On April 11, during the recent pilgrimage to Rome, Stewards were briefed on some of the Foundation’s grants that have gone towards caring for the people of Ukraine, both those who have fled the country due to the war, and those who have stayed in Ukraine.
One of those grants was for an educational program for priests and religious on the “Healing of War Traumas.” Our friends at EWTN traveled to Ukraine to spotlight this program and to provide an update for what the Church is doing to help the people of Ukraine. This video report was played for the Stewards:
After the video Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, addressed the Stewards to share the mission he was given by Pope Francis to travel to Ukraine to be present and bring hope to those affected by the war. Cardinal Krajewski has traveled to Ukraine seven times since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski pictured near a Marian icon during a visit with Ukrainian refugees in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022.
On one of his trips this past September, Cardinal Krajewski traveled to Ukraine to inaugurate a Home for Women and Children to support the many people who fled the bombed areas and sought refuge in Lviv. Many donors contributed to the construction of the home, including the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, and some of those funds were provided by The Papal Foundation. This House of Shelter is managed and cared for by the Albertine Sisters.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski prays at a mass grave in Izyum, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2022.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, some six million people have fled Ukraine, mostly women and children, while the men have stayed to fight on the front lines. While some families have returned, most are living abroad as refugees, hosted by private families or various charitable organizations.
During a September pilgrimage to Poland, Papal Foundation Stewards John & Aileen Crowley, Kevin & Kim Shea and Duke Saeman met several generations of women and their children who fled Ukraine. The Stewards heard first-hand of how these women’s lives have been turned upside down by their relocation to Poland. They also heard of the great charity that has been extended to them by the Church and the people of Poland.
Stewards, hosted by the Sisters of Nazareth, had lunch with Ukrainian refugees in Lublin, Poland in September, 2023.
Many thanks to Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo for arranging Cardinal Krajewski’s address to the Stewards and to EWTN’s Michael Warsaw, Scott Brown, Montse Alvarado, Anthony Thonhauser and Colm Flynn for their continuing support and collaboration with the Foundation.