Donation impacts more than 400 students.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 28, 2025) Salesian missionaries were able to construct a new soccer field for students at Blessed Klymenty and Andrey Sheptytskyi in Lviv, Ukraine*, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The donation impacted more than 400 students who regularly use the field.
The previous field was in such disrepair that it made it difficult for the students to play at all. It was filled with mud and was uneven. The soccer goals lacked netting, so when a goal was scored youth had to chase the ball.
A Salesian said, “The new field is bringing a new life for the students who are more enthusiastic about playing soccer and using the field. Since the beginning of the school year, Salesian priests and soccer coaches have actively conducted soccer activities on the field next to gymnasium. They organized a class schedule to ensure fair playing time for all. In the morning, students are using the field and after midday, the field is utilized for youth from the Salesian Pokrova Parish.”
Close to the gymnasium is a modular city of Mariapolis, where people who have been internally displaced are living. Among them are youth who are interested in sport activities. The goal is to reach out to these youth so that they can access the new field. Salesians will also rent the field to raise the funding needed to cover maintenance costs.
One of the beneficiaries currently using the field is Lukyan. He says that he really likes spending time playing soccer and taking part in other sports activities. He noted that before the renovation the field was too difficult to play on because it had a lot of holes in the ground. He’s looking forward to having the new field to spend even more time playing soccer after school or during the breaks.
*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
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About Salesian Missions
Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.