In the dim shadow of devastation, where smoke still rises from the rubble of once-bustling cities, a light of compassion flickers - steady, unwavering, radiant with faith. That light is the ongoing humanitarian mission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of the USA), which stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the suffering people of Eastern Ukraine. The support is not only a hand stretched in material aid but a witness of Christ’s boundless love - a balm to wounded hearts, a whisper of hope in the storm of war.

The war in Ukraine has forced millions from their homes. Cities like Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Kostyantynivka, Chasiv Yar, and countless others are names now etched with sorrow and exile. Refugees - fathers and mothers, children and elders - carry with them not only the trauma of bombs and bullets but the ache of leaving behind everything familiar: their homes, schools, churches, graves of their ancestors, and places of memory. In the words of one priest from the region: “They carry more than bags; they carry broken hearts. But what we offer - food, care, a prayer - it helps them carry the cross. And for some, it lifts it.”

Fr. Kostyantyn Kuznetsov, Dean of the Donetsk region, has become a spiritual father not just to parishioners, but to all displaced persons seeking meaning and survival. Under the leadership of His Eminence Metropolitan Serhii of Donetsk of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, he leads daily outreach into refugee communities. He writes: “Today we went to Petropavlivka. A car full of food and hygiene supplies was unloaded. The faces we met - sunken from hardship - brightened. People thank God, they say ‘thank you for remembering us.’ They say this Church is not a building but a heart that beats for the people.”

This heartbeat has found powerful resonance in the prayers, actions, and aid delivered by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. With the blessing and leadership of Metropolitan Antony, and the spiritual direction of Archbishop Daniel, the Church has taken a holistic approach to humanitarian care - nourishing the body, tending the spirit, offering the dignity of presence.

“We cannot preach Christ crucified and risen if we ignore the crosses that people are carrying today,” says Archbishop Daniel, “When a child is hungry in Bakhmut, when a grandmother is crying in Kostyantynivka because she lost her home - we must be there. That is the Gospel in motion. We offer food, yes. But we also offer hope, spiritual presence, and love without condition. That is our sacred mission.”

From medical aid to logistical transport, from prayerful presence to nutritional assistance, the work of the Church touches every aspect of refugee survival. Thousands of care packages have been assembled by the generous donations of the parishioners of the UOC of the USA - each one a testament to love without borders. In every can of food, every blanket, every prayer card tucked into a parcel, the faithful proclaim: “You are not forgotten.”

 And perhaps that is the greatest miracle witnessed in these missions - the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Fr. Kostyantyn recalls a moment after a liturgy held in a bomb shelter: “A little girl came to me with a flower made from candy wrappers. She said, ‘I made this for Jesus. Tell Him I still believe.’ That is the resurrection - here and now. The enemy can destroy walls, but not the soul that clings to Christ.”

Indeed, these moments - hidden from the world’s headlines - are the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness. As Archbishop Daniel often reminds the faithful: “The greatest victory is not on a battlefield but in the human heart that still hopes, still prays, and still chooses love over hatred.” 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you are part of this mission. The faces you see in photographs from Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia are not strangers - they are your family in Christ. The elderly woman clutching her last icon, the father cradling his infant in a basement shelter, the youth digging through ruins to find his Bible - they are our responsibility. They are our sacred trust.

Do not stop. Do not look away. Do not grow weary in doing good.

“Every dollar you give, every prayer you offer, every letter you write - it becomes bread for the hungry, comfort for the grieving, and light in a very dark place,” says Archbishop Daniel. “We may be an ocean away, but in Christ, we are one Body. When one member suffers, all suffer. When one is lifted, we are all raised.”

Let your heart be moved. Let your hands act. Join this sacred effort to sustain life, to preserve dignity, and to reflect the love of the risen Christ in the valleys of sorrow.

To donate, to pray, or to learn more, please visit www.uocofusa.org and become a bearer of hope.

Look into the eyes of the refugees and see Christ Himself. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was a stranger and you took Me in…” (Matthew 25:35)

The love will endure!