Fear, gratitude and hope. These feelings accompanied a group of nuns who evacuated from Ukraine to the Czech Republic after long days and sleepless nights. As they fled, the sisters brought comfort to the seniors they took with them. Take a look at their diary, in which they recorded their harrowing journey.
The nuns went to Ostrava from southern Ukraine
There are Russian troops near Odessa. Gunfire, soon followed by explosions, can be heard from the sea. The nuns realise that if they want to reach the border in time, they must leave immediately. Soon the roads will be impassable.
A group of sisters decided to travel from Odessa, Ukraine, to Ostrava, where the Ostrava-Opava Diocesan Caritas offered to help them. With them, they are taking the elderly who until then had been cared for by the nuns in Ternopil. On their way to the border, they continue to help their neighbours.
"Yesterday we had a very difficult day. We managed to leave Odessa and stop in Ternopil with the sisters who take care of the grandmothers. We will help them a little," says one of the sisters.
On the way to the border: panic grows, people want to get as far away as possible
"There were a lot of cars leaving from Kherson and Mykolayiv. The roads are overcrowded, the petrol stations too, queues are forming, but there is no petrol at all. People are very scared, but we are leaving everything in God's hands," the sisters' diary reads.
On the way to the Slovak border, the sisters pass through Ternopil. A hundred kilometres further east, the area around the town of Khmelnyckyj is being bombed. They are still not safe. In Ternopil, there are reports that the nearby airport and military base are about to be bombed again. The nurses are at this moment, along with the elderly, only 9 km from the next intervention sites. Tired after a 12-hour journey. It was another in a series of sleepless nights.
The nuns are also helping with the escape
The nuns continued to work. "We are still in Ternopil, it is calmer now. But we are concerned for the parts of Ukraine where it is difficult, and for the whole of Ukraine. We work here, but we also pray intensely with great pain and concern."
Soon after, the sisters also contacted the Diocesan Charity of Ostrava-Opava to ask for help for other people. One of the sisters says, "Today I received a call from two women with children, they want to go to the Czech Republic. They are asking if there would be a place for them. Maybe there are volunteers who take people in. They could be accommodated somewhere else if there is a possibility..." One mother with a child eventually joined the group.
The sisters are heading over the mountains to the Czech Republic
Along the way, the group visits other sisters in the town of Stryju, 133 km from the Slovak border. They then spend the night in Berehovo at a hospital where a local priest has arranged for them to stay. They still take care of the elderly who are travelling with them. Even in the turmoil of war, they find a moment of peace in the mountainous Ukrainian borderlands.
"Now we enjoy the mountains. We have switched a bit from war to such a peaceful life. We enjoy nature, we pray."
"We are very grateful to you for such a sacrifice for accepting us. The grandmothers are disabled and there are not a few of them. We appreciate it very much. We want to thank those people who are willing to help, and first of all you."
Soon after, a group of nuns crossed the border and managed to get out of Ukraine. At the moment, they are already staying in Ostrava, where the Diocesan Charity of Ostrava and Opava has taken them in.
You can also help
The same fate befalls other refugees who are now heading to the Czech Republic to seek safety. The Caritas Czech Republic is helping these people. Financial contributions to Caritas go towards helping people in need. We provide accommodation, basic needs, food and psychosocial care. We help people from Ukraine find work, accompany them, and help the elderly. And it's only thanks to your help.