Church a sanctuary for Ukraine families split apart by war

Four years into a relentless war that has largely faded from news headlines, Ukraine is still facing a massive humanitarian crisis: fathers killed or severely wounded on the front lines, mothers shouldering the entire burden of keeping home fires burning and traumatized children left to fend for themselves as orphans. 

“The scale of suffering remains staggering. An estimated 10.8 million people across Ukraine are still in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Another million in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine also need support. Some 3.7 million people remain internally displaced, and nearly six million have sought refuge abroad,” wrote Matthias Schmale, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, in a statement released by the UN. 

Anastasiia Hryniuk, who runs the Ukraine program for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) from the organization’s Ottawa office, has witnessed her people living under siege.  

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“Ukrainians are living in a state of uncertainty and fear that’s hard for Canadians to imagine,” she told The Catholic Register shortly after her recent visit to Ukraine. “Ukrainians don’t know from one day to the next if there will be another bombardment or get bad news about a loved one on the front line, which could upend their lives forever. War has become part of their daily lives.” 

On her first trip to Ukraine as CNEWA’s program officer, Ukraine-born Hryniuk observed not only suffering but the enduring faith, hope and resilience of her people. She said that despite the daily stress of living in a country under attack Ukrainians were doing their best to live their lives as usual, hoping for the best and yearning for peace.

“The Church is a refuge and sanctuary for the people, and CNEWA works in close partnership with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to bring some relief and hope to the suffering people of Ukraine,” Hryniuk said, adding that Caritas Ukraine is another CNEWA partner.

A big part of CNEWA’s work addresses the burdens of families torn apart by war and violence, Hryniuk said.

“War takes a huge toll on families,” she said. “And to the Catholic Church, families are fundamental.” 

While in Ukraine, she observed the plight of families where the mother takes care of everything at home, praying all the while that her husband comes back from the war. 

“Even if he does, he is often beyond recognition because of the effects of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder),” she said. “The experience of war changes these men and it’s difficult for them to adjust to normal domestic life.” 

One of the CNEWA projects she visited is run in cooperation with the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, where CNEWA supports a medical clinic and rehabilitation centre that provides specialized care, psychological support and rehabilitation for veterans, military personnel and families impacted by the war. It serves as a practical training ground for future physiotherapists, occupational therapists and psychologists, whose specialized expertise is critically needed in times of war.

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The university also is a seminarian education centre, she said. 

“The place is filled with Christian love. The chapels in every building of the university are filled with people singing and praying for Ukraine. It’s incredibly moving.”

CNEWA also supports a day care centre for children with disabilities and the Home of Hope run by Sisters of the Servants of Mary Immaculate. It shelters homeless young women who otherwise would be vulnerable to human trafficking. It also serves children and families displaced by the war.

The House of Mercy for the Disabled, another CNEWA-supported project, provides physical, emotional and spiritual support for people with disabilities. 

“Since the beginning of the full-scale war (in February 2022), the House of Mercy has opened its doors to hundreds of people displaced by the fighting, offering them shelter and a safe place to stay when they had nowhere else to turn,” Hryniuk said.

Hryniuk emphasized that CNEWA is preparing for the approach of Ukraine’s harsh winter as well. 

CNEWA’s work is not only bringing relief to a war-torn people, but a sense that they not alone in their hour of need, she added.

While on a visit to the Orphan Care Centre in Lviv, one of the women there told her she was taking care of a sister and brother from Eastern Ukraine who had lost both parents. 

“Without CNEWA’s support, we couldn’t do this,” she told Hryniuk.

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“Since February 2022, CNEWA Canada has delivered $10.4 million in aid through our trusted partners,” said Adriana Bara, CNEWA’s Canadian director. “With the war dragging on, needs remain acute, particularly around psychological support and community resilience.”

She appealed to Canadians to pray for Ukraine and to donate, if possible, to these projects, that not only provide material assistance, but are filled with Christian love and compassion. 

(Susan Korah is an Ottawa correspondent for The Catholic Register.)