The superior general of the Congregation of the Albertine Brothers, Brother Franciszek Grzelka of Poland, recently visited his fellow brothers and brought them a delivery of relief supplies. The brothers run a soup kitchen and bakery as well as a shelter for homeless men in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. During his stay, a missile attack struck close to the house of the congregation.
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need(ACN), Brother Grzelka reported, “During the last night of our stay, the area was hit by a direct missile attack. Between two and three o’clock in the morning, there were about ten explosions in the city district in which our building is located. Several of these were very loud. The windows and walls of our house shook. As we later found out, a seven-storey building in the immediate area was destroyed. More than a dozen civilians were killed and about 50 were injured.”
These were not the first attacks. Brother Grzelka said, “There were a number of air raid warnings during the day and at night, but we did not hear any explosions in the immediate vicinity of our brothers. They told us that in the days before we arrived, the other side of the city, where they run their soup kitchen, had been under attack by missiles and drones. Brother Euzebiusz said that most of the attacks are launched at night, but there have also been explosions nearby when the meals were being served at about 10 in the morning. Luckily, none of the poor people were injured.”
Albertine Fathers in Zaporizhzhia distributing bread and relief supplies between refugees and displaced people in the city centre, Ukraine
According to Brother Grzelka,1,300 people regularly come to collect relief supplies when these are passed out in the city centre. He helped to distribute the supplies during his visit and reported that, although the beneficiaries were mainly women with children, there were also quite a few men.
He told ACN, “We were able to distribute the supplies without incident. Several of the recipients are homeless people who have been coming to us for years. The others are new people who have been forced by the war to rely on charity because the prices in the shops have shot up and there is little work to be had.”
He said that there is also a large group of internally displaced persons who have come to Zaporizhzhia from regions in southern Ukraine that are occupied by Russian soldiers.
ACN has supported the work of the Albertine Brothers in Ukraine for many years, for example with Mass stipends and subsistence aid, with donations of vehicles and with funding for maintenance and repair work on their buildings. The congregation of the Albertine brothers was founded in Poland. Brother Grzelka told ACN that, since the war started, the brothers have been organising transports of food and other necessary supplies such as generators and medical aid for their organisations in Ukraine.
Loading the relief supplies into a van for to bring relief supplies to Zaporizhya in Ukraine
When asked for his opinion about the current situation, Brother Grzelka explained, “As Albertines, we do not concern ourselves with political or military analyses. We pray that the Ukraine will be victorious, for the conversion of the aggressor and for peace for this tormented country. As long as we are able, we want to be there with them and live out our charism of helping those in need – of which there are many at the moment. We are grateful to everyone who supports our work both in Zaporizhzhia and in Lviv.”
