Although the war conflict in Ukraine continues, the strong desire for peace does not subside. Neither do our common prayers, supplemented by fasting and sacrifice. We maintain in touch with our local coordinators, children, and their families. In his testimony, father Ján Martinček, working in the parish of Kharkiv, shared with us his experience of the first days of the invasion, the extreme conditions in Ukraine and the current situation.
„Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ!
Dear donors and co-workers of the Children´s Donation Project®, Kharkiv, Ukraine. The determination to thank you leads me to write the report of the last year. My thoughts are on February 24 of the last year. What happened to all of us here in Ukraine was very painful from the beginning. Even now in retrospect, the horror we experienced is still vivid. Despite the strong determination not to lose, I also perceive the uncertainty of the coming months combined with great steadiness.
This year is the situation different. I sadly cannot describe the beauty and richness of the events that we were able to realize with your help, as it was done in the past. But I can confirm to you with inner joy and peace that all the children are alive and safe. Your financial donation was very important and played a big role. As soon as the invasion started, we searched from the shelters for ways to help the children. In the unceasing sounds of battles, under constant rocket fire and especially the so-called Grads, which became a symbol of horror in the first weeks of the Russian war, we managed to establish contact with our parents. Soon after, the evacuation of millions of people began. Already on the tenth day, I found out that almost all the children and youth you supported were out of direct danger and were heading either to EU countries or to Western Ukraine
My lifestyle has also changed. The war caught up with me in Kiev. After unsuccessful attempts to return to Kharkov, as well as requests from parishioners not to go there, that they would rather go away, I waited for some of them with a car in central Ukraine. After three days on crowded roads, I met thirty stressed people crammed in four cars. No one knew what to do next, but they quickly agreed that it would be best for the women and children to go to a NATO country. And so, in the middle of March I was left with only men. With those who were not drafted into the army, I began receiving humanitarian aid from the Ukrainian side and coordinating its logistics to the eastern part of Ukraine.
By the end of June, we managed to take over and send 830 tons of aid to the hands we trusted. In June, I received decree to return to Kharkiv. After returning, I was the only catholic in the parish. Up to thirty elderly people were still living under the church in the pastoral premises. Our parish of St. Vincent de Paul in Kharkiv, on Saltovka, is located in the northern part of Kharkiv, only 30 km from the Russian border. On the day of the invasion, the occupants attacked our parish, and soon after, the 500.000-person residential area turned into a „ghost town“ with only a few elderly people left. Attacks were part of the daily routine, shooting continued day and night. They were three months filled with daily prayer and work. We repaired broken windows, destroyed electric power cable and prepared the wood for the winter. At the end of July we received the first food truck from Slovakia, through the Depaul organization. Since then, we have been delivering food to people in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. We feed 240 people with a warm meal seven times a week.
For me, as a missionary priest, prayer remains priority, but there is still lot of physical work left. Prayer and work every day. I even learned to drive a truck, so in addition to food, we can also bring firewood for the winter. At the end of September, for the parish feast, we received permission from the bishop to have the Eucharist in the church. After three months of praying alone in the temple, ready to hide under the altar if a rocket came, suddenly our church was filled with people. Five parishioners also returned. And so, we slowly continue.
Dear donors, I cannot send you a photo, a school report card, a picture or a letter from the child you have supported for years. But I know for sure that your financial help helped them in the first weeks of the invasion, when they fled from horror to safety. I don’t know who will come back and who won’t. I pray with gratitude for you, and that there will be a real peace for Ukraine, which is more than just the silence of weapons.“
With gratitude, Ján Martinček, CM missionary
