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Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 229

October 11, 2022

This night, after yesterday morning’s air raids, forced us to take up night duty. Together with the Nazareth Sisters, we were ready to receive people from their homes into our lower church-shelter. From the evening, a few people have stayed overnight. So far, at our place in Kyiv, there were no alarms and falling bombs.

TODAY! In Zaporizhzhya, the same as yesterday. Alarm in Kyiv and all of Ukraine, today from 8 am. In the church-shelter, young toddlers with small children. It’s 10.15 am right now and the alarm still continues.

Massive attacks throughout Ukraine in the morning hours. Alarm throughout the country. Locations of bomb shellings. (photo)

The Word… St. Paul’s word today is unequivocal: “Toward freedom Christ has set us free. Therefore abide in it and do not submit anew to the yoke of bondage!”. Man’s greatest bondage, which even Satan himself exploits, is FEAR of DEATH. That’s why so important is the truth that JESUS DIED. The first truth leads us into bondage, the second to freedom. “Alive is the word of God and effective, able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.” God is love.

Kyiv:
Yesterday’s bombing of Kyiv. Metro functions only as a shelter. (photo) A bomb hit a kindergarten. A girl waited with her mother at the dentist’s. In the waiting room she painted a picture signed: me and Putin. Consequences of war. (photo)
Marian decoration in our church. “The rosary is our armor”. (photo)
Polish Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki visited us in Kyiv. As in the old “not-so-good” days—I walk to nearby underpass and bring people with children. (photo) There were a bunch of people there, they asked me to read the Our Father… In the underpass.

Vinnytsia:
Photo from a funeral of one of our parishioners who died in the war. The liturgy was presided over by Br. Constantine M. (photo)
Brothers from Krasyliv and Starokostiantyniv came to Vinnytsia to celebrate the name day of Br. Igor. (photo) Brothers from Lviv similarly traveled to Uzhhorod. (photo)

Usychi:
Bohdan Shcherdyk 18.09.1995-15.09.2022. A common defender, a common grave. May he rest in peace! (photo)

Dnipro:
I invite you to pray Psalm 91 about God’s providence, because, as we experience, there has been an intensification of hostilities. We are alive, about 10 explosions were heard, not far from us.

Krasyliv:
There were also explosions in Khmelnytskyi. In Krasyliv we only heard a missile fly over.

Uzhhorod:
In Uzhhorod, despite the terror situation, we had a  long planned celebration of Roman and Mark’s name days with our closest neighbors in Custody, brothers from Lviv. (photo)

Solidarity Letters

From Croatia:

Dear Brother Błażej. Thanks for latest dramatic news from Ukraine. We follow with sadness and concern the latest news about yet another brutal attack on Ukraine. We do not know where this aggression ends; but we know for sure that God’s justice will reach everyone. Therefore, we constantly pray for peace, for freedom of Ukraine and all its people. To you, our Capuchin brothers, we express our closeness, our prayers and solidarity. We ask Almighty God to stop this malice and death that is affecting so many innocent people. God grant peace and security to the whole world, especially Ukraine. Discourage the evildoers from their evil intentions and deeds. Greetings to all!
Jure and the Capuchins of Croatia

From South Sudan:

Pax! Błażej, Dear Brother!
Yesterday, there was the ordination of Deacon William in Bentiu, and today the new Abuna had his mass of thanksgiving on the feast of Daniel Comboni, Apostle of this land. See how the girls of the choir from Mayom, his home parish, dressed up in color… (photo) PEACE TO YOU!
Robert Wieczorek

Thanks to all the brothers and our benefactors for your prayers and support. Thank you. We are alive.

The School of Mary invites you to a session of the School in the USA. (photo)

May God keep us safe.

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 193

September 5, 2022 — Monday

We survived the night in Vinnitsa. No alarms. We pray for the success of the Ukrainian army on the front line. The civilian population continues to die. God, give us peace.

The Word…. St. Paul writes about immoralities. I remember, I carry in my heart, a word I heard in Dnipro, under the church many years ago. We sang “We fly to Thy protection” asking Mary to help us get the church back. I heard the word of that prayer, “Mary the only pure one.” Who am I if Mary is the only pure one? I am unclean!

God gave me the light “Blessed are the pure in heart…..for they shall see God.” One thing I realized is that I should continue to seek the true face of God, to have a pure heart and live a vow of chastity, among other things. God is love.

We are living a war, not living by war.

Today, Monday, we begin our Capuchin retreat. I very much ask everyone whom this letter reaches to pray for us Capuchins who will come to a monastery and for those who could not come and will be online. I ask for your prayers for our brothers who will preach the Good News to us.

Below:

Brother Paweł and Brother Tomasz

 

Brother Tomasz

In Berdychiv, in front of the image of the Mother of God, we prayed for the Spirit of Mary for the retreat. (photo)

On the way to Vinnytsia, Brother Thomas took a picture of places which were destroyed by Russian occupiers. (photo)

Miracle of God’s love. Sunshine in the west. (photo)

Visiting the community in Vinnitsa. Before arriving at the monastery, we visited the place of death of random Vinnytsia residents. (photo)

Lviv:
In Lviv vigil from Saturday to Sunday and in the afternoon worship at the statue of the Immaculate downtown. Deo gratias! (photo)

May God protect us and grant us peace.

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 192

September 4, 2022

Thank God we survived another war night. It is generally peaceful. My friend from Kharkov, who lives there, writes me that not only at night there are rocket raids, but also during the day. Once again, thank God for everything. God is love.

The Word… Here is God’s wisdom: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” What is my cross that I run away from, that I fear? Perhaps the story of life, father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, even myself? “In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” That means to accept your cross, your history, renounce your plans, your ambitions, and you will be happy, even in war, and during war. “Let your face shine upon your servant…” God is love!!!

We live in the war, we do not live by war.

In spite of the war, this Monday begins our annual Capuchin retreat. It will be led by our Capuchin brothers. Thomas, guardian from Krakow, Poland and Paul, rector of our seminary, also from Krakow. Thank God, the brothers are already on their way to Kiev. All presidents, dignitaries come to us by train. Commercial planes are all suspended. War. Similarly, our brothers travel by train. (photo). Thank God, the brothers happily arrived in Kyiv.

Lviv:
Invitation to Prayer of Worship with Mary. (photo)

Kyiv:
Last concrete at church entrance. Columns are almost ready.
More good people reached us, God’s own envoys from Warsaw, angels with… sausage for our refugees. Ms. Marta from Warsaw, has reached to us once again. Sr. Bogumila, a Nazareth nun joins God’s service to the displaced. By the way, Sisters, thank you. (photo)

May the Lord grant us peace.

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 172

August 15, 2022, Monday. Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Word…. A word full of hope for our Ukraine. God is the Lord of our history. Not Putin or some other…. God…. “Now has come the salvation, the power and reign of our God and the authority of His Anointed One.”
Finally… “Finally, the end will come, when He will hand over the reign to God and the Father, and when He will overcome all Authority, Power and Might.”
Mary, you did the miracle over the Vistula River (on August 15, 1920, the Poles defeated the Bolsheviks in the Battle of Warsaw – Henryk), please do the miracle over the Dnieper River in the war against the Muscovites.(photo)
We live in war, we do not live by war.

Info from Br. Zbyszek from Lviv.
Vitalik Pasecznik and Natalia adopted three children and baptized them. The godfather is Viktor Poluk a well-known benefactor from Krasilov (photo).
Celebrating the sacrament of Baptism was Br. Volodymyr Procko of Vinnitsa, a Capuchin.

Today, (Monday, August 15), the consecration of our new house in Lviv will take place.
Radio Niezależnist 107.5 featured an interview with Fr. Mariusz about the history of the Capuchins and the present day.

Br. Sergiej teaches on Radio Maryja:
http://radiomaria.org.ua/isus-tebe-zaproshu-v-dorogu-za-soboyu-br.sergii-voronyuk-12062

Krasilov:
Capuchin nuns support Capuchin brothers and together distribute humanitarian aid. (photo)

Dnipro:
Yesterday was a day of meetings at the altar and in the communities. We celebrate the Resurrection and the Assumption. Thank God for His presence among us and in us. (photo)

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 132

July 6, 2022, Wednesday

We survived. At the front, more than one gave his life for his homeland, for Ukraine. There were alarms in Kiev, fortunately, we could not hear. We slept peacefully! Thank God.

The Word…. Listening to this Word there is anxiety in my heart. I have a somewhat different war on the prospect: “…. the greater the prosperity in the country, the more magnificent altars were built” served other gods. May everyone who reads this letter ask the Holy Spirit to understand this Word.

The answer to this new war and new unrest is the word of Psalm 105: “Always seek God’s face.” Love comes first. There is only the Altar of the Word of God and the Eucharist….depending on the vocation, there may still be an Altar / Table where the family gathers, the community, or in marriage: the altar – the marriage bed. Holy Spirit come! God is love.

We live in the war, we do not live by war.

