Serving on the “powder keg”: how the Redemptorists serve in Chernihiv (northern Ukraine).

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In the spring of 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the north of Ukraine from Russian occupation. The Redemptorists serve here in Chernihiv. During the hostilities, four Redemptorist priests remained in the city. Part of the region was occupied, and the city itself was practically under siege.

The year after de-occupation was not easy for the local people. Chernihiv region borders Belarus and Russia, so almost every day, artillery shells or airstrikes are on the border villages. A lot of ruins and the fear of a second attack are all conditions in which people live, and our priests and Redemptorist sisters serve.

Now they work for two communities. One was formed before the war at the church in the monastery of the Redemptorist sisters. Another was formed immediately after the withdrawal of Russian troops. These are people whose homes were practically on the front line. Their homes are damaged or destroyed. This congregation temporarily prays in the rented premises of a former store, which has been converted into a makeshift chapel. And they really need to have a permanent place.

Redemptorists from Ukraine