Svyatogorsk, Ukraine, February 5, 2020
Photo: flickr.com
The Holy Dormition-Svyatogorsk Lavra has been serving refugees from Ukrainian war zones and internally displaced persons for several years now. The lavra and the town of Svyatogorsk itself, with a meager population of 4,000, have received tens of thousands of refugees in that time.
During that time, concerned Orthodox Christians from Ukraine and abroad have been sending large shipments of humanitarian supplies to the lavra to help it care for its wards.
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Barsanuphius of Vinnitsa and Bar, the 21st such shipment from Vinnitsa was sent on January 31, with 20 tons of groceries and other necessary supplies, reports the monastery’s website.
Over the course of five months, volunteers managed to collect more than 4 tons of apples, more than 6.5 tons of vegetables, more than 3 tons of grains, more than 2.5 tons of cereals, flour, sugar, salt, sunflower oil, and other groceries.
The benefactors include farms and families from throughout the Vinnitsa Province, Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Vinnitsa, donors from Minsk, and the rectors and parishioners of Vinnitsa churches.
For six years, one family has been initiating collecting humanitarian aid for refugees: children, women, the elderly and the disabled, survivors of the shelling, and survivors of the war in the Donbass. The family’s initiative is supported by good people from all over Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Volunteers say the collection of food and other items will continue on a long-term basis.
Thanks to its work with refugees, the Lavra has also become a center of conversion to Orthodoxy. For example, in 2014, OrthoChristian reported that more than 30 refugees were baptized at the monastery.
A virtual tour of the Svyatogorsk Lavra was launched online last month.
