CNEWA partnered with InSight Artspace in Pelham, New York, on 13 October to raise funds for its humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
The exhibition, titled “(de) construct,” featured the work of six female artists and underlined the role of art in the preservation of culture.
Four of the artists were present for the event.
“If I may just quote one line from a 19th-century poet, ‘Beauty is to enthuse us for work and work is to raise us up,” says CNEWA president Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari.
“We’re surrounded by beauty and the work that this provokes is an answer to the question that we all must answer: ‘Who is my neighbor?’ All of us, from whatever faith, from whatever culture, from whatever background we come, we are there to answer the question to the person who is in need, ‘Who is my neighbor?’
“The commitment of Catholic Near East Welfare Association and Pontifical Mission is to work with us to answer that question on many, many levels. But tonight, the focus is Ukraine.
“CNEWA contributes 100% of the donations we receive [for Ukraine] to that work, to that mission. That’s how important we think this is right now. 100%,” he says.
As of October 2022, CNEWA issued more than $5.5 million in emergency aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries in response to the needs created by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, providing food, medicine, hygiene kits and shelter to thousands of refugees and internally displaced people.
“Our desire is to bring assistance, humanitarian aid, clean water, medicine, to prepare them for what is going to be perhaps the worst and most harsh winter that they have experienced in years,” says Msgr. Vaccari.
Click here to give to CNEWA’s work in Ukraine.
For more on the art exhibition, visit insightartspace.com