The retreat house, run by the Salesian Cooperators, became the refuge for the whole group. The truly Salesian welcome and the daily schedule similar to the foster home’s helped to overcome the first shock of the war.
Maria, one of the Ukrainian educators who accompany the children, told Radio Slovakia about some of the difficult moments before their departure from Lviv: “We spent the last night in the basement of our building. In the morning, Fr Mykhajlo Chaban (Superior of the Greek-Catholic Vice-Province of Ukraine, editor's note) told us that we would be leaving. While we were packing our bags a few times we had to escape into the basement because the anti-aircraft sirens sounded. Everything went very fast and I only realized what was happening once I sat on the bus.”
The Slovak Salesians needed a week of intense work with the Slovak social services to guarantee and organize in detail everything necessary for the temporary presence of minors arriving from abroad. “I know some of these kids; it's only been a year and a half since I returned to Slovakia,” explains Fr Maník, the coordinator of this project. “The minors are from 6 to 16 years old. And in just a few hours, more than 100 families agreed to welcome Ukrainian children. In the end, we chose 10 families near the town of Prešov who now house the younger children. Instead, the older ones live in our communities. The confreres opened their doors and hearts; they let the situation in Ukraine touch us personally.”
The Salesian Family in Slovakia responded generously to the arrival of these children. Depending on their individual talents and abilities, they have integrated themselves into the oratory activities of the cities in which they live. In the morning they go to school or take online lessons that come directly from Ukraine. It's nice to see them connected with friends and their teachers. A few hours are dedicated to studying Slovak. The program of the day is very similar to that of the Pokrova family home in Lviv. And the younger children gather every day at the Prešov Oratory, where two Ukrainian educators work with them until the afternoon when their parents come to pick them up.
Fr Marián Peciar, Communication Delegate of the Slovak Province, says: “We are all convinced that the situation is temporary. We do not know when the war will end, but one of the children expressed her deepest desire: 'We hope to celebrate Easter at home."
