Building Parishes and Church Centers to Serve All!
CONU, through generous donors, are constructing a new Church – Divine Mercy Church in Myrgorod Ukraine
Ukrainians Leaders in Formation
The physical structures of the Ukrainian Churches were largely destroyed by the Soviets, but with Ukrainian freedom, came the possibility of building Parish Churches to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the Ukrainian community.
Now, in addition to rebuilding the Church Buildings, we have a pressing need to train new priests in a setting where they can interact with the Catholic Laity. The vision of Bishop Leon is to construct this new type of Catholic Formation Center called the Saint John Paul II Pastoral Formation Center. It would include an Ecumenical Laity Center, a Seminary, and a Care Center to serve the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of Ukrainians.
Click the link below and watch the video as Bishop Leon Dubrawski and Bishop Radoslaw Zmitrowicz decribe their vision.
Want to see What God is Doing in the Land of Martyrs?
Christ leads us by opening our eyes to the needs of the Ukrainian people, as we partner with the Ukrainian people. Your donations allow Ukrainian Parishes to minister to the community, including the old, the young, the disabled, the poor, the sick and hungry, and those needing spiritual support.
Watch this June 2018 discovery of Soviet repression, in an unused monastic building, recently returned back to the Ukrainian Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilskyi from the government. As they took possession of the abandoned building they discovered the bones of many clergy and religious victims.
Bishop Leon blesses the bones of these newly found martyrs from decades ago in the video link below!
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.
“Dearest Lord, Reveal Yourself in us,
Help us to see You in others, Teach us to share You with all. Amen”
The people of the Ukraine have seen tough times for sure, but that presents a huge opportunity and openness to hearing the saving message of the Gospel. Your donation of any amount helps us continue our ministry and be on the frontlines in a place that is often in the headlines.
God at Work
CONU (Catholic Outreach to Northern Ukraine) for 24 years has expressed the love of God in so many ways: repair and building of churches destroyed or destructively remodeled and used for Communist needs for more than 50 years; donated clothes and monies to orphanages, mental, physical and spiritual help in these post communist days. CONU in these past years have given prayer, time, money for buildings of prayer, for spiritual, emotional and physical care and education. In these more than 24 years, the personal giving and receiving of so many people have revealed God Our Father’s love, so well expressed in these many relationships brought together in these post communist times. Restoration of buildings and bodies helps rediscover dignity of the human person.
For Mail Donations Make Checks Payable to: Catholic Outreach To Northern Ukraine
and Send to:
CONU
Attn: CONU Administrator
10936 Klondike Dr Peyton, CO 80831
Feast of Corpus Christi. Feast of Our Call to Participate in Christ’s Mercy
/in Father Paul's Blog Thoughts /by GregBy Father Paul Wicker
“Almighty and ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading your people and bestow your peace on our times.”
What a beautiful prayer today! Yes, Our God governs all things with Divine Mercy, making us as beautiful as a Bride! Listen with your Heart to today’s first reading from Isaiah 62:1-5:
You shall be called “My Delight” and your land “Espoused.”
As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you!”
(How does it feel to be married to God? To be God’s spouse?)
What a day to celebrate Divine Mercy!
Today’s readings from Sacred Scripture powerfully call us to believe, experience and pass on to each other our Joy in being God’s beloved!
In the Hebrew Bible Mercy (Chesed) means “loving kindness”, “God’s steadfast loyalty.” And so often Mercy is connected to “truth” (emet) which means behaving ethically and being faithful to God’s will.
Whenever you and I are kind to another, allowing God’s loving Spirit to move through us to another, from another to us, are we not blessed with the merciful governing presence of our God? God wills to govern us with Divine Mercy! And God is so patient with us! Choosing us to be Delightful in our faithfulness to share Divine Mercy! To be a surprising Joy of Divine Mercy for anyone!
In the Wedding feast at Cana Mary tells Jesus the wine is running out! Mary’s living mercy for the wedding reception! Jesus sees the need and has the servants fill 6 stone water jars, each holding 20-30 gallons and used for washing before meals. He then asked them to draw some out for the head waiter. And the head waiter tastes this very special wine made by Jesus from wash water! Can you imagine the Joy in that room?
When you and I see a need, are we not called to respond with Divine Mercy? And when we do, no matter how difficult, we bring the joy of Jesus in bringing His Mercy to another…. And most often we receive this Divine Mercy from another. Sometimes tears of forgiveness come. Sometimes smiles, hugs and “thank you” come.
May we remember in prayer and in action our call to be and to help each other to be Delightful to God who gives us Jesus to take us for better for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health all the way into heaven!
And I bring you good news! Oksana and Oleg have told me that this year in Ukraine will be a year of the Family! Please pray for them! Their needs are so many! For 4 generations the Soviet system worked to destroy family loyalty, to forbid faith education, to destroy religion. Now they need our prayers and financial help!
Fr Paul