Dear sisters, dear brothers, After the morning Mass, I asked the Missionaries of Charity Sisters how they look at the future. “I was thinking about that a couple of times,” said Sister Immaculata. “But the only response that comes to mind is to trust God every day and do what we can. Love Him and love our neighbor. And live.…
Dear sisters, dear brothers, “If we truly trust God, then maybe this most stupid war in the world will come to an end. I came because the Pope wanted me to be with you during this Christmas time,” said Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, while in Fastiv the day before Christmas Eve. This was already his second visit to…
Dear sisters, dear brothers, “I am trying to remember how it was before the war. It is so hard,” said Father Misha when we ran into each other at the door of our warehouse filled with humanitarian supplies. He seemed to be surprised by his own emotions. It was a beautiful sunny day in Kherson with a chill in the…
Fr. Jarosław describes the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the fear and unrest it has caused. Despite this, the people of Ukraine are celebrating their traditional Day of Vyshyvanka. He talks also about he recent visit of the Master of the Order, who awarded the “Benemerenti” medal to volunteers from the House of Saint Martin de Porres in Fastiv, Ukraine.
Dear sisters and dear brothers, On this first Sunday of Lent, the Year of the Holy Cross begins in Ukraine, as announced by the Roman Catholic Bishops. In reality it began on Thursday February 24 at 4am, when the first Russian rockets hit Ukraine. “Now, like never before,” write our shepherds, “we understand Christ on his way of the cross.”…
Dear sisters and dear brothers, Let me start with Fastiv today. The House of Saint Martin de Porres run by the Dominicans and lay volunteers has been a place of escape and rest for people affected by the hostilities, ever since the beginning of the war. One of the ladies who had been among the first to take shelter in…
Dear sisters and dear brothers, Today Kyiv is very sunny, although it’s cold, -2 °C. At night the temperature drops to -8 °C. When the heating works, it’s not a problem, but many places don’t have electricity or gas. For that reason, people are longing this year for the spring to come faster and for the weather to become warmer.…
Dear sisters and dear brothers, It’s already been a couple days since my last letter. This interruption doesn’t mean that something tragic has happened to us. Quite the opposite. I finally managed to travel to Fastiv. I had already started missing the conversations with my brothers Misha, John, Paul, and Igor, and Dominican sisters Damion, Monica, Augustine, and Gala, as…
Dear sisters and dear brothers, In the last few days, Kyiv has become unsettled. The noise of blaring sirens has become more frequent, which means increased risk of air raids. I also seem to sense an increase in the sounds of battles fought on the outskirts of the city, all kinds of explosions, and the hiss and whizz of things…
Dear sisters and dear brothers, After almost an hour of driving from Kyiv, Father Thomas and I have reached Fastiv. I always visit this city and the brothers and sisters working there with great pleasure. Just before I left this morning, I met a woman who had managed to evacuate a few days earlier from one of the cities outside…
