Ukraine: seminarians and their bishop come to the aid of refugees

DESPERATE TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE, many Ukrainians are seeking to leave the country. Some of those fleeing to Poland have taken refuge in the seminary and retreat house facilities of the Latin Archdiocese of Lviv, located in Bryukhovychi, on the outskirts of Lviv.

So far, thousands of people have found refuge and some respite there on their way to other countries in western Europe.

Currently, more than 200 displaced people are staying there, most of them women with children and young people. Seminarians go out to meet them when they arrive, help them carry their bags, give them support and comfort, play the guitar and spread optimism despite the difficult situation. Some of them are brought to the seminary and retreat house by ambulance, accompanied by relief workers, and from there they are transferred to the Andrey Sheptytsky Metropolitan Hospital of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Lviv, or they on to Poland.

The seminarians have arranged rooms with mattresses on the floor so that all these people can be accommodated. All have access to the dining rooms of the facilities, where they can share as a community.

Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki, of Lviv, regularly visit the refugees. With his presence and his smile, the archbishop has shown his closeness to these people. In one of his visits, he gave some gifts to the children.