B.C. Ukrainian churches support members with services, counselling

Ukrainian Churches on the Lower Mainland have started offering daily services and counselling to help members cope with fear and anxiety over Russia’s invasion of their home country.

On Monday morning, Father Roman Tsaplan of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral got a text message from a church member worried about their family in Odessa. The port city has been bracing for Russian forces.

The reverend scheduled them for counselling hours later. He’s familiar with their fears, as he’s been checking on his 81-year-old mother in western Ukraine.

“It helped me a lot to understand people because I’m going through all of this,” he told CityNews. “My mom had been in shock, very emotional, crying, worried about children, grandchildren. It was a very difficult and painful time for me, I’ve never seen my mom in this condition.”

In New Westminster, the Holy Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is trying to be a safe haven for refugees.

“We are trying to put together a database of many people who are willing to help and … temporary house those fleeing the war,” explained Pastor Mykhailo Ozorobych. “We have over 300 names in our database that are willing to to help.”

Ozorobych spoke with Premier John Horgan last week about helping asylum seekers. He’s looking for funding to hire full-time staff to work with resettlement agencies.

“We already have a dozen families here who have come because they’ve had visas before that. We were working on a couple that … the parents have Canadian visas but children don’t and are already in Poland,” he added.

The Immigrant Services Society of BC says it’s working with the province and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to help with resettlement, health care and schooling.

“The biggest challenge is that … Ukrainians who arrive with temporary resident status will not have access to most services offered through immigrant serving agencies because key service offerings are funded by IRCC and only available to permanent residents,” said Chris Friesen, Chief Operating Officer ISSofBC, in a statement.

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• Ukrainian woman in Poland says many refugees ‘feel guilty in safety’

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A wave of Ukrainian refugees is expected after Thursday, when Ottawa plans to open the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel pathway.

But there are also volunteers ready to go way beyond the Lower Mainland.

“Giving out blankets or serving food to families that are finally arriving across the border into Poland. Any of the exits, actually, we’d be willing to travel to,” one church member said.

The support already appears to be making a mark.

“Thank you dear, all of you who are contributing in any way, this is so important. This is an amazing gesture of love,” said Tsaplan.