A
Athanasiy
Guest
About children’s home of family type demence in the village of Kobelyatsky region, Poltava oblast, told us the Bishop (Tuchapets), Exarch of Kharkiv. Until then, not once been in such houses is, as a rule, the family which took on education of children from the orphanage. And here the children’s home of family type do the nuns of the Congregation of St. Vincent.
They also founded and named “Mercy”. Demence located 20 kilometers from the district center office and nearly 100 kilometers from Poltava. The village, where, as it seems at first glance, life has stopped… Grey buildings, rickety fences… don’t know, looks like an orphanage, but when I saw it, I immediately guessed: orange walls, wrought iron gates, clean and tidy… We were met by sister Magdalene, who is the founder and head guardian of the orphanage. Hastily covers lunch, because, she has to drive the children to school, and to drive them home, and then to the dentist. The boy Andrew should go to football. He plays in the youth team “Leader”. She puts food to the jars, the buckwheat with sausages, because after the dentist will have to wait for children with food… On the road sister still have to grab the neighbor Anna with bags of sunflower seeds to get her to the place of oil press. Anna helps the sisters always when she has a time, and nuns also do not remain aloof from her troubles. We go to our destination together. Sister Magdalene and sister Paraskeva are taking care of six children. Eleven-year-old Andrew is the only boy in the family. For the year, since he lives here, he looks physically and morally stronger… I asked him, wondering when getting into the car:
-Do sisters force you to work at home?
-Yes, – speaks, – to dress, to make the bed, to clean the room, On Sunday morning to embark for the Service of God… We began to laugh. First, the sister carries on to the sunflower oil. Then go to the dentist. She has to explore all sides of motherhood.
Eight-year-old Marichka has a toothache, she is crying, looks cranky. Andrew shows up to the dentist at the same time. While the dentist inspects the boy, the sister decides on other matters: pharmacy, store, payment services… at 16.00 delivers the boy to the football training. Sister Magdalene her wards name as a “mom.” I admit, I never heard that a nun would be called so. Her job is to take care of the classes and the children. Her companion, sister Paraskeva works at a local clinic as a medical assistant, so the main chores fall on sister Magdalene. To the question why sister Magdalene chose this occupation, she says: “It’s a God’s Will!” Here we were invited by father Andrew Bunyak, who served in the village (now his ministry is in Kobeliaky). Before, father Andrew used to say that he found a large beautiful building, where, in his opinion, should live children, and the mission should be addressed to the sisters.
We have long prayed and worked to implement this project.
In Demenko village, sister Magdalene is already for seven years. At first it was tough because people tried to impose the Soviet patterns of the Uniates… If you go to the Uniates, then you immediately go to hell, so was told in a sermon by a local priest… Before the mission in Demenko village, the nun more than two years served in Italy, lived in a house by the sea.
– Italy is beautiful, but I felt the call to something more sacrificial, to something that I have found it here.
The Sister together with Mary and Andrew returned home late at night. The other children were waiting for their mom at home… While the kids worked on homework, and sisters prepared dinner, we had some time to visit the father Basil Ulishaka –who is the priest in Demenko village and surrounding villages. He builds a temple here. And while the temple is being built , the Liturgy usually take place in the chapel of Mercy. And I spoke to the children. All of them come from disadvantaged families. But in the “house of Mercy” all those “past troubles” associated with parental alcoholism, forgotten and disappeared. We look, how the sister is struggling to answer a question by trying to help Andrew with his homework on the history lesson.
– Children call you “mom.” What does this mean for you? – I asked the sister Magdalene.
They also founded and named “Mercy”. Demence located 20 kilometers from the district center office and nearly 100 kilometers from Poltava. The village, where, as it seems at first glance, life has stopped… Grey buildings, rickety fences… don’t know, looks like an orphanage, but when I saw it, I immediately guessed: orange walls, wrought iron gates, clean and tidy… We were met by sister Magdalene, who is the founder and head guardian of the orphanage. Hastily covers lunch, because, she has to drive the children to school, and to drive them home, and then to the dentist. The boy Andrew should go to football. He plays in the youth team “Leader”. She puts food to the jars, the buckwheat with sausages, because after the dentist will have to wait for children with food… On the road sister still have to grab the neighbor Anna with bags of sunflower seeds to get her to the place of oil press. Anna helps the sisters always when she has a time, and nuns also do not remain aloof from her troubles. We go to our destination together. Sister Magdalene and sister Paraskeva are taking care of six children. Eleven-year-old Andrew is the only boy in the family. For the year, since he lives here, he looks physically and morally stronger… I asked him, wondering when getting into the car:
-Do sisters force you to work at home?
-Yes, – speaks, – to dress, to make the bed, to clean the room, On Sunday morning to embark for the Service of God… We began to laugh. First, the sister carries on to the sunflower oil. Then go to the dentist. She has to explore all sides of motherhood.
Eight-year-old Marichka has a toothache, she is crying, looks cranky. Andrew shows up to the dentist at the same time. While the dentist inspects the boy, the sister decides on other matters: pharmacy, store, payment services… at 16.00 delivers the boy to the football training. Sister Magdalene her wards name as a “mom.” I admit, I never heard that a nun would be called so. Her job is to take care of the classes and the children. Her companion, sister Paraskeva works at a local clinic as a medical assistant, so the main chores fall on sister Magdalene. To the question why sister Magdalene chose this occupation, she says: “It’s a God’s Will!” Here we were invited by father Andrew Bunyak, who served in the village (now his ministry is in Kobeliaky). Before, father Andrew used to say that he found a large beautiful building, where, in his opinion, should live children, and the mission should be addressed to the sisters.
We have long prayed and worked to implement this project.
In Demenko village, sister Magdalene is already for seven years. At first it was tough because people tried to impose the Soviet patterns of the Uniates… If you go to the Uniates, then you immediately go to hell, so was told in a sermon by a local priest… Before the mission in Demenko village, the nun more than two years served in Italy, lived in a house by the sea.
– Italy is beautiful, but I felt the call to something more sacrificial, to something that I have found it here.
The Sister together with Mary and Andrew returned home late at night. The other children were waiting for their mom at home… While the kids worked on homework, and sisters prepared dinner, we had some time to visit the father Basil Ulishaka –who is the priest in Demenko village and surrounding villages. He builds a temple here. And while the temple is being built , the Liturgy usually take place in the chapel of Mercy. And I spoke to the children. All of them come from disadvantaged families. But in the “house of Mercy” all those “past troubles” associated with parental alcoholism, forgotten and disappeared. We look, how the sister is struggling to answer a question by trying to help Andrew with his homework on the history lesson.
– Children call you “mom.” What does this mean for you? – I asked the sister Magdalene.
