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A Testament to Unity

Posted on September 05, 2024 in: General News

A Testament to Unity

Bishop Bryan Bayda, associate state chaplain of Ontario, witnesses the work of Knights in Ukraine and Poland

By Jarosław Herman

8/22/2024

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Bishop Bryan Bayda, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, and associate state chaplain of Ontario, demonstrated the solidarity of Knights around the world by visiting war-torn Ukraine and its close neighbor, Poland, this past spring.

Traveling with Father Yaroslav Lazoryk, a priest from Ontario, Bishop Bayda met personally with those fighting, those suffering from the war and its effects, those who have lost loved ones, and those providing aid, including fellow Knights.

“To truly understand [how it is to live during wartime], one must visit Ukraine and stay here for at least two to three days,” Past Ukraine State Deputy Youriy Maletskiy said of the bishop’s visit.

Bishop Bayda spent 10 days in Ukraine and Poland, May 28-June 6, visiting various charitable initiatives supported by the Knights. Since his return to Ontario, he has been working to pass on what he learned from his experience and encourage the Knights in his jurisdiction in their work and prayers on behalf of the war’s victims.

“When you see these suffering people, it brings it home, puts it on your front doorstep. It gives you an opportunity to think, ‘What kind of charity am I able to do?’” he said. “And when you look at people ready to give their lives, it gives you another perspective about what kind of charity God is calling you to do. I look at my efforts and say, ‘What have I done? Can I do better? Is God calling me to do more?’”

MARY: SYMBOL OF UNITY

Before he left Canada, Bishop Bayda encouraged children in Ukrainian schools there to paint images of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for him to distribute during his travels.

For people in Ukraine, the images were symbols of solidarity to displaced families, people living in constant danger close to the front line, wounded soldiers and others, “to give them hope, to know that we’re supporting them morally and spiritually,” said Bishop Bayda. Each picture represented the many prayers offered from across the world to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

“Knights want families to know they are cared for and are never alone,” he said. “I believe this is the spirit of Blessed Michael McGivney working in our midst.”

In Poland, Bishop Bayda visited two Knights of Columbus Mercy Centers: a center at St. Klemens Hofbauer Parish in Warsaw and Blessed Michael McGivney House at Our Lady of Częstochowa Parish in Radom. They both provide assistance for displaced Ukrainian children and their mothers who have been deprived of a normal family life due to the war.

“It was a real insight for me personally as to how Father McGivney felt when he saw families that would break up because of tragedy,” Bishop Bayda said. “This was an opportunity for me to see through the eyes of Blessed Father McGivney and witness how the Knights are continuing his legacy.”

In addition to material aid, the centers address the psychological and spiritual needs of refugees. Ukrainian women and children often feel lost in Poland, in part because they do not know the language. With support from the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, the centers offer activities that help children assimilate socially and resources to help adults find jobs. In difficult health cases, like cancer and other illnesses, staff and volunteers help organize care, arrange medications and provide translation at clinics.

At the Mercy Center in Warsaw, Bishop Bayda attended a play by Ukrainian children about Our Lady of Fatima, after which he distributed the drawings from the children in Canada.

“This visit was special for the Polish Knights, as it took place right in the heart of our charitable work,” said Supreme Warden Andrzej Anasiak. “At the request of Pope Francis, we continue and will continue to provide this assistance as long as it is needed.”

EVER-INCREASING NEED

One of the first places Bishop Bayda and Father Lazoryk visited in Ukraine was Halychyna Rehabilitation Center in Velykyi Liubin, Lviv, which provides prosthetics services. The center treats an ever-increasing number of wounded soldiers from military hospitals across Ukraine, and the bishop met with several amputees, presenting them with images of Mary.

“This meeting aims to learn about your needs, challenges and aspirations,” Father Lazoryk told the veterans. “We are proud to be in your presence because you are heroes who exemplify true humanity.”

About 1,000 people are treated in the center each year, but as the number of wounded constantly increases, the center is seeking ways to address the growing demand. Recently the process of receiving a prosthetic was shortened from four to six days to six hours using scanners that map the body. However, these investments require further funding.

Bishop Bayda and Father Lazoryk, who is rector of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish in St. Catharines, plan to bring back what they learned to Canadian Knights to solicit support for this urgent demand.

“We want to convey this information to Knights and find ways to improve your life,” Father Lazoryk said.

Drawings of Our Lady of Perpetual Help also made their way to Knights in Lviv assembling packages for people in southeastern Ukraine, which is bombed every day. Bishop Bayda helped with the packages and prayed with the Knights through the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney and the Mother of God for the repose of the souls of victims of the war. Then they placed images of Our Lady inside a few boxes to show support to the families who will receive them.

Before he left Lviv, Bishop Bayda visited the historic Lychakiv Cemetery, where he prayed for the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for their homeland.

“How many more are there? How many families and lives are torn apart?” he asked in reflection after visiting.

CLOSEST TO THE WAR

Bishop Bayda met with one such family during his stop in Kyiv, where he spent time with Ukraine State Deputy Mykola Mostovyak and local Knights. Among them were the parents of Bogdan Dovzhinsky, a helicopter pilot who was shot down and killed in 2022 during a rescue mission in the besieged city of Mariupol. The meeting took place at the Father Michael J. McGivney Synodal Hall, restored with the Order’s support in 2021.

Bogdan’s father, Ivan, is a charter member of Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky Council 16890 in Irpin.

“We are most grateful for the gift that you have given, for your patriotism, and we mourn for your loss,” Bishop Bayda told Ivan’s parents.

The bishop also met other Knights from the Kyiv Oblast, including members of Sts. Boris and Hlib Council 17740 in Fastiv. Council 17740 was recognized with the International Community Program of the Year Award at the 141st Supreme Convention in 2023 for its swift response to the urgent needs following the brutal battles in February and March 2022 in the Bucha region, where numerous Russian war crimes took place.

After the region’s liberation, Knights from Fastiv visited the area to deliver hundreds of pounds of essential supplies, wheelchairs and power generators funded by the Ukraine Solidarity Fund.

As his journey ended, Bishop Bayda reflected on the solidarity that made the efforts of Council 17740 — and so many other charitable works — possible.

“What struck me the most is the real unity that the war on Ukraine has brought about. It’s a very physical thing; it’s very tangible,” he said. “Many, including Knights, fight for their country. Other members in Ukraine and Poland help on the ground, while Knights in many other countries — Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere — help by prayers and donations to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund.”

He hopes those Knights will be inspired to persevere in their work: “I would ask every Knight to reflect on why you joined the Order — to really deepen your experience of Blessed Michael McGivney’s missionary vision of charity and unity. And to consider taking an extra step to do more, in the light of that vocation of compassion God has given you.”

“I must say,” he added, “I’ve never been more proud to be a Knight than having been here. Never been more proud.”

To learn more about our work in Ukraine and to support those efforts, visit kofc.org/ukraine.