Parishes help Ukraine refugees remain in Poland diocese

Personal friendships on a global level provided an opportunity for two churches and their mission chapels in the Diocese of Baton Rouge to raise almost $67,000 to help a diocese in Poland assisting Ukraine refugees as the war between Russia and Ukraine rages.

Father Jeff Bayhi, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary and Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel in Clinton, is a personal friend of Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, bishop of the Diocese of Sosnowiec in Poland. Father Bayhi also has many good friends in Ukraine.

When a priest from the diocese, Father Karol Nędza, was a seminarian studying at Catholic University of America, Father Bayhi invited him to spend time at St. John/OLA to further learn and practice his English skills. 

When Father Nędza was ordained a transitional deacon, he told Father Bayhi he would like to return to the Zachary area, and Father Bayhi happily welcomed him.

Following Father Nędza’s priestly ordination, he returned for additional studies on marriage and family life at Catholic University and the St. John/OLA community became his “home away from home.”

As the events of the war unfolded Father Bayhi said, “I became aware of how many people were being displaced and the tragedy of the situation there.”

Knowing how generous the people of Poland are, Father Bayhi contacted Bishop Kaszak to find out their needs and how they can help. This is when he learned of the efforts “Caritas,” the diocese’s charitable organization, was making in helping Ukrainian refugees there. 

Father Matthew Graham, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs and Sacred Heart Chapel in Livingston, had become acquainted with Father Nędza when the two were in formation at Catholic University. From there, ICC and Sacred Heart joined St. John and OLA in raising funds to help the efforts.

St. John and OLA collected more than $40,631 and ICC and Sacred Heart collected more than $25,719 for the Diocese of Sosnowiec, Poland to help refugees staying in that diocese.

Caritas will renovate a building providing 12 apartments to house around 50 people.

Bishop Kaszak, bishop of Sosnowiec, sent a letter of thanks to the St. John/OLA and ICC/Sacred Heart communities for the people’s generosity.

“Our parishes and parishioners have welcomed into their families many more refugees. However, as a Diocese of Sosnowiec we decided to give special care to single moms coming to us from the war zone,” wrote the bishop. “Therefore, the whole new facility will be dedicated to single moms with children as well as young disabled children rescued from the war zone in Eastern Ukraine. Some of them have already arrived to our diocese, the rest will come soon.”

The bishop recalled the words of St. John Paul II, “We are all one family in the world.”

“All Poles feel responsible for our neighbors who live in need,” the bishop wrote. “We also thank you for creating this familial bond of love and responsibility with us.”

The bishop ended his letter with words of gratitude: “I say on behalf of myself as of those who will receive your help. I pray that the Lord himself will be your reward for all the good you do for us and for the world. Be assured of my prayers and please keep us in yours.”

Father Bayhi and Father Graham commended their parishioners for their generosity.

“We have had people who have experienced floods and natural disasters and we have benefited from the generosity and concern of others in our hour of need,” said Father Bayhi, who expressed his wish that the generosity would extend to all times and not just in times of crisis.

Father Graham said, “Our parish has been helped in the past recently by the flood of 2016 and the majority of my parish was flooded.”

He said when the parish community saw the Ukraine situation playing out it was a natural response to want to do something specific to help people who are refugees and those who are homeless.

“The beauty of our faith is how when there’s a need and people ask and there’s always ways that we help both through prayer and giving of ourselves,” said Father Graham. “At times like this we truly see the generosity of people. 

“When there are people who are suffering the church does respond in amazing ways and even amongst all the uncertainty we can still find hope in our faith and where we are and where the Lord is leading us.”