Perspectief 2015-28

Perspectie 14 Lidiya Lozova humanitarian aid collected both by the locals and by those members and friends of the parish who lived in Germany, Italy, and other countries. Although there are problems with the acceptance of the migrants by the locals, and one should be careful not to do harm with secular integration efforts, in the church both groups feel more at ease and learn to accept each other. As a priest and also the head of the Charitable Committee, in summer 2014 father Philaret and some of the parishioners started visiting the military hospital in Kyiv to provide spiritual and, if possible, financial aid for the soldiers who returned from the East wounded. He had to bury some of the soldiers from Makariv region who died in the ATO zone. Now both the priest and the parishioners visit their families, invite them to church services, congratulate them with church feasts, pass presents and money they collect. This warms and opens up people’s hearts. Among the parishioners there are people from the Lugansk region, who are very critical both towards the “Lugansk People’s Republic” and to the Ukrainian government. There is also a family of a killed soldier who comes from a nearby village – a mother and her 3 y.o. son. Because at the parish they experience love and active support, they feel relieved and regain trust to others.