CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Czech Republic: immense success of Epiphany collectionDozens of charitable projects in Czech republic will by supported by the money raised through the Epiphany Collection 2013 in Catholic parishes of the country. 10% of the amount 76.9 million CZK (more than 3 million EURO) will be used for humanitarian and development aid abroad. "The results of the Epiphany Collection have taken us by surprise, exceeding all our expectations. On behalf of Caritas Czech republic I would like to express gratitude not only to the donors but also to almost 55,000 volunteers who helped with the project", said Oldrich Haicman, director of the national office of Caritas. This year’s edition of the project was the most succesful in its 13-year history. The carollers collected one million CZK more than the last year. According to Oldrich Haicman, this success brings also a great deal of responsibility for the future: "I believe that Caritas Czech republic deserves the trust of the donors and the money will help more than 125,000 people in need the best possible way. Especially during the times of harsh restrictive measures of the state, this manifestation of solidarity represents a major help". The money from this year’s collection will be used for the establishment of therapeutic workshops for people with mental diseases; purchase of medical equipment; support of activities of the Center for socially disadvantaged persons; or for the purchase of a vehicle for the transport of physically and mentally handicaped people. Slovakia: new website of Community of Adoring Priests Various documents regarding the mission of clergy, information, prayers, materials for spiritual formation and inspiration – all this can be found on the newly launched website of the Community of Adoring Priests (CAP): http://sak.kapitula.sk. The community was founded last year in July, with the approval of the Congregation for the Clergy. "We can’t be indifferent in regard to all attacks aimed to the person and the office of the Holy Father and his bishops. We can’t be indifferent face to face with serious sins of some of our brothers in ministry who derogate the priestly status and make also the rest of priests seem less trustworthy. There are also our brothers in faith who cause wounds and problems to the Church and to the Holy Father from the inside. Therefore, we have decided to respond to all this with prayer and Eucharistic adoration, with humble plea for our own sanctification and fidelity to our ministry, as well as for the sanctification of all our brothers and for new priestly vocations", explains one of the founders of CAP, judicial vicar and president of the Slovak Canon Law Society, Prof. Ján Duda. Although the initiative originates in the Spis diocese, the priests from whole Slovakia are welcome to join it. "We hope that God will grant us a strong will, endurance and fidelity in our ministry, to enable us to follow Christ with faith and confidence, in spite of turbulencies of contemporary times", says Prof. Duda in regard to the future mission of the community.Ukraine: remembering the heroes of Kruty"Over 90 years ago, the snow here was red. Not because of clusters of viburnum, not because of ashberries that were brought by birds, but because of the blood of youth – the blood that covered the lