To halt in order to be even more effective

Three days for recovery and team building. From August 29 to 31, Caritas Spes Ukraine held a congress of regional Caritas Spes Unio teams.

Representatives of all diocesan teams joined the meeting. It was the first national meeting of such scale. We gathered about 140 participants from different parts of Ukraine, from dozens of cities and towns, from frontline regions and those that, despite their relatively safe geography, have become humanitarian gateways for the whole country.  

These days were rich in teamwork, psychological trainings and creative workshops, but most importantly, there were many sincere hugs and support. A sense of unity among those having a Caritas heart. Participants often said that this was their first vacation during the full-scale war, as they cannot stop the help they have launched in their centers. 

Each of the three days was devoted to the topic of Love, Mercy and Hope, and three bishops, Oleksandr Yazlovetskyi, president of Caritas Spes Ukraine, Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk, founder and first president of the Mission, and Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese, delivered their spiritual teachings on the topic. 

As part of the evening program, the participants of Caritas Spes Unio were supported by Zhytomyr cover band RETRO21. It was a good time for a reboot and inspiration for further ministry. As bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi quoted John Tolkien, "And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us" So, having been "charged with goodness" at the joint meeting, our participants went to their regions to become those who will give this goodness to others.