The community in Dnipro received a new vehicle – a car, among other things, for transporting humanitarian aid. The donors are our Brothers and Benefactors from the Province of Austria. Thank you. The moment of installation of the license plates. (photo)

Some front militaries from Ukraine (photo). A new “Radio Bayraktar” has appeared on the Internet. I invite you )))
https://play.tavr.media/radiobayraktar/
or: Army FM https://www.armyfm.com.ua

After night raids in one village. (photo)

May God bless us and hold His fatherly hand over us….
Brothers of the Custody of Ukraine

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 120

June 24, 2022, Friday. Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The 120th war night.

I experienced that night, sleeping in the Capuchin friary in Krakow, Poland. It was an unplanned, sudden departure, in our war plans, here and now. In Ukraine, incessant alarms. In the east and south, regular war. God grant peace.

The Word…. God is love!!! “I will find the lost, I will bring back the strayed, I will bandage the wounded, I will strengthen the sick, and I will protect the fat and strong. I will feed righteously.” God is love!!! “Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” God is love!!! “In the same way, there will be greater joy in heaven for one sinner who repents than for ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance” Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us !
Brothers in Kiev and Nazareth Sisters assist refugees from eastern Ukraine. (photo)

Dnieper:
Dnieper calm. Yesterday we did not give out aid due to problems with transport. Today we are issuing it. (photo). At 9:00 Holy Mass in the courtyard. For our sisters today’s celebration has a special meaning because their chapel at home is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. And since a lot of parishioners come and we don’t have room in the chapel, the Mass is in the backyard. I am on the train now, going to pick up the bus from Poland, donated by our benefactors in Austria, at the initiative of the Capuchin brothers who live there.
May God protect us….

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 119

June 23, 2022, Wed. Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

In Uzhgorod, where I am currently, the night quiet. According to the application, in Kiev and other regions, alarms. Half an hour ago and in Uzhgorod alarms, as in all Ukraine. God is love. We are alive. In the east and south regular war.

The word…. that surpasses and frightens me. God’s will for my life is this: “I will establish you as a light to the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. God help and do a miracle in my life so that this Word will be fulfilled in me….. “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel because …..”
Today Indulgence in Starokonstantinov. With best wishes to the Parish and Pastor Br. Stanislaw Manski. May God be glorified in the history of this parish and in your hearts……God is love.
In Uzhgorod, today in the Byzantine rite “Corpus Christi”. Brother Justyn returned home after the retreat. Thank God. In Ostropol, “Holidays with God” (photo)

In Kiev, at the Capuchins, Sr. Bogumila helps the needy and refugees. (Photo).
Kharkov. A school in ruins. A kilometer from the house where our friend Tania P. lives (photo)

Dnieper:
It’s quiet at our place. There are alarms. Today we do not give out aid, we had to stop, we can not assemble a full package of products. We hope to resume distribution tomorrow. Regarding repairs, we are laying electrical wiring for the guest rooms. Catechesis in the evening. Greetings.

Kiev:
As it turned out on Monday there was a thief in our house. According to Capuchin tradition, having been asked by the thief to open the gate because I asked to close it earlier than usual, the anonymous Br. A. hospitably opened it. )) Now we pray not only for our benefactors but also for the thieves.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel….

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 117

June 21, 2022, Tuesday. 117th war night. We survived the night. Thank God.

The Word… Here is our “narrow way and narrow gate.”

One of the brothers wrote me a letter:

“I wanted to share with you my scrutiny today. (A form of reading and listening to the Word of God). Namely, today I scrutinized the passages: Genesis 18:16-33 and Ez 14:12 (the footnotes for these passages are also important!). I also thought about you and yours. Just as Abraham prayed not for the righteous but for rescue for the unrighteous, just as Jesus, prays for us unrighteous, asking for our rescue – the mission of the Christian is to pray for the rescue of the unrighteous – to be like Jesus. So that also, God willing, the unjust can see God’s love.

I wanted to share this with you. May the Lord sustain and guide you.” Here is the narrow way, for us brothers living in war, having a specific enemy. “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.”

Helping the poor, needy in Kamiańske. (Photo)

Help from Poland, in the form of sausage. (Photo)

Photos from the Corpus Christi procession:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MRF17Js7KSKpUYcQhaQ91JfZHKxIiAhw?usp=sharing

(External link secured. Br. Vito)

Letters from Br. Błażej: Night 113

June 17, 2022, Friday, 113th war night.

We went to bed and outside the windows sirens were howling warning of Russian missiles. And so almost all over Ukraine. Nothing happened in our area. We are alive and thank God.
Word… “The light of the body is the eye. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be illuminated. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be in darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” It is a gift from God to have light on your life and on this war that no one needs. Only God can bring good for me out of every evil I do and experience. For everything and at all times, bless God. God be blessed.
Brothers in Vinnitsa continue to repair the roof of the church. (photo). Under the roof, cleaning work continues on the refugee housing. (photo).

War maps in eastern Ukraine. (photo). St. Nicholas, who is a patron of our church and Orthodox Church, is worshipped in Kamianske. (Photo) Our modest, slightly dirty with local graphite from the smelter monastery with a kitchen for the poor.(Photo) In a nearby park people children at war not living the war. (photo)

Kiev:
I want to share a joy: yesterday Br. Philip from Malta wrote me that there will be the ambulance I asked for for cardiology. In fact, it is already here, it is just a question of transporting it. This is what I am doing now. Thank God for the benefactors!!!

Dnieper:
Things are quiet at our place. We are happy about the return of brother Leonid. Brother Vadym is going to donate potatoes to the military in the east. He is going in our bus with Sergey, the director of our Caritas. The volunteers who stay with us overnight are actively helping. Today they were close to the places where warfare is going on. Marcin in the south, Dawid in the east. Henry is scheduled to go to Kiev today. I ask for your prayers that they will all return safely to us this evening. On the ground we are distributing aid and gathering equipment for the guest room. (photo)
May God protect us and grant us PEACE

Letter from Br. Błażej: Night 111

June 15, 2022, Wednesday, 111th war night.

In the city of Kamianske, where I am currently located, a quiet night. One town in the province was attacked with rockets. There are casualties among the civilian population. The war continues.

The Word…. It is difficult to fulfill this word formally: the gifts, the humanitarian aid that the friars distribute is in front of crowds of people waiting for help. Our prayers and liturgy are also with the people and in front of the people. There remains a room, a small chapel of my heart.
God give me a humble and grateful heart, for all that we give and give away is not ours or from us. Everything we have…. we have received. God please give me a thankful heart because the fact that I am a Capuchin, a priest is also a gift to serve others.

The help of the brothers in Dnipro: professionally organized, in the spirit of serving the refugees. Everything begins with a common prayer with the volunteers. (photo)
Despite much humanitarian work, evangelization in the parish continues. (photo)
Brother Jacek has left Russia. Last photo on Latvian-Russian border. He spent the night in Kowno, Lithuania. There are 7 of our brothers working in Lithuania. (photo)
Yesterday, local pensioners received help in Kamiańskie. Since morning, preparations are underway to deliver aid to refugees and displaced people.

Starokonstantinov:
Starkon quietly. We are distributing humanitarian aid. Yesterday, together with priests from the diocese, we had a meeting in Khmelnitsky with Fr. Zdzislaw Zywica MIC (psychologist, missionary in Rwanda in 1984-2019) on first contact and helping people affected by war.
May God give us a new Spirit and a new heart.

Letters from Br. Błażej in Ukraine: March 4

Brothers, with God’s help we survived another night. God protects us and the Ukrainian army, the WOT (civil resistance groups), but in civilian clothes. They also protected us this night. The situation is very dynamic. We have about 100 people for the night.

God also gives us angels. We have a parishioner who is 8 months pregnant, but she is also a midwife ))) Brothers in the East of Ukraine support other parishes, people, fork out food products. The state of mental health varies. From the movies, from World War II, you could see people sitting by the radio and listening to what was going on around them, at the front. This is how it is with us, in the pictures you see people with phones in their hands.

There is confidence in the Ukrainian army. This is important. People say we are alive because the world is praying for us. They show shells in the ground that didn’t explode, and around residential houses, a kindergarten. God loves us.

We are about to have a meeting with the diocesan bishop on Zoom. Despite the fear, uncertainty people are mobilizing and not giving up. Once again, I thank the whole Capuchin world, the brothers of our Polish Provinces, the CECOC for their fraternal support, prayers and financial help.

To the General Minister for his recent letter, to the brothers of the General Curia for their openness
Deo gratias !

I am in daily contact with the Provincial Marek M. San Giovanni Rotondo with Fr. Pio through Romek Ruska is with us. The brothers in Vinnitsa tracked down a diversionary. The services have taken care of him. The fraternities are holding on.

The brothers in Russia also live in prayer and fraternal unity.
I conclude in the hope that we will meet again.
Thank you for your help for the Ukrainians
in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.

God willing we [unite again]….

God is love!!!