Although government claimed there was no poverty and it would take care of the sick
How do Ukrainian churches help the needy? By prayers alone? Do they remember that Christ delivered not only sermons but also bread to people? We begin publishing a series of articles on the charitable activity of various churches by interviewing Protodeacon Serhiy (Kosovsky), head of the Charity and Social Services Department of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), in charge of UOC charitable service throughout the territory of Ukraine.
“Back in the Soviet times, people almost forgot that churches can and must help the poor and wretched. In all probability, churches also forgot about this part of their mission?”
“Yes, this is a new old thing for us. Although charity has always been part of the Church’s mission, any kind of social service was strictly prohibited in the years of Soviet power. I have been posted in Kyiv for 20 years now and remember the times when we, the clergy, were told, “This is none of yours, mind your own business, i.e., conduct services in the temple.” Nothing was allowed outside the temple: we could not even administer last rites to the dead.”
“Were there instances when a priest or a deacon was punished for having helped somebody?”
“Every priest who served in those times can tell you this. For example, my father — now aged 80, thanks God — had more than his fair share. But even in those times churches ran some soup kitchens or refectories, but only for those who cleaned the church or did some other church-related chores. On this pretext, we would help the neighboring poor or ailing people, although government assured us that ‘there is no poverty’ and that it will take care of the sick by itself — this was the governmental stance.”
“What are the most common forms of church charity today?”
“Soup kitchens and distribution of bread and other foodstuffs have always been traditional forms of church-sponsored charity. We are now trying to raise assistance standards, which requires, among other things, that church-sponsored social and charitable work be done by specially trained people. Incidentally, there is a workshop for church social workers now underway in Kyiv. Classes are being conducted by experts from the Kyiv Mohyla Academy Social Work School.”
“Speaking of specific church-sponsored charitable projects, what do you give priority to?”
“Today, various parishes and organizations in a number of Ukrainian dioceses are implementing 20 social projects. For example, we run a hospice in Kyiv for children suffering from incurable diseases. St. Cyril’s Church is also actively engaged in charitable work.
“We also have projects in the Crimea: a holiday center in Alupka and a Deaconean Station in Simferopol. In Lviv, parishioners and clerics visit hospitals to furnish medicines to those unable to buy them. They also provide some poor families with food. You know that the Lviv diocese has acute problems with premises. An orphanage was recently opened in Cherkasy under the patronage of Metropolitan Onufry, which runs a school, amateur societies and computer classes. Also quite recently, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Vlolodymyr inaugurated and blessed our church’s first 30-bed rest home in the village of Stepka, Obukhiv parish. The local authorities handed over to us quite a ramshackle building which we renovated and equipped. This is one of the 20 Ukrainian projects.
“The same church commune in Obukhiv has organized assistance to the blind who have been deprived of any care for 10 years on end. It is even unclear how they managed to survive in such conditions. Now the parish cooks 5 weekly dinners for them. The blind can also sew special overalls in a newly-set-up clothing mini-factory.
“Naturally, parishes are unable to sustain such projects on their own. So we take care about financial support: our Department cooperates with various organizations, including the World Council of Churches (WCC). While our church provides premises and human resources, the WCC offers financial support.”
“You do not mention Ukrainian rich men. Why? Does private charity play no role?”
“Indeed, local benefactors sometimes help. But the church, i.e., our Department only handles money allocated for charitable purposes by the World Council of Churches. They have a special social department which issues funds for the church-sponsored social projects in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.”
“In other words, this is mainly Protestant money? For the WCC comprises not only Orthodox but also Protestant and pre-Chalcedonian churches.”
“Yes, charity money is donated by various churches, mostly from such affluent countries as Germany and the Netherlands.”
“Meanwhile, it is no secret that many big Ukrainian businessmen and rich people are part of the UOC congregation and defend the rights of this church. Is not strange that they make no contribution of their own to charitable work?”
“Maybe, I am out of the picture. Yet, the World Council of Churches support is good in that they only give money for serious long-term projects which are supposed to pay back in a few years.”
“As far as I understand, each of the above-mentioned 20 projects helps, one way or another, 20-30 people. In our times this is a drop in the ocean of the needy. Is a church with more than 10,000 parishes incapable of something more?”
“As you know, we have 9,000 parishes in Ukraine, 1000 of which still have their temples under construction. This is why the church is just too cash-strapped today to embrace a greater number of the needy.”
“If I get you right, very few parishes are capable of doing charitable work?”
“I think this will be further developing if the WCC continues to support us. Our today’s task is to set the ball rolling and show that it is possible and necessary to help people.
