Up to 500 Refugees Are Being Fed Daily for Free at the Athonite Metochion in Kiev
July 2014
PRAVMIR. July 8, 2014 . Archpriest Roman Baranovsky, confessor of the St. Panteleimon Athonite metochion in Kiev, related how their church has been assisting refugees from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
For several years the church of the Athonite metochion has provided assistance to all those who are in need and ask for the church’s help: they are given everything from medical attention and medical care to free food and basic human empathy, related “Russian Mt. Athos.”
Now a new category of people has appeared: refugees from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. And if earlier the Athonite metochion fed for free about 100-150 homeless people a day, this figure has now tripled. Now help is being given to about 400-500 people per day.
As explained by Fr. Roman, for the Metochion this is not only a social project, but above all missionary-catechetical work. After all, work here begins with prayer. Those who come for help are in a special psychological and moral condition. They desperately need a “comfort zone,” where they can find peace and feel protection as well as care.
“In our refectory, people sit in groups of 20-30 and pray the ‘Our Father,’ and those who don’t have a cross are given one. And two or three sisters converse with them, comforting them and inviting the people to come to church. The Lives of Saints are read. We have very home-like communication here. And people then return to us with their friends”.
