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Church in Ukraine |
Charitable institutions of UGCC NEW SITE: Up-to-date information is now maintained at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church official website at www.ugcc.org.ua/eng/.
Caritas-UkraineSince 1991 Caritas-Ukraine has been the official charitable organization of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine. It is a full-fledged member of Caritas International and Caritas Europe. Regional centers of Caritas operate in all the dioceses of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine and in the exarchate of Kyiv-Vyshhorod. The national office of Caritas-Ukraine is located in Lviv and there is also an office in Kyiv. Directors designated by the local bishops-ordinary head the regional centers. The regional centers, working with their organizational units which operate at the parishes, are responsible for carrying out Caritas projects in the regions. Caritas-Ukraine comes to the aid of those suffering from the troubled economy, from the general crisis in Ukrainian society. Negative processes in society especially affect older and vulnerable people. Caritas works with these victims of society's difficulties. Those in need are helped by a variety of projects. Caritas receives humanitarian aid in the form of food supplies, used clothing, medicines, medical equipment and other help and distributes it. It organizes soup kitchens, cares for older citizens and psychologically supports families in which problems arise. Since 1998 Caritas has provided necessary aid for the population of Transcarpathian Ukraine, which has twice suffered from severe flooding. It has also been carrying out a home care program throughout Ukraine. In this program medical, social and other help is given to older people who are without family to help them. Caritas is especially involved with helping children. Caritas takes care of specialized schools and orphanages, children's homes and children from large families. In September 2000 "Street Kids," a center for children in crisis situations, was opened in Lviv. A similar center operates in Izmail, in the Odessa region. Caritas runs orphanages in Ternopil and Kharkiv. Caritas coordinates legal aid for those without means; it also operates centers offering anonymous moral and spiritual support for those suffering from dependency on alcohol and narcotics. Caritas provides ongoing help to orphans and other children, to the Ukrainian Society for the Blind, the Ukrainian Society for the Deaf, those arrested and sentenced by Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, and those in juvenile detention centers. With the help of partners in the West medical institutions in the Lviv region receive necessary medical supplies and equipment. Address: Malteser Aid Service in Lviv"Keep the Faith and Help the Needy" The center for the Maltese Cross was registered in Lviv in 1993. One of its first projects was creating a soup kitchen which serves 430 poor residents of the city 5 days a week. As of 2001 about 1,251,600 free meals have been provided. A special dinner is held for the patrons of the soup kitchen during the Christmas season and each receives a special gift before Easter. Since 1994 courses for teaching first aid have been offered: anyone from 14 years of age who wants to acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to handle medical emergencies before the arrival of medical professionals is invited to attend. Over 2000 people have completed these courses. Natural Family Planning consultation is conducted in cooperation with the Lviv regional center for Family Planning and Human Reproduction. Since 1995 the Maltese Cross has been involved with assisting the Youth Pilgrimage
to the Holy Dormition Monastery in Univ. It provides food for the pilgrims,
medical aid and supports invalids. About 1000 pilgrims took part in the pilgrimage
in the year 2000, including 16 disabled in wheelchairs. Maltese youth look after residents in the children's home of the village of Rozdil, where children with problems in mental development live. In addition to spiritual discussion, retreats and work with the disabled, the youth also train instructors to teach emergency aid to youth groups. With the blessing of the curia of the Archeparchy of Lviv and the assistance of the Lviv Regional Board of Education, the Maltese Cross has now conducted a St. Nicholas program for children in institutions and orphanages of the Lviv region four times. In the year 2000 sixteen youth organizations co-organized the event. Thirty parishes in the city of Lviv took part. A total of 3178 orphans and children from poor families in 30 children's homes and educational institutions received gifts from St. Nicholas. Address: Faith and Light"One of the vocations of Faith and Light is to let the developmentally
disabled person know that he is neither alone nor unneeded." The international movement of Faith and Light communities has been in Ukraine since 1992. They bring together into Christian communities at parishes people who are developmentally delayed, their parents and young people (friends) for mutual friendship and support. The Faith and Light movement was started in 1971 by Jean Vanier and Marie-Eileen Mate and has more than 1400 communities in 74 countries of the world. At the given time there are 14 communities in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Tiachev, Khust, Kaminets-Podilskiy and Zhovkva. Members of Faith and Light have regular meetings. They share their sorrows and joys, pray together, take part in pilgrimages and summer camps. In Faith and Light the developmentally delayed have the opportunity to love and be loved, sharing the wealth of their hearts, their gentleness and faithfulness. Their parents feel support there and they can see anew the special inner beauty of their child. For the young people who are faithful friends of the developmentally delayed, Faith and Light is a place where they can meet the living Jesus, gain new values in life, discover new meaning in life. Faith and Light believes in the gift and the value of each human life and believes that each person, even the most severely developmentally delayed, is called to be a source of joy and peace for the Church and society. Address:
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© The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 2001 Research by the - Lviv Theological Academy All rights reserved. |