«Christmas candle» – Let’s light a fire of hope

At the beginning of the pre-Christmas fast, the international charitable foundation Caritas Ukraine begins an annual all-Ukrainian charitable campaign «Christmas candle.» Money collected from this campaign will go to help socially vulnerable children. With the blessing of His Beatitude Lubomyr the action includes all eparchies and exarchates of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine and some communities abroad. "This action carries out, in addition to [financial help], also very important educational functions. On one hand, it spreads and encourages mercy, compassion, the spirit of sacrifice. And on the other hand it unites and connects people." So said Fr. Andryi Nahirnyak, assistant on social questions of the Patriarchate of the UGCC. The action consists in distributing, first of all through parishes, specially made candles. We sincerely thank all in whose houses last year on a table the candle "Christmas help for children" burned. We invite all also this year to join this charitable action and to give needy children a light of hope, for "when you take, you fill your hand; when you give, you fill your heart!" "We can simply purchase a candle at the market, where for the same price it can be more beautiful, of higher quality, or larger. But making a donation for our candle the person feels that this is like inviting needy children to the [Christmas Eve] Supper. A Christmas candle, burning in every house on Christmas Eve, is a symbol of our unity in the general merciful action, joint love, joint Caritas. And the person who receives on this evening a gift or help from us feels that he/she is in a family, that someone cares, remembers and sacrifices, about him/her while preparing for Christmas Eve Supper.” So Fr. Ihor Kozankevych, director of Caritas SDE, shared his vision of the essence of this action. With the collected donations the organization Caritas will help needy children (orphans, half-orphans, street children, children from unfortunate families and from large families), help in their medical treatment and healing and organize summer camps. All these measures are foremost the possibility to show the children that God loves them, that there is someone who is interested in them and cares about them.

Information given by Fr. Andriy Nahirniak

Translated by the Information Department of the UGCC