Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus?
This is the first in a 2-part series about the Knights of Columbus in Ukraine. The text was excerpted from a Columbian magazine article entitled: Prepared by Providence.
“When Yuriy Maletskiy became grand knight of one of the first two Knights of Columbus councils in Ukraine, he never imagined that, nearly a decade later, he would be leading a jurisdiction of more than 1,900 members during a time of great suffering.”
“One of several local Knights of Columbus leaders appointed to the Archdiocese of Lviv’s ’Anti-Crisis Committee,’ State Deputy Maletskiy has been working tirelessly, in collaboration with Knights in Ukraine and Poland, to find shelter for displaced families and distribute much-needed aid throughout his war-torn country.”
“‘Today, more than ever, the activities of the Knights of Columbus are needed here in Ukraine,’ State Deputy Maletskiy said. ‘The call is ‘In service to one, in service to all.’ This is more relevant than ever in Ukraine. Indeed, Father McGivney’s vision was prophetic.”
“This is not the first time the Order has met urgent humanitarian needs resulting from unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine. Just months after the first Ukrainian councils were established in September 2013, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed the Crimean Peninsula, beginning an era of violence displacing hundreds of thousands of people and claiming thousands of lives. Local Knights responded with immediate material and spiritual aid, and the Supreme Council provided substantial assistance through both the Ukrainian Greek and Latin-rite Catholic communities in Ukraine.”
“The leaders of both churches, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halyc and Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, were among the very first members of the Order in Ukraine, joining together in a degree ceremony in Lviv in May 2012.”
“’The Knights of Columbus came into Ukraine at the right time and in the right place,’ said Major Archbishop Shevchuk in an August 2018 interview, following the designation of Ukraine as a state council. ‘We started with the first councils in Lviv and in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, right before the Revolution of Dignity started, right before the war knocked on our door. I think because of that very vibrant presence of the Knights of Columbus in our country, we were prepared by divine providence.’”
“”Now, with Russia’s full-scale invasion, Knights are being called to respond even more generously”, Archbishop Mokrzycki said.”
“’The Knights of Columbus is God’s work,’ said Archbishop Mokrzycki. ‘Jesus himself wants to use us today for the benefit of those who have lost their loved ones and their home, who are forced to travel into the unknown, who are frightened and lonely. We should be the ones to extend a helping hand to them.’”
Information on our feature story or about the Knights of Columbus can be found at IWKnights9981.com/bulletin or on facebook.com/IWknights9981 and NOW on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights.
Links Related to this week’s column:
Prepared by Providence
Ukrainian Knights serving the needs of their country amid war see God’s hand in the Order’s presence and growth.
By Knights of Columbus (4/1/2022)
Click here to read the article
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