Archbishop heartened by local Ukrainian relief response

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er since the war in Ukraine started in late February, the archdiocese has been raising funds to help war victims in the country. How are those efforts going?

The response from the people of the archdiocese has been amazing. So far we’ve collected more than $340,000. Some of that has come from parishes who have held special collections. Some of it has come directly to us from people mailing in very generous checks asking to help the people in Ukraine. The money will go directly to the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Philadelphia – Archbishop Boris Gudziak – and he will send the funds to his Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head and father of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. His Beatitude Sviatoslav will use the funds in the best way he sees fit. We’ve specifically asked that the money be used to provide a first response for the victims of the war – for their food, lodging and protection.

Have you had any conversations with Msgr. William Bilinsky, who is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who lives on the northshore?

I have. Msgr. Bilinsky celebrates Mass regularly at Mary Queen of Peace Church in Mandeville, and he has been very active in raising funds for the people of Ukraine. This is very personal for him because he has family members who are still living in Ukraine. This war not only affects his beloved country but also his relatives and friends, some of whom are priests that he helped in their seminary days. It’s caused a great deal of anxiety for him.

The war has been raging for three months now. What are your impressions of the level of human misery playing out before our eyes?

It breaks your heart when you see this. It’s a perfect example of the evil that war can impose upon nations and upon individual people. It is obviously not a just war. The Holy Father has been very outspoken on this, and our U.S. government has said the same thing. It’s an indication that people can be so misdirected that they move toward the destruction of other people. When you think of the thousands upon thousands of children and women and men who have died – as well as the people who are fighting the war – the human toll is horrific. We don’t only pray for those who have died and gone before us; we also pray for those who are trying to rebuild their lives in some way, and they can’t right now because of the continued destruction. We also pray for the leaders of Russia that their hearts will be changed and that they will respect the integrity and the dignity of the human beings they are harming and killing.

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected]