Steward Tim Maguire and Father Pawel Andrianik, a past recipient of the Foundation’s Saint John Paul II Scholarship!

When Russia’s invasion began back in February, Steward of Saint Peter Tim Maguire, who lives with his wife Julie in Scottsdale, AZ, felt called to go to the Ukraine to see first-hand where help was most needed. Tim answered the call and journeyed 12,000 miles round trip just before Easter to see the situation in Ukraine.

Here are some of the reflections and images that Tim shared with us:

“Like many of us, I have been saddened by the news coming out of Ukraine since the war started in February. After some thought, I decided to visit Poland and Ukraine with my good friend Marc Carlson to volunteer for a week. Father Paweł Andrianik, who I met through the Papal Foundation, lives in Warsaw and encouraged me to make the trip. Father Paweł helped tremendously with the logistics and leadership.

My goal was clear, I wanted to donate money towards Ukrainian relief but I did not know what charity I should donate to. I set out to identify the Catholic charities that are providing most of the humanitarian relief to Ukrainians and making the biggest impact. I identified two amazing charities, Caritas Lublin and the Union of the Higher Superiors of the Female Congregations in Poland (UHSFCP). Both are Catholic organizations in Poland that are located close to the Ukrainian border. They are working tirelessly every day to serve Ukrainians afflicted by the war. We met with the Director of Caritas Lublin, Father Pawel Rozwod, and he told us they provide more humanitarian aid for Ukraine than any other charity. Caritas Lublin needs money to buy food and medical supplies. The UHSFCP are on the front line – helping women, children, the elderly and disabled in Ukraine and Poland. They need money to buy food, clothing, medicine and provide emergency shelter.

We spent time with the leaders of both of these Charities as we traveled to Kovel Ukraine, Lublin Poland and Przemysl Poland and I witnessed their incredible commitment to provide humanitarian relief to the Ukrainian people.”

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan of Catholic Charities of New York has agreed to partner with the Papal Foundation to offer the Stewards the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to these charities.

If you wish to make a donation, please click this Catholic Charities Link.

In the notes section, please indicate that you would like your donation to go towards Ukraine Relief – Caritas Lublin and / or The Union of the Higher Superiors of the Female Congregations in Poland.

We thank Tim for his leadership and want to also recognize Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Church’s Archeparchy of Philadelphia, who has addressed the Stewards of Saint Peter at past Foundation events and has been a leader in supporting those in Ukraine.

You can learn more about Archbishop’s work at https://ukrarcheparchy.us. Trustee Dr. Tammy Tenaglia has also been active in supporting Ukraine relief efforts. Tammy helped set up The Building the Church Universal Fund at the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, which raised significant funds earlier this year.