Our common dream is to have the Orionists' ministry center for needy people in Kyiv, Head of the UGCC

“Today is a historic event here on the outskirts of Kyiv, because we are gathering to bless this cross and the place where the Fathers Orionists begin their mission in Kyiv to build a social center to serve people, especially children with special needs. First of all, I want to thank that the Fathers Orionists have accepted my invitation and come to serve in Kyiv,” said the Primate.

According to him, we often say that the content of the Christian faith is faith in God, which is love. But nowadays there is a lack of evidence of such faith, because it is not enough to speak about God Who loves us. Above all, we must bear witness to this love in our actions, especially to the people who need it most.

According to the Head of the UGCC, this is why the work that the Fathers begin in Kyiv opens the true face of Christ's Mother Church and envelops those who are the most rejected and forgotten in this world. It is not uncommon for modern culture to manifest itself as a culture of death. However, Christians believe that human life must be respected from natural conception to natural death.

"I hope the Lord gives us a good sign that our shared dream - to have such a center of service for people with special needs in Kyiv - is beginning to come true," said His Beatitude and wished them to have the center built as soon as possible.

After the consecration of the cross and the territory, the Head of the UGCC visited the house where the members of the congregation now live. A meeting was held there to discuss the perspectives and directions of ministry of the Fathers Orionists in Kyiv and in the surrounding area.

Reference

The assembly of the Fathers Orionists was founded by Saint Luigi Orione in the late nineteenth century. In 2001, the congregation's fathers arrived in Ukraine, encouraged by Bishop Mykhailo Mykytsei (now deceased), who was at that time in Argentina. He belonged to this congregation and always wished it to be in Ukraine and in the UGCC.

In 2001, the first fathers from Italy arrived in Lviv. His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar blessed them to open a monastery in Greek Catholic rite. Later they learned the language and the rite and since then the monastery in Lviv has been operating.

And at the beginning of October this year, the congregation decided to open a second Greek Catholic monastery in Ukraine and sent its representatives, Hieromonk Fr. Moreno Cattelana, as well as seminarian Mykhailo Demchuk to the Kyiv region (to open a second Greek Catholic monastery there for the congregation in Ukraine).

In total, the congregation is present in more than thirty countries. Saint Luigi Orione used to be a pupil of Saint Ivan Bosco, so the Orionists feel related to the Salesians. In addition, their views are similar to those of working with children and young people. They are also working hard to provide people with different social assistance. For example, in Lviv, the Orionists mostly work with disabled people.

Department of Information of the UGCC