UKRAINE: Salesians in Ukraine receive support from Mission Don Bosco in Italy
Ongoing dialogue strengthens work to reach people who are vulnerable
(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries around the globe have been supporting Salesian efforts in Ukraine* to aid youth and their families impacted by the ongoing war in the country. Father Michał Wocial, a Polish Salesian, has been working in Ukraine and recently went to Italy to provide an update on projects to Mission Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy.
The meeting in Turin strengthened an ongoing dialogue between Mission Don Bosco and the Salesians in Ukraine, which is essential to ensure aid reaches the people who are the most vulnerable in a timely manner.
Fr. Wocial’s visit to Italy was preceded by Father Luca Barone, president of Mission Don Bosco, visiting Ukraine. During the visit, Fr. Barone toured Salesian centers in Lviv, Vynnyky, Kyiv, Korostyshiv, Bibrka and Zhytomyr, meeting with the missionaries working in the area, including Fr. Wocial.
Fr. Barone recounted, “Traveling in a land at war is like walking across a threshold. On one side there is fear and on the other faith. The houses bear the scars as do many of the young men I met. Their bodies, or what remains of them, show marks, wounds and prosthetics, but the people’s eyes still hold the light.”
He added, “Peace is not the silence of weapons. It is the sound of children who carry on playing in the courtyards of the Salesian houses.”
Fr. Barone noted that Salesians are living and working among the people, safeguarding their dreams when everything seems intent on shattering them. He said, “Their mission is to be present. To stay when it would be easier to leave. To believe when everything invites despair. They offer a listening ear when the world screams and offer stability when everything is crumbling. They welcome displaced children, support wounded families, and educate for peace through genuine, everyday relationships.”
Salesian education for people who are displaced has becomes a glimmer of hope. Fr. Barone said, “Every classroom we manage to build in the world is an unarmed trench. Every oratory is a small victory against despair. Every school that opens is a war that loses its strength. For war may devastate homes, but it cannot extinguish those who have resolved to educate in love. Where there is a young person who hopes, war has already lost.”
Since the beginning of the war, Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and around the globe have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of people affected by the war.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
UNHCR – Ukraine
*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
