This Lent, CNEWA Canada will be featuring the people of Ukraine in our annual Lenten campaign.
As bombardments once again strike energy infrastructure, entire communities are being plunged into darkness and cold. In response, churches across Ukraine have become emergency lifelines. Parish halls now serve as heat stations where families can warm themselves, charge their phones, receive hot food and water, and find shelter. Many people remain overnight, unable to return to apartments without heat or electricity.
We appeal to you urgently as the needs in Ukraine are immediate and growing. Our Church partners urgently require EcoFlow power stations and generators to keep lights and heat on, gas and diesel fuel to operate them, and instant food, and teato nourish those who arrive exhausted and cold. Medications and medical supplies are also in short supply as vulnerable elderly and sick people struggle to survive harsh winter conditions.
During a recent General Audience, the Holy Father urged the faithful to support “our brothers and sisters in Ukraine with prayer,” and expressed gratitude for concrete gestures of solidarity that help families endure this time of intense cold. Pope Leo XIV stressed the urgency of moving beyond a logic rooted in fear and mistrust. In its place, he called for a shared ethic capable of guiding decisions toward the common good, “so that peace may become a responsibility and a heritage safeguarded by all.” Catholic leaders across Europe have echoed this call, reminding us that indifference is not an option for disciples of Christ.
Lent invites us to sacrifice — not as loss, but as love given freely.
Your Lenten gift to CNEWA Canada is a powerful act of almsgiving. It brings warmth to the cold, sustenance to the hungry, and hope where suffering weighs heavy. As we journey toward the Cross and Resurrection, let us walk with Ukraine in faith, compassion, and love.
With gratitude and prayers through the Lenten season,
Adriana Bara, PhD
National Director
Post scriptum
- On February 25th, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, CNEWA Canada invites you to join us for a special webinar in prayerful solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
- Below is CNEWA Canada’s Lenten gift to you: The Way of the Cross with Reflections on Our Lord’s Passion, featuring the final Good Friday reflections of Pope Francis (2025). Each station is accompanied by a photo from Ukraine, as we pray for peace in Ukraine and throughout the world this Lenten season.
More info & sign up HERE.