Another Spiritual and Rehabilitation Camp for Military Families Has Started in Zarvanytsia

The camp was organized by the Mudra Sprava Patriarchal Foundation and the UGCC Patriarchal Pilgrimage Center, thanks to the financial support of the international charitable foundation “CNEWA”.

A group of 17 families, totalling 59 participants, was formed through pre-registration. Among them were two families with four children each. The participants included veterans and combatants, as well as soldiers who have been prisoners of war, have lost limbs, have sustained severe injuries, or have been in a coma. The group was joined by Fr. Vasyl Kinakh, the camp’s spiritual guide, along with a team from the School of Christian Animator, and psychologists Natalia Chorna and Tetiana Kril.

“A key feature of our project is the inclusion not only of combatants, released prisoners of war, and veterans, but also their loved ones. War leaves its mark not only on the military—every family member undergoes a trial. Joint participation in the program helps to overcome communication barriers, restore trust, and support each other on the path to psychological recovery. Last year, we noticed that veterans’ recovery and adaptation processes are faster and more effective when they are among their closest people,” emphasized Natalia Chorna.

On the first day, all participants had the opportunity to get to know each other and learn about the spiritual and rehabilitation camp and its program. In addition, representatives of the Marian Spiritual Center gave them a tour, briefly presenting the history of this unique place and its significance for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and all Christians today.

During the initial discussion, participants expressed their desire for rest in peace and quiet. According to the organizers, this requires adjusting the program to allocate more time for independent walks and an earlier bedtime.

The spiritual and rehabilitation camp for military families will last until August 21.

This is the fourth spiritual and rehabilitation camp for military families this year. Previous sessions were held in the Lviv region with the support of the German Charitable Foundation “Kindermissionswerk” and brought together more than 50 families from the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, and Kirovohrad regions.

Press Service of the Mudra Sprava Patriarchal Foundation