For a parish and any other church institution, the main activity should be prayer and spiritual life, life with God and in God. But there are periods when active visible activity is necessary. In times of war, when Ukraine defends its identity, its borders, its roots, its rights to freedom, to its church, to the dignity of the Ukrainian people, we are obliged to act by all available just means.
Obviously, as Christians, we act first of all through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and trust in God, and this action must be clear, consistent and systematic. But we cannot delay with such means as financial, informational and physical assistance. Now we see many examples where both monks and priests and laity work tirelessly with all available means.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainians in the diaspora have united to support their homeland. Outside of Ukraine, parishes usually serve as centers where Ukrainians gather, and various events are held there. In addition to church service, parishes are directly involved in the public life of Ukrainians. One of the bright centers of sacrificial service has been St. Joseph's Parish in Chicago, which has been helping Ukraine since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine and continues during the full-scale war. There are many volunteer organizations and parish communities here that are especially focusing their activities on helping Ukraine right now. One of them is the brotherhood named after Blessed Mykola Charnetsky. The community is headed by Serhiy Syutyk, whose dedication to helping Ukraine inspires volunteers and benefactors to new feats. And not only Serhiy, all our boys and girls are an example of self-sacrifice for the common good!
The Brotherhood is continuously sending aid to provide the Ukrainian defenders with everything they need. They have sent thousands of tons of medicines, drones, cars, and everything else they need to Ukraine.
This time, the brotherhood organized the sending of three containers of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, one of which was filled with the efforts of the parish community. And two containers were given to the brotherhood by a man born in Russia to transport the necessary equipment to our soldiers. This gesture does not justify the aggression of the state, but testifies to the power of Christian compassion.
The containers were filled with hospital beds, carts, and equipment for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and civilians, as well as medical care. In the face of constant shelling and overwhelmed hospitals in Ukraine, such support gives many heroes a chance to regain their lives.
Father Mykola Buryadnyk, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, often turns to the Holy Scriptures, reminding us of the essence of Christian love. He quotes with particular attention the words of the Apostle Paul: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).
According to Father Mykola, this quote reminds us of our shared responsibility for each other: “Each of us is called to be a support for our neighbor. It is through small but sincere acts of love that we are able to change the world. By helping each other, we fulfill a true Christian calling, namely, to serve God and neighbor in love.”
It is very important to simply make the choice to help. Each of us has to choose every day. We choose to go somewhere or not to go, to make a donation today or not, to smile through tears at someone who needs our attention so much or not… Our lives are made up of these daily choices.
In the conditions of war, Ukraine needs help every day. St. Joseph's Parish in Chicago and all the communities involved in it: sisterhood, brotherhood, youth communities, call on everyone who cares to join the common cause - both through prayer and through concrete actions. Only together, in unity of faith and work, can we help Ukraine stand and win.
Serhiy Syutyk, head of the Mykola Charnetsky Brotherhood, talks about one of the principles of his community: “We understand that our work is not only help, but also a contribution to the future victory of Ukraine. Each of us is ready to give our time and efforts for the sake of a common goal.”
The war continues, and Ukraine needs help every day. The Parish of St. Joseph and the Charnetsky Brotherhood call on everyone who cares to join this cause - through prayer, financial support, organizing meetings or spreading information. Because only together, in unity of faith and work, can we help Ukraine stand and win!
And we will win, because God is with us!
Under the continuous rain today, we were engaged in the shipment and dispatch of humanitarian cargo for medical institutions in the Rivne district. We thank the incredible community of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of the parish of St. Nicholas of Charnetsky Brotherhood of St. Joseph the Betrothed and its head Serhiy Syutek from Chicago for such a generous gift to Ukraine. The brotherhood did a tremendous job collecting three large sea containers of humanitarian medical aid. I personally organized and synchronized the work of all participants in this great cause. I am convinced once again that the main strategy that leads to success in any business is the strategy of cooperation. A huge number of people had to be involved in this action and did this fantastic thing. Therefore, today it is time to thank everyone, because everything worked out for us. Sincere gratitude to the deputy of the Kyiv City Council, Oleksandr Suprun, and his assistant Oleksiy Vyshnevetskyi for organizing the reception of this cargo and organizing the transfer of the cargo to medical institutions in Kyiv. I also want to thank my incomparable friend and deputy of the Rivne District Council, Andriy Logvys, who helped find the cheapest transfer from Gdynia to Kyiv. Huge gratitude to the head of the Rivne District Council, Vasyl Oleksiyovych Tymoshchuk, for organizing the selection and delivery of twenty tons of medical cargo to Rivne. Huge gratitude to Viktor Serhiyovych Myronchuk for providing space and storing the cargo on his territory. Huge gratitude to the guys who helped load and reload the pallets. On this day, we were supported and helped by the legendary deputy battalion commander Volodymyr Matviyuk. And as always, huge gratitude to my husband Andriy, who is always there and supports me in all my wildest dreams and deeds. Together we will surely defeat the accursed enemy. Glory to Ukraine!
