"May the Queen of Peace save the world from the madness of war" - Pope Francis prays and invites us to join in this prayer and fasting.

The world's attention is now focused on Ukraine and on the drama of senseless war that is taking place before our eyes. My generation (40+ years old) has never seen such a bloody conflict in Europe. We lived in a time of peace, rising living standards, barriers at the borders of many countries were removed for us, we got passports, thanks to which we could fly around the world, and technological progress opened horizons for us that our grandparents never dreamed of. Suddenly, on February 24, 2022, we woke up in a different world... We realized that there is a war going on abroad, people are dying.

We, as Poles, know very well what it means. Poland bled itself out of the wars many times, we were occupied. There was a time when Poland disappeared from the world’s map. Today we know that at this point the most important thing is to save the victims of the war in Ukraine. As priests of the Sacred Heart, we join the wave of aid flowing from Poles towards Ukrainians. We also help because our religious Congregation has been present in Ukraine since 1997. Among other places few years ago, we took over the pastoral care of the parish in Irpin near Kiev.

Few days ago I called Andrzej, my seminary friend, who is a vicar in Irpin. This means that the priests of the Sacred Heart live only 9 kilometres from the airport in Hostomel, for which fierce fighting was currently taking place, and 26 kilometres from the very centre of the capital of Ukraine. On the phone I heard the following words: "Pray for us, pray, pray ... Piotrek, the war is in full swing, the Russian army is coming to Kyiv. We can also hear the Ukrainian artillery shelling the airport in Hostomel all the time. I never expected to experience war as an adult… I already survived war as a kid in the 1992 at the Moldova-Transnistria border, but then I did not understand what was happening. Now what I know and hear is terrible for me ... So far, there have been no fights on our streets. We only had a few hours without electricity, so now we charge our cell phones and power banks. The Internet works all the time. We celebrate Holy Masses which is broadcast on-line. Today, there were six parishioners at such a Mass”.

I must admit that the shivers ran down my spine during our conversation, because I was aware that in the sight of the inhabitants of the religious house in Irpin there is artillery, which is firing. Both Ukrainians and Russians are dying. It is difficult to find words in the face of the enormity of this tragedy.

Fr. Piotr Chmielecki SCJ

What could we do to help the victims of the war in Ukraine?

• Pray and fast for the intention of "saving the world from the madness of war".
• Provide material support

  
  

  You can also use a traditional transfer. Account number:
  

  BNP Bank
  
  donations in EURO
  PL41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013
  SWIFT CODE: PPAB PLPK
  
  donations in USD
  PL52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009
  SWIFT CODE: PPAB PLPK
  
  Title: Aid for war victims in Ukraine
  

• Provide material aid to collection points located in your localities or parishes.