Fr. Lyubomyr Yavorskyy: We are doing everything to come out of the war as a transformed country

Fr. Lyubomyr Yavorskyy has been serving as Patriarchal Econom since September 2018, and by decree of October 10, 2023, the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, renewed his mandate for the next five years.

The Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava: a response to the challenges of war

Father Lyubomyr mentioned that one of the important tools used by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to help people in need during the war is the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava. Established before the war, its main goal was to contribute to the transformation of Ukrainian society in the context of various problems and challenges in cooperation with civil society. “But during the war, it is difficult to talk about high matters,” said the patriarchal econom. “We understand that today people need food, water, care and healing of wounds. Therefore, from the first days of the war, we began to launch various projects from the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava that helped unite Ukrainian society, as well as our parishes, communities, eparchies around the world, so that the Church could reach the most vulnerable and needy through its network.”

Helping IDPs: evacuation, accommodation and psychological support

Father Lyubomyr explained that thanks to the Counselling Center of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava it was decided to reorganize the activity of the Patriarchal Pilgrimage Center: since the organization of pilgrimages was temporarily paused during the war. They directed all resources — transport and personnel — to the evacuation of internally displaced persons. Thanks to the Patriarchal Pilgrimage Center, more than 120 evacuation flights have been made since May 7, 2022, during which 6,108 people were evacuated. The patriarchal econom pointed out the importance of the fact that clergymen, psychologists, drivers — that is, the entire staff of the Pilgrimage Center — were involved in this work.

Father Yavorskyy mentioned that the difficulties and problems faced by those in need, and refugees in particular, guided Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava in which direction to move. “When people were evacuated, they needed to be accommodated somewhere, so we started to make an inventory of church real estate to understand what we had and where we could accommodate them,” he said. “Then we began to accommodate the internally displaced persons in our premises. When there were not enough places for them, we started to provide modular houses to increase the housing stock.” The next step, according to the priest, was to organize spiritual and rehabilitation trips for IDPs in western Ukraine (for example, to Zarvanytsia, Hoshiv, Krekhiv) to help them relax and thus overcome their difficult psychological state, and on the other hand, to introduce them to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the faithful of which cherish the values of “tolerance, compassion and love.”

Feed the hungry

“We were really on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe,” our interviewee emphasizes, recalling the words of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, which he said during a speech of gratitude at the end of the Divine Liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated on November 10, 2023, during the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Rome. The head of the UGCC said “in Ukraine, no one died of cold, hunger or other humanitarian reasons where the power of Catholic love and universal solidarity reached.”

To ensure that no one suffers from hunger, the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava launched a project of forming food packages. “When we created this project,” says Father Yavorskyy, “we remembered that we have church enterprises. For example, Sisters of the Holy Family in Hoshiv produce pasta, and they also host refugees, and they need funds for their functioning and maintenance. So, we offered the sisters: ‘We will buy your pasta products, and you will feed people.’

The patriarchal econom expressed the opinion that this food packages project is one of the most successful projects of Mudra Sprava. He emphasized that during the year and a half of war, they have provided almost half a million people with food packages (one package for two people for one week). According to our interviewee, it was thanks to this project that the UGCC priests in eastern Ukraine were able to support people in very difficult situations and did not send them away empty-handed when they came for help. “Because it is true that our main mission is to proclaim the word of God,” he emphasized, “but we offer God’s word in action, we show by acts of mercy how we share God’s word. Because it converts people, but it also warms them.”

Points of invincibility

Another project of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava is the functioning of wound healing centers based on the invincibility points that existed at UGCC parishes. The existence of such centers at churches is very important, because “the church is like a magnetic core that attracts many people and various organizations.” A priest in charge of such a center establishes cooperation with Caritas or is a Caritas leader himself, and Mudra Sprava helps with food packages and hygiene kits for the needy. In addition, psychologists work with adults and children at the points of invincibility. “When there was a blackout in Ukrainian towns and villages, children came to our invincibility points to follow their studies online, they took exams there,” he says, “because each point has Starlink, generators, so there is internet and light. And they did a really good job. Every winter is a challenge. We have already gone through one difficult winter, so we know a little bit about how to do it. These projects have really proved to be quite effective.”

Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava and Caritas: mutual support and cooperation

“The activity of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava resonates with the activity of other charitable church structures such as Caritas. What is the difference?” — answering this question, the patriarchal econom said: “Donors often ask us this question as well.” He explained that Caritas Ukraine was also created by the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC and responds to humanitarian challenges. “This is our largest humanitarian fund, and it is really very effective,” the priest emphasized, adding that Caritas is a church institution, “these are the ‘hands’ of the church that feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. And no one can replace this effective tool in the Church.” But there are “additional resources, other tools that help to reinforce each other, because the scale of the crisis in Ukraine today is very large.”

“Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava,” our interviewee emphasized, “is not a humanitarian project that responds to all humanitarian challenges, because that is what Caritas is for. Mudra Sprava, thanks to its counselling center, is a platform like the ‘Church in Need’ Foundation, which helps to involve resources and helps the church to serve in its church network. That’s why all the projects of Mudra Sprava are aimed at our church, which then goes out and helps people.” In contrast, Caritas, as Father Lyubomyr noted, also has many humanitarian projects that are not purely church-related, and they have their own specific requirements for reporting and service.

The close and effective cooperation between the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava and Caritas Ukraine can be seen in the points of invincibility. For example, it happens that the pastor who runs the point of invincibility is also the director of the local Caritas. Then he can carry out this ministry even more effectively.

“Mudra Sprava remains a platform for interaction,” said patriarchal econom. “We will involve resources: eparchies and parishes ask us for help in implementing certain ideas and initiatives. And, in fact, through this platform we involve resources and help them. Before the war, the main topic was social entrepreneurship, meaning that many parishes wanted to create some small businesses, such as bakeries. And now they are doing it, and we, in fact, through Mudra Sprava, through our counselling center, are advising them.” But, as the priest emphasized, the war has set other priorities.

Resurrection gives essence to patience

Father Lyubomyr Yavorsky tells us that when he launches projects in different parts of the country, he goes to those places himself to meet and talk to people. “You know, today in Ukraine there are almost no people who have not been affected by the war,” he said, recalling the many people who told him about their tragedies and suffering. “War is a terrible thing. You can talk about those pains a lot,” the priest notes, adding that the death and suffering of Jesus Christ makes sense because He rose again. “If there was no resurrection, there would be no point in this patience,” he emphasized. “Today we, as the Ukrainian people, endure, suffer, are killed, crucified. What will make sense? What we are saying is transformation, change. We have to become different.” According to him, the signs of this transformation can be seen already now: unity, solidarity, and support. “There are exceptions, and we see this and read it in the news, but this is no longer a critical majority,” he says. “The critical majority is now the responsible one. Today we see that this is a completely different people, a strong people washed in blood, who will not be able to go in the other direction because we will not be able to look into the eyes of those mothers, wives, and children of the victims. We need to make sure that they can say: ‘My son died, but I see why. Because today it is a different country.’ And this is our task, and the task of the Church as the moral voice of Ukrainian society, which must speak loudly and work, each in its place, as well as the task of other institutions, so that we come out of this war as a different country.”

Interviewed by: Svitlana Dukhovych for the Ukrainian edition of Vatican News
Press service of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava