In response to Pope Francis’s call for a day of prayer and fasting on Ash Wednesday for an end to the war in Ukraine, the Holy Cross Generalate Community gathered in the chapel on March 2 for a Holy Hour, which included Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. 

The Basilica of Santa Sofia, the national parish for Ukrainian Catholics in Rome, is located just up the street from the Holy Cross Generalate. The church is conducting a massive relief effort collecting clothing, food, and medicines for the people of Ukraine. Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Br. Benard Omukuya, C.S.C., and Br. Ronnie Leno, C.S.C., have volunteered at the church sorting food, clothing, blankets, and packing moving boxes. All of the supplies are then loaded on trailer trucks and driven to Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary for distribution to the displaced and those in need.

Italy is currently preparing to accept approximately one million Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country.