Supporting Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

Material Aid for the People of Ukraine

Online Donations can be made online at: 
https://support.crs.org/donate/donate-ukraine?ms=agicrs2022ukr00her01

As the Ukrainian war continues unabated, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is deploying staff and resources to support the Church as it responds to the unfolding humanitarian crisis. CRS is already sending staff and resources to support local Catholic aid agencies in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and Poland to address the growing needs.  The Church’s initial support of displaced families includes, but is not limited to:

• Food distributions
• Support with reception centers at Caritas offices, train stations, and transit hubs.
• Transportation services
• Support with evacuation centers, which provide shelter, food and counseling services for displaced families.  Evacuation of vulnerable children from conflict areas to centers in safe zones.

You can support these relief efforts by donating to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) via their website www.crs.org, by calling 877-435-7277 (8:00 am ‒ 11:00 pm), or by mailing a check or money order to: Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297-0303.

Prayer for Peace in Ukraine

God of infinite mercy and goodness, 
with grateful hearts we pray to you today for Peace.                                      
You offer us your peace continually (Jn.14:27)                                                   
and constantly remind us that peacemakers are blessed,
“for they shall be called children of God” (Mt.5:9).                                  
May your voice resound in the hearts of all, 
as you call us to follow the path of reconciliation and peace, 
and to be merciful as you are merciful.
We pray to you for the people of the Ukraine 
who are experiencing conflicts and deaths.                                                                                                             
Bless the leaders with wisdom, 
vision and perseverance needed to build 
together a world of justice and solidarity,
and to break down walls of hostility and division.
To you we entrust all families and pray 
that they may never yield to discouragement and despair, 
but become heralds of new hope to one another in this challenging time.
May you continue to inspire all of us to oneness of heart and mind,
to work generously for the common good,
to respect the dignity of every person and the fundamental rights 
which have their origin in the image and likeness of God impressed upon every human being.
Grant eternal rest to the dead and quick recovery to the wounded,        
we pray through Christ our Lord, Amen!

Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Saint Josaphat in Parma, Ohio has said:  “Our most powerful weapon is our ability to pray. To pray for the successful defense of all that is good, right and holy. To pray for the safety of the Ukrainian people and nation. To ask the Most Holy Mother of God to intercede on their behalf, to drape her mantle over them, to show us once again that she is our protector as she has so often in the past.  Catholic institutions are some of the most reliable and effective institutions in serving people in Ukraine, including Catholics and non-Catholics alike – all people in need.  The Church itself is also suffering grievous losses as priests, bishops, employees, families and others are injured, displaced and even killed.  100% of the funds donated to the humanitarian aid assistance fund of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America, created by the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, will go to support humanitarian aid organizations and suffering Church institutions in Ukraine.”

Donations to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat can be made securely online at www.stjosaphateparchy.com, or by sending a check or money order to Saint Josaphat Eparchy, P.O. Box 347180, Parma, OH 44134.