“I would also like to add that a committee has been set up to coordinate the charitable activities of different Christian denominations in Ukraine. The committee deals with the support and analysis of social initiatives from parishes and religious non-profit-making charitable organizations. The committee has offered financial support to over 30 social projects (including the aforesaid 20). I am sure it is in this field that different Christian churches could work together, coexist and do good. The more so that we can now make use of the experience of other churches (in Poland, Germany and other countries) and acquire the necessary knowledge.”
“One can read or hear sometimes that, historically, the Orthodox Church cares more about the soul and salvation of man than about keeping him well-fed and healthy. Is it right?”
“It is wrong. We know that, from times immemorial, monasteries and convents have had refuges and infirmaries. It is for this purpose that our well-known Kyiv Convent of the Holy Veil was built. It is still performing its original mission — extensive social work, although nuns do not like to dwell on this.”
“They are perhaps wrong: this is not something to be hidden, the more so that far from all do charitable work. We need a beneficial example.”
“I agree with you. As far as I know, the Holy Veil Convent runs a refuge for 150 ailing and old people attended to by the nuns. About 50 inmates are the nuns who can no longer take care of themselves.
“I also want to note that the Most Reverend Metropolitan Volodymyr usually visits hospitals, orphanages and prisons on holidays: he blesses, counsels, and presents gifts.”
“There is a difficult religious situation in this country — a split in Orthodoxy, inter-church rivalry, etc. It is perhaps for this reason that some level accusations against the UOC, alleging that its charitable work is not commensurate with its potential, i.e., the number of parishes, amount of incomes and so on. What is your opinion?”
“Of course, we do not have a temple comparable to that of Christ the Savior in Moscow. But the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has had the Holy Assumption Cathedral restored in its original beauty. Quite a good deed — and this requires funds.”
“But it is common knowledge that the temple was restored with the government, not church, funds, although the church also made some contribution.”
“We did and do have difficulties. We believe and pray that God send people well-being and peace of mind. We, Slavs, are strong-hearted people who will get over the difficulties. Meanwhile, the built God’s temples will continue to stand for all to see. So I do not think people have been deprived of anything. I wanted to do as much as possible for people. I also want to say that serving thy neighbor and doing good in the name of Christ is what constitutes the social behavior of every Christian and the Christian community as a whole.”
After speaking to Father Serhiy, head of the UOC Charity and Social Service Department, I had a pleasant opportunity to get acquainted with the Kyiv St. Cyril parish of the UOC and its spiritual mentor, Dean of St. Cyril’s Church, archpriest Father Fedir (Sheremeta).
The UOC St. Cyril parish has been cooperating for almost 10 years with Kyiv’s Clinical Psycho-Neurological Hospital No. 1. Parishioners and the clergy attend to the patients, recruit them into church life, teach them to keep hope, and take care of those who have no place to go to after being discharged from the hospital. On major holidays, they make rounds of all the wards, chanting religious songs and presenting all the patients and staff with a small gift. I saw a nurse bring a patient — a young girl — to the temple for the sacrament of baptism. It was difficult to say whether her eyes were full of a serene hope or of incomprehension. Among the individuals the church attends to are representatives of not only different ethnicities but also religions.
Archpriest Fedir Sheremeta, Dean of St. Cyril’s Church, combines the functions of a pastor, initiator and organizer of social programs, and manager of the parish’s quite extensive economy. Father Fedir says, “We are now part of the hospital, one of its units, and work on the basis of a contract. Our aim is spiritual rehabilitation of the patients; sometimes we have to render humanitarian assistance to the administration. We have rebuilt and renovated on our own the hospital’s sororal supervision unit, where our believers take free care of the homeless. Our refectory is open for the needy: homeless, workers at the so- called ‘rehabilitation workshops,’ and inpatients. We usually cook meals for about 80 persons.
“At what expense, you will ask? Of course, we have no money to spend for our social projects. For our congregation — 1500 patients and their relatives — do not pay the tithe. So the parish runs a farm of its own: we rented 60 ha of land in Mala Tarashcha, Baryshiv district, and grow grain crops and vegetables there. We also have cattle and fowls. As a result, we have a good supply of flour, buckwheat, peas, cabbages, potatoes, sunflower oil and even sugar. Incidentally, we have recently handed over 1 ton of foodstuffs and 150 kg of sugar to the hospital, for the administration experiences some end-of-year financial difficulties.
“Among those working on the farm are our parishioners, former hospital patients: this is their church service, for we are unable, of course, to pay them wages. Yet, there is a parish house near the farm, where those people stay, and even a chapel. Naturally, we cannot do without machinery: to this end, we receive aid from Western charitable organizations. For instance, we have two tractors — one from Germany and the other from Poland, — a truck and a used harvester.”
It should also be noted that all the important parish events are covered in the parish newspaper Kyrylytsia published by the young well-educated clergy of St. Cyril’s temple.
