CV NEWS FEED // As a part of its wide-ranging charity campaign in the war-stricken region, the Knights of Columbus has begun sponsoring a new counseling program for widows of Ukrainian soldiers.
According to an April 25 news release, the Knights are once again working with the Slovakian-led medical initiative, STEP-IN, to provide critical psychological care and resources to women and children who have lost loved ones in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The two organizations have been partnering to launch initiatives in Ukraine since 2022, including the establishment of several mobile clinics and doctor training.
Fastiv’s KoC Sts Borys and Hlib Council 17740 invited STEP-IN to begin the “Widowed by War” initiative in Fastiv, following a Christmas dinner it hosted for widows there.
STEP-IN Regional Coordinator Yuliia Luita explained in the release that “The main goal and our mission is health and dignity for everyone.”
“The initiative began with a pilgrimage for families of fallen soldiers that the council organized last year,” the release stated. “A psychologist accompanied the group to Zarvanytsyia, home to the largest Marian shrine in Ukraine, and was available throughout the pilgrimage for anyone who wanted to talk.”
Council 17740’s chaplain, Fr. Vitalii Martsyniuk, revealed that the idea for the initiative was rooted in acknowledging that consistent psychological support would be vital for widows and children who lost their husbands and fathers in the war.
“Those wounds are so deep that it is not easy to just let them go,” the chaplain noted. “They feel the touch of God [in confession], but it is very difficult for a person to cope with the trauma.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, the Knights have remained steadfast in their efforts to sponsor humanitarian projects and critical aid to those in Ukraine affected by the war.
