Ukraine Relief Fund
In these critical days for the people of Ukraine, we invite you to be in communion with them through prayer, in support and in generosity. Let us come together as a community to pray for peace and for the safety of all our brothers and sisters affected by this war.
Photo collage shows humanitarian help from Caritas Lublin arriving at Chernihiv, Ukraine.
An update from Fr. Peter on Caritas Lublin and supporting Ukraine
Your generosity is making a difference!
Hello Friends!
In June, I had the opportunity to visit Poland and go to the border of Ukraine. I was able to spend some time with the dedicated volunteers and amazing staff of Caritas Lublin. I heard many stories of loss, heartache, and pain, but also stories that made me so proud of the Catholic communion we share. Through our giving, Saint Clement has become one of the biggest partners for Caritas Lublin in supporting refugee families. I am so excited to share the impact that your generosity has made on so many lives!
The surprise of this war occurred at Caritas Lublin and they were not ready at all when the first two trucks arrived with food, medications, and child supplies. They did not have forklifts nor did anyone on their small 40-person team know how to operate one. So, hand by hand the whole team unpacked the trucks and moved the donated items to other trucks that delivered them to Ukraine, all within 48 hours! In the following weeks, Caritas leased forklifts and had 15 of their staff members trained and then certified to operate them. Today, Caritas Lublin operates a big warehouse in Poland and one in Ukraine where the donations are being delivered. The staff has reached 150 employees and they have hundreds of volunteers who serve those in need every day.
Serving people with trauma
Over the last few months thousands of people have come forward weekly to receive much needed support, housing assistance and food assistance from Caritas. However, the needs have been shifting. People who arrived first left during the initial destruction of buildings and towns, but they were not exposed to the evil of killing and the intimate loss of their loved ones. The folks that have been coming over the last 4 weeks have experienced the profound trauma of hiding in dark basements for weeks and months at a time and seeing their loved ones killed in front of them. I visited a family that was exposed to this trauma, one child lost her ability to speak and another cannot stop shaking. With our support, Caritas has hired 4 psychologists who now work with the war victims. They also operated a childcare staff with Ukrainian teachers and a food bank. They now host over 120 families within their own buildings.
Transforming generosity
One word I have heard at every location and in every conversation I had was “Thanks!” Person after person asked me to let you know of the difference you are making and how your sacrificial giving not only sustains their lives, but also brings them hope for a better tomorrow. As a member of this faithful community, I cannot be prouder of seeing firsthand how Christ uses us in making a difference in his name in healing, caring, and feeding those in need.
Path forward
As we will continue to support our sisters and brothers served by Caritas, I would also like us to partner with my own hometown parish, which also serves as a national shrine dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Since the very beginning of the war the shrine has hosted 35 women and children refugees and provides for all their needs, food, schooling, medications, and housing. Even though I was unable to bring you all with me, I hope this short recap of my visit as well as the attached pictures affirm you all in spirit of gratitude and profound pride for the work, we have done in bringing about God’s kingdom. Please consider your ongoing support of our Caritas fund.
With many thanks,
-Fr. Peter Wojcik
Updates from Caritas Lublin:
Caritas Lublin shared the following updates on May 13th:
Photos from Caritas Lublin of Kharkiv, Ukraine, taken by Fr. Wojtek and volunteers from Caritas Lublin, showing the conditions that some who are still in Ukraine are living in. They continue to need our support!
We have taken care of nearly 400 people in our centers in Firlej, Księżomierz, Częstoborowice and Krasienin. 140 people are living there currently.
We sent 35 delivery buses and 145 trucks to Ukraine, each of them packed with 20 tons of gifts, making 2,900 tons for a total value of about 11,600,000 PLN. Cities that we have reached with humanitarian aid are: Kharkiv, Lviv, Lutsk, Kiwerce, Równe, Chernigiv, Krasilov, Bucza, Worzel, Zhytomyr, Vinnica or Berdichów.
In total we collected 3,822,347.68 PLN for the support of Ukraine.
Pope Francis donated money through us to Caritas SPES Kharkiv. Thanks to this, we bought a passenger/delivery car – Citroen Jumpy, which will be used by priest Wojtek and his volunteers to reach the most needy people there.
We run a crisis center that worked 24 hours a day for refugees for the first month, providing assistance in finding shelter, a hot drink, a meal and necessary information. It is currently coordinating emergency aid in the form of food, cosmetics and hygiene packages and clothing, which has already benefited 8,952 refugees.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have hired 52 employees, 10 of them from Ukraine.
Our volunteers are present at the Dorohusk border crossing point and reception point 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of weather conditions. They are the first contact for refugees, providing them assistance in the form of warm drinks, food, toys for children or clothes, blankets.
We coordinate the delivery of food and cosmetic packages at the train station in Chelm.
We make it possible for refugees, host families, volunteers and Caritas staff to benefit from psychological support.
Together with the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin we run a friendly place for children, open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
We run two Polish language courses on a1 level and we are working on opening a language school.
Our refugee office maintains a database of addresses where individuals or religious congregations/parishes host refugees. In total, it contains more than 340 addresses.
We are working with NGOs from the United States and Italy to train our staff and volunteers psychologically to work with refugees, people who have experienced the realities of war.
Every day we pray for world peace and for the victims of war.
Thank you again to all who donated to the Ukraine Relief Fund. Many people’s lives will be touched and changed because of your generosity. If you’d like to contribute, please click here.
Photos courtesy of Caritas Lublin