Shelter, Prayer and Hope  in  Time    of War

Tomasz Zielenkiewicz

In May 2022, the Sisters of the Sacred Family of Nazareth in Žytomyr opened a kindergarten in rooms provided by Caritas for children of employees of critical infrastructures and volunteers. “They had nowhere to leave their children, so we welcomed as many children as could fit in the few rooms”, explained Sr Franciszka. Today, about 20 children aged between four and five attend the kindergarten each day. In addition to art and English classes, they also spend time in prayer. “The children pray for soldiers and for peace every day. There are no Christian kindergartens in Ukraine. Our project, which was made possible thanks to Caritas SPES, is thus something new”, she added.

Almost half of the staff are displaced women, experts in speech therapy, psychology and pedagogy, who have been through traumatic experiences themselves. “These women are a gift for us”, Sr Franciszka explained, recalling the interesting activities they contribute to, including linguistic gymnastics, dancing and singing.

“These women’s stories are very difficult and moving, which is why the centre is so important, she noted. “We currently have a generation of orphans and widows, and many families were separated when their members went abroad”, she explained.

Running a family assistance centre also means taking care of basic needs. “We make sure that the people we help have food, tea and space, so they feel comfortable, and can eat and pray with us”, Sr Franciszka added.

In addition to their daily service in the kindergarten and in the centre, the Sisters organize retreats and formation with the families. Sr Franciszka, who works daily in the Ecclesiastic Tribunal, underscored that spiritual support goes hand in hand with material and psychological assistance. “We not only want these people to live another day, but also that they be able to find meaning and hope”, she explained.