In 2026, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine gathers around the mystery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to contemplate His love, make reparation for sins, and implore the gift of peace and spiritual renewal for our homeland. Each parish has received an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which families welcome to their homes to pray together before the image, so that the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be glorified in every home.
Our community in Odessa also received an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we have placed in the chapel. After every restless night, when rockets or drones can be heard near our home, or when the air defense is active, we come to the chapel and, gazing at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we say: Lord, Almighty God, who has allowed us to live to see this day… These words are a genuine expression of gratitude to the Divine Providence for watching over us!
Divine Providence shields us during missile alerts; so far, no one has been harmed. It sustains us in the darkness caused by power outages, for we have received a generator from our bishop to provide us with some light. It watches over us through Fr. Anatol Towkan CM, who provides spiritual ministry and humanitarian aid to. We also experience His care through people who arrive unexpectedly and offer material aid to the poor. For example: Father Michael, who came from America to visit and support our ministry, or Mr Eugeniusz from Odessa, who filled up our car with gas when fuel prices rose and promised to help us with fuel again so that we could reach the poor. In this difficult time, Providence has placed good people on our path with whom we collaborate. They desire to learn about our charism, to embody it in their own lives, and to share it with the poor.
That is why we look with admiration at God’s Providence watching over us. We strive to be grateful to Him and to remain faithful. As Saint Louise de Marillac wrote: “Let us not fear the future; let us only strengthen ourselves in holy love, which is the source of trust in God’s Providence.”
