasion that began in 2022. When the conflict broke out on February 24, 2022, millions of people were forced to flee their homes in search of refuge.
Julia, who fled Kharkiv with her family and found shelter at a convent, describes her experience as a profound spiritual awakening:
“For over a month we lived with Sisters Paulina and Barbara. Their hospitality amazed me daily. We began attending church each week (…) and I had deep, honest conversations with the sisters. It was the greatest gift in that dark time: a profound spiritual awakening.”
Julia’s experience is far from unique; all over the country, churches, monasteries, convents, and seminaries opened their doors to offer immediate aid and comfort to the displaced.
The Impact of Aid: Numbers and Actions
Over the past four years, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has supported 1,256 projects in Ukraine, totaling more than 30 million euros. This funding has been crucial in several critical areas:
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Food and Essential Supplies: Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Chornomorsk prepare 100 hot meals daily and distribute food parcels to families, the elderly, and soldiers.
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Health and Trauma Care: Funding for medical expenses for war injuries and professional training for sisters to assist wounded soldiers and their families.
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Energy Infrastructure: Purchasing generators and fuel to face freezing winters amid constant attacks on the electrical grid.
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Mobility: Providing vehicles for pastoral agents to reach the most remote and vulnerable communities.
Testimonies of Gratitude and Hope
For those suffering physically and mentally from the war, this aid provides the certainty that they are not alone. Local religious communities have shared moving messages reflecting the value of this support:
“We thank God every day for all the benefactors who allow us to practice kindness and bring normalcy in times of war. Love is more powerful than fear and stronger than death,” write the Sisters of St. Elizabeth.
From St. Joseph’s parish in Mykolayiv, Fr. Oleksander Ryepin highlights the transformation of suffering:
“Our mission is simple and profound: to unite practical help with the Gospel in action. God is present even in the simplest gestures of help. And slowly, something remarkable happens. The pain does not disappear—but it is transformed. Tears cease to be only despair and become prayer.”
Thanks to ACN’s benefactors, the Church remains a beacon of service for a suffering people, keeping alive the hope that, as Julia dreams: “The war will end.”
