Together with Father Luca Bovio, recently appointed Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Ukraine, we made a visit and journey to this land, also bringing with us a relic of Saint Joseph Allamano to be donated to the bishop of the diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia.
By Michelangelo and Luca Bovio *
In Kyiv, we were guests of the Nunciature where we received a very warm and familial welcome from the Nuncio, his secretaries, and the sisters who work there.
On August 25th and 26th, we were guests in the parish of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the city of Chernihiv, near the border with Russia and Belarus. The city, and particularly the villages in the countryside, suffered heavy attacks at the beginning of the war, but fortunately, the Ukrainian army, despite being greatly outnumbered, managed to repel the Russian advance.
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However, the signs of war remain, with many houses destroyed and new ones already rebuilt with the help of various associations, particularly American ones. In one village, a group of 150 women lives in a series of containers used as housing, donated by Poland. There are no men because most are at war, and many have already died because of it. We were there around noon, and two vans arrived, one with lunch for everyone and the other with bread.
A young man from an American association brought single-serving lunch packages into the container that serves as a refectory for each person to collect. A woman in charge of the camp took us to see where her house used to be and the one they have now built for her out of wood. She was happy even though it was not like the one she had before. On the wall, there was also a photo of a beautiful and large American family who, through an association, gave her this gift. She was very happy that we visited her along with the parish priest and gave us a jar of pickled cucumbers and another with cherry tomatoes that she prepared from those grown in her garden, where she has a small greenhouse.
The War Continues to Cause Death and Suffering
But even though here, as in Kyiv and many other cities, peace and tranquility seem to reign, this is not the case in the areas where fighting is taking place and where many continue to die and give their lives in defense of their homeland. Passing through every town or city, one immediately sees the faces of these heroes and martyrs that each place wants to remember with their photo, flowers, and the blue and yellow flag. When passing by a cemetery where fallen soldiers are buried, it is immediately apparent because there is also a flag on each grave, and in every village cemetery, there are always many. Father Luca tells me that when the coffin of a soldier passes by on the street, people on foot or in cars stop and kneel.
While in Chernihiv, we entered a beautiful Orthodox church, and at that moment they were holding the funeral of a young father who died in the war. A prayer accompanied by singing, the scent of incense, and the reading from the Gospel of Saint John, which says that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Around the coffin, wrapped in the flag and covered with flowers, were the family members: a young woman, composed in her silent grief, embraced it, and two beautiful children, about eight/ten years old. The youngest, visibly moved, rested his head on the coffin, almost as if he still wanted to hear a few words or the breath of his father. Everyone around formed a circle and prayed with faith, responding to the prayers of the celebrants and the singing of the Easter Alleluia. The Ukrainian priest who accompanied us, told us that at the end, the celebrant concluded with a beautiful prayer on forgiveness.
We are told that it is like this almost every day because the war continues, and many continue to die. Even on the first day we arrived in Ukraine, the parish priest of a parish where we were staying had just finished officiating the funeral of another father, 47 years old, who left behind three small children.
The Relic of Saint Joseph Allamano
From Kyiv, we traveled to Zaporizhzhia, where we were welcomed by Monsignor Jan Sobilo, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, and where we also brought the relic of Saint Joseph Allamano, which he will place in the Sanctuary he built, dedicated to God the Eternal Father.
During the morning Mass celebration in memory of Saint Augustine, he confirmed a boy and a girl named Augustine and Monica. We also brought the relic of Allamano to the altar, with which we blessed the faithful at the end of Mass. The bishop asked us to say a few words, and so we expressed our joy and gratitude in leaving the relic in the Sanctuary so that it may accompany the missionary work that Father Luca Bovio is beginning in Ukraine. At the same time, we asked Allamano, together with Our Lady Consolata, to intercede for this people, for peace in Ukraine, and to bring his consolation.
Outside the Sanctuary, some Albertine friars distributed bread they had made themselves and canned meat; more than 1,500 people arrived that morning. We also found another food distribution point in the city.
In the afternoon, we met with Irina, a teacher and catechist, who told us about her work with children both at school and in the parish, trying to ensure that education and Christian formation continue despite the war and the need to start the school year on September 1st, even if it’s always in the school’s underground shelters. She showed particular interest in Father Luca’s missionary work and in our Founder, whose relic she saw at Mass.
During the night in Kyiv and throughout the country, there were more missile and drone attacks, causing some casualties.
We continue to pray for peace and for an end to this conflict. Saint Michael the Archangel, who has been the patron saint of Ukraine and Kyiv almost since its foundation, is prayed to every day with a special prayer at the beginning of every Mass and is displayed in many churches and squares throughout the country. A poster scattered on the streets of Kyiv, written in English, says: “Kyiv is waiting for you after the victory.”
We pray for the return of peace to this land and for it to be visited and admired again for the beauty of its rivers, forests, cities, vast cultivated fields, churches filled with icons, and above all, its people, so welcoming and hospitable, as we have experienced in these days.
* Father Michelangelo Piovano, IMC, Vice Superior General, and Father Luca Bovio, IMC, Director of the PMS in Ukraine.
