In these challenging times, the world often seems cruel and unfair, and too often we feel that we have no control over the injustice. Yet, if every person were to fill this world with love and warmth, and if every person were to right at least one wrong, we could bring about much needed change and steer the world in a different direction. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This is the basic philosophy of the Charitable Program of St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark, N.J.
Since 2009, a small group of community volunteers has worked quietly and without much fanfare, touching the lives of countless individuals who suffer from extreme poverty and loneliness – both here in the United States and in many parts of Ukraine. The volunteers at St. John’s continually initiate new projects, while volunteers in Ukraine ensure that help is brought to those who need it most.
Both sets of volunteers work together towards achieving one goal: helping others. With the help of modern technology and countless e-mails, the volunteers have come to better understand each other, and have learned to cooperate, despite the differences in their situations and time zones. These e-mails have helped us learn about the various needs in Ukraine, and have allowed us to try to address as many of them as possible.
One of the people with whom we correspond is a woman from Kyiv named Iryna. A member of the St. Egidio Society, Iryna wrote to say: “We are preparing for Christmas – a celebration in the senior citizens’ home as well as a dinner that we will be hosting for the poor. This requires considerable effort, but it is very rewarding, since we know that at the end of the day, we will have embraced over 300 poverty-stricken individuals, and over 250 elderly men and women who have no family. Thank you for your help and for your ministry!”
A letter from Stefan in Berdiansk, eastern Ukraine, reads: “Of the dozens of sad stories that I have come across in my work as a volunteer, I was most deeply moved by the fate of Ruslana and her daughter Karyna. Karyna was born with cerebral palsy and is bound to a wheelchair that is much too small for her. Both mother and daughter live in a hostel, where they share a kitchen and a bathroom with 10 other families. Their monthly pension is $35 (U.S.), and it pains me to see how they suffer. There are many days when they go hungry – not only for human kindness, but also for basic food. I beg you to help them in any way that you can, especially with a wheelchair better suited for Karyna.”
Father Roman from Kyiv writes: “Many people have miserably small pensions, which are hardly enough to pay for rent, not to mention clothing, shoes, or, God forbid, medication. I admit that I, a citizen of Ukraine, am appalled that people here live in such dire straits. You may find it difficult to imagine that such poverty exists, but it is an unfortunate reality for many. Thankfully, the world is also filled with individuals such as you – generous people who are willing to help the needy in Ukraine. Please accept my sincere thanks!”
Volunteers at St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark prepare wheelchairs and walkers for shipment to Ukraine.
Adriana from Lviv writes: “There are so many needy, poverty-stricken people, that I didn’t even know where to begin distributing your generous gifts. Such poverty is incredibly discouraging, but looking into grateful eyes and hearing many a heart-wrenching ‘thank you’ reinforces the notion that we have to do whatever we can, no matter how small. Thank you, sincerely, for including me in your immeasurable project of kindness. When I passed along bags of food to the elderly ladies in the street, they accepted them with trembling hands and cried. I assure you that I will do whatever is in my power to continue to help you as best as I can, so that your ‘Angels of Mercy’ can bring as much joy as possible to a world that desperately needs it.”
We also regularly correspond with Halya from Chernivtsi. Halya and her husband are the parents of two severely handicapped young adult sons. Several years ago, Halya formed an organization comprising over 300 sick children, and she often comes to us, asking for help. She says: “When parents have a sick child, they often have needs that are not only psychological, but also financial. Some parents need wheelchairs for their children, others need walkers, still others need disposable diapers or medication that they cannot afford to buy. I recently received a call from the mother of 21-year-old Dima. Unfortunately, as is often the case, Dima’s father was too overwhelmed to deal with the demands of a sick child, and left the mother to care for Dima on her own. The government promised them a wheelchair, but 10 years have passed, they are still waiting, and they cannot afford to buy one on their own. Perhaps someone in your community has a used wheelchair that they would be willing to donate. Also, if anyone has disposable diapers of any size, they too would be greatly appreciated, since there is always a great need for those.”
Andriy Dutchak from the Chernivtsi region in a new wheelchair that he received from St. John’s Church in Newark
We recently received a letter from Olha, a pediatric cardiologist in Lviv, who wrote to say: “I was called to examine a 12-day-old child. This child has a rare coronary artery disease and needed immediate attention or she would have died. The government was willing to pay for an operation, but the parents had to refuse, since they are so poor that they couldn’t afford to pay for the train ride to Kyiv. I used the money from St. John’s Church to pay for the transportation, and both mother and child were able to travel to the hospital in Kyiv. The operation was successful, and the child is alive and well. There are not enough words to express one’s gratitude for your having saved a life!”
Charitable program’s activity
Here is a summary of the work of the charitable program at St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark, N.J., from September 2009 until the present day.
• Help for people here in the United States: visits to our own parishioners – 810 times; delivery of food and monetary donations to the poor of the city of Newark (St. John’s Soup Kitchen) – $12,760; help for victims of hurricanes in the United States – $7,500.
• Help for people in Ukraine: to date we have sent 840 40-pound packages of clothing, 471 wheelchairs, 348 walkers, 124 commodes, 6,090 pairs of shoes, 3,010 pairs of socks, 7,200 talking watches for the blind, homeostatic bandages and tourniquets for Ukrainian soldiers for a total of $15,750, thousands of annual Christmas gifts for needy children and thousands of disposable diapers for needy elderly people; and we have sent funds for help for orphans ($6,000), help for sick children ($5,500), help for the homeless in Kyiv and Lviv ($10,400), help for refugees ($6,500), help for wounded soldiers ($7,620), help for needy elderly ($15,740), help for the incarcerated ($3,380), help for the treatment of alcoholics ($6,460), payment for a three-week-long summer camp for the children who live on the streets of Kyiv ($4,000), payment for two vacations for needy handicapped children ($2,400), help for people who live in extreme poverty ($8,000) and gifts of $10 each for 3,234 needy people.
We invite readers to join in our efforts to be the change that we wish to see in our world and to become “angels of mercy.” For more information, contact Ksenia Hapij at St. John’s Church in Newark, 973-371-1356 or 201-207-4555. Donations may be sent to St. John’s Church, 719 Sanford Ave., Newark, NJ 07106.
Ksenia Hapij is the administrator at St. John’s Church in Newark and the director of its charitable program.