In a time when Russia seeks to create divisions, we at the Institute of Theological Sciences of the Immaculate Virgin Mary in Ukraine decided to organize joint retreats for sisters of both Eastern and Western rites.
GSR Today - During my assignment in Ukraine, war was evident. Damage to towns and survivors' sober observations framed our time there. Yet reminders of war were almost always offset by the Ukrainians' resolve and humanity.
'Christ will rise, and Ukraine will rise': In the 14 months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catholic sisters have struggled to keep the spirit, promise and vision of Easter and Resurrection alive day-to-day.
While the war in Ukraine is still going on, it is important to stay alive, not to succumb to the temptation of an easy and false peace. To remain human, we need to be open to the pain of others and our own.
Realizing it had been a year since the Ukraine-Russia war broke out, I intensified my prayers for its end. I also researched the war's global impact: I was surprised how much the war has affected so many people in India.
Soon after the sounds of the first bombings, we went to the basement to set up a bomb shelter. The Institute of Theological Sciences of the Immaculate Virgin Mary began welcoming people displaced in the war.
The invisible traces of war are imprinted on souls. How can we live after what has happened to us? And these words come to mind: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
GSR Today - Call it a prompting by the Holy Spirit. When I asked to go along on a trip to Ukraine, that leap into the unknown took me on a long path of meeting Catholics who are helping victims of this terrible war.
Even though a year has passed since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war has not stopped for a single day, not for a single hour. A Ukrainian Basilian sister tells her story.
