We continue to pray for peace. Our brothers in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, and other surrounding areas are assisting refugees by supplying humanitarian aid, food and shelter, a welcoming presence.
In Przemyś, a city in Poland, Friar Andrzej Wanat helps Ukrainian refugees as they arrive at the railway station. In the Facebook photos below, Fr. Andrzej is greeted by Minister General Friar Carlos Trovarelli.
On March 23, friars from the Province of St. Joseph in Romania worked with the Pacea Humanitarian Foundation to transport food, medicine, first aid supplies, blankets, and other supplies to the village of Bilshivtsi in Ukraine. To read more about this endeavor and to see more photos visit https://www.ofmconv.net/en/ucraina-aiuti-umanitari-ai-profughi/
In the video below, Friar Jude Winkler talks about the friary at Harmęże. The friary is providing food and shelter to about 50 women and children – the families of Ukrainian firefighters.
Prayers for peace continue throughout the global Conventual Franciscan Order. The Rosary prayer for peace took place at the Minor Basilica in Kalwaria Pacławska. Prayers were offered in many languages, including Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Belarusian, and Italian.
The friars at the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown, in Libertyville, Illinois, joined Pope Francis in the worldwide consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation took place in the presence of the International Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
