Christmas Presents for Poor Children in Crimea

Success Story

Thank you for bringing a smile to the face of the 210 children and young people and their parents, making their difficult lives just a little bit easier.  The very dynamic Parish of Saint Martin in the town of Yevpatorya is under the care of the Oblates of the Immaculate Virgin Mary; the Holy Eucharist Sisters are also active here. “Wherever the Sisters are, you will always find many children and young people. The children and adults alike see in the Sisters the maternal face of God,” says Bishop Jacek Pyl, who ministers to the Latin-rite Catholic faithful here in Crimea.

Many children and young people come to Holy Mass and to the catechetical sessions, and they also have the opportunity to participate in table tennis and other leisure activities. In the summer the parish also organizes “holidays with God,” summer camps where children can relax and have fun while also sharing and deepening their faith together with others like them. These children can often feel isolated, since there are not many believers in their immediate environment. The parish also covers a number of other smaller towns and villages, which the priests regularly visit. Here, too, there are many children who are happy to come to church.

Bishop Jacek was very keen to ensure that all the children in all nine parishes of the Crimean peninsula would get Christmas presents. With soaring prices, and parents earning often no more than $106 a month, many families –especially those with many children – simply cannot make ends meet. The parents have asked the bishop not to give the children sweets, but useful everyday items instead, which for many people are still a luxury: shampoo, soap, a warm jacket…

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we were able to help the bishop with $10,600 to make a positive difference in the lives of so many children here. Our heartfelt thanks to you all!

 

Code: 438-00-59

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