Never Alone
Ukrainian Knights and their families provide parental care and support to children of war
By Karolina Świder
9/19/2024
Ukraine State Secretary Oleksandr Brunevych and his wife, Svetlana, are pictured with their family, including their five foster children.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in an ocean of suffering. But that ocean is diminished day by day, often one drop at a time, by Knights of Columbus caring for the most vulnerable. The Order’s Ukraine Solidarity Fund has supported various initiatives serving orphans and others harmed by the war, and some K of C families have given a new home to the children in need.
The lives of Oleksandr and Svetlana Brunevych were forever changed when they decided to become foster parents, taking in five children, in addition to the five they already had.
“We always dreamed of a big family,” said Oleksandr Brunevych, Ukraine state secretary and a member of St. Anthony Council 16892 in Dunaivtsi. “But we couldn’t have any more of our own children, due to my wife’s health condition. So we started considering options like adoption and foster care so we could further expand our family.”
The Brunevychs’ busy day starts at 6:45 a.m. — they need to wake up their 10 children, make sure everyone’s ready, prepare breakfast and drive to school. Their evenings are also very structured: At 8:45 p.m., they all gather for prayer, and then it’s lights out for the children. During times of war, such routine gives a glimmer of normalcy and comfort.
“They took me in along with my other siblings,” shared Leonid, one of the children fostered by the Brunevychs. “We go to church together and we serve at Mass. Everyone feels like family to me, and we love each other.”
“Since the beginning of the war, the needs of orphans have become very acute,” said Past State Deputy Youriy Maletskiy. “From those first days everyone could see that orphanages suffered the most.”
As Russian attacks destroyed whole cities and advanced the frontlines, institutions responsible for orphans found themselves deprived of resources and help in an increasingly hostile environment.
Knights and their families recognized the obligation to assist Ukrainian orphans and other children in need and committed themselves to help those institutions — be they parish institutions, state orphanages or foster family homes — just as Blessed Michael McGivney intended for the Order when he founded it more than 140 years ago.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 17913 in Lviv has been supporting the foster home Zhyva Perla (“Living Pearl” in Ukrainian) located in Bortnyky, which houses about 30 children between 6 and 18 years old.
Members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Council 17913 in Lviv deliver food and other supplies to Zhyva Perla, a family-style foster home caring for about 30 children in Bortnyky. The Knights recently received an International Program Award for their ongoing support of the home. (Photo by Victor Solodukha)
“These children desperately need our support, and being able to help fills us with great joy,” said Father Viacheslav Olishevsky, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who serves as grand knight of Council 17913. “We give them material support, such as food or other essentials, but we also pray with them and for them. We meet with them, take them on excursions. For us, it’s a source of joy.”
For its efforts, Council 17913 received the International Family Program Award in August at the 142nd Supreme Convention in Québec City.
But the council is far from being the only one involved in helping Ukrainian children. Similar projects and initiatives are flourishing all over the country. From Ternopil in the west to Poltava in the east, K of C councils support orphanages, both materially and spiritually. In Melitopol — a southeastern city currently under the Russian occupation — Knights have worked with children and adolescents in foster care since before the war.
“So many people are dying, and so many children are left without parental care,” said Maletskiy. “Fathers are dying on the frontline all the time, very often leaving children without support. So Knights of Columbus, along with their wives and families, feel responsible to act.”
The charitable response of families doesn’t mean that the transition is always seamless, said Svetlana Brunevych.
“There were, of course, challenges that arose from various situations where the children brought some of their past problems into our home,” she explained. “There was a time when our youngest son would act out to get our attention, and nights when some of the children would start crying, thinking something bad would happen again, or fearing they would be sent back to where they came from.”
Yet slowly, things settled down, and happiness and gratitude came along, for both children and parents. The key is to be patient, said Svetlana.
“It is always a great blessing to give, not to take,” said Father Olishevskyi. “This is what brings me joy about serving these children We understand that in the end, when we stand before God, we will be accountable for how we acted with love, not only towards our loved ones, but toward those in great need.”
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KAROLINA ŚWIDER writes from Krakow, Poland.