After the First Week of War

After the First Week of War...

Report from a Polish SDB in Ukraine

(ANS – Korostyshiv, Ukraine – March 4, 2022) – Fr. Michal Wocial, a Salesian from the Poland-Kracow Province serving in Ukraine, shared information and considerations through social networks after the first week of war: “Most things suddenly stopped, and it’s been a week that my life has been revolving around one topic. And to think I was supposed to finish my doctorate....”

On Tuesday night, rockets fell within a kilometer of our school. As a result of the attack, 10 homes were destroyed. Several windows fell out in our building. I spent the night in the basement of the school, along with dozens of other people. And I decided to keep the oil for the anointing of the sick with me constantly.

On Wednesday [March 2] at 7 a.m. we left in a 7-car convoy for the Polish border to deport the women and children. The plan was simple. The men would leave their families at the crosswalk and return to Zhytomyr.

Unfortunately, after 120 miles our school bus suffered a major engine failure and was unable to go any further. Broken at a time when we needed it so much to transport people and humanitarian aid.

Once again I was very impressed by the solidarity of the population. A few minutes after the accident, there was someone who took us to the mechanic. Within an hour and a half, we had another car that drove our passengers 155 miles to the border and wanted nothing in return.

At the border, we found out that there was a big queue at the Corczow crossing and that we had to stay in the cold all night. We found other kind local people who transported our passengers in their cars to Szegini. There the crossing took about 40 minutes. We went to sleep at 3 a.m. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I did not attend Ash Wednesday Mass.

Today [Thursday, March 3 - ed.] another group of 30 people drove to the Polish border. Among them – our students. Will they return? When? What will become of our school after 27 years of existence?

Tomorrow we will organize the transportation of 50 people. Probably the last convoy, because the Ukrainian railways have started the evacuation trains....

There are more and more neighbors who want to use our basement as a shelter. Many of us have a phone app called “Air Raid Alert.” It is impressive when you suddenly hear sirens blaring from multiple pockets at once.

Among the people in our “basement shelter” are a handful of children and teenagers. I bring them all kinds of games from the youth center so they have something to pass the time. I offer them bedtime thoughts and a prayer. None of them are Catholic, but almost all of them came today to pray for 15 minutes for peace.

Humanitarian aid is starting to flow in, and we need to think about how best to use it.

We are slowly getting used to the new pace of war. In many things, we are making “war allowance.” Today we passed the police at high speed on the road. They paid no attention to us – they have more important things to think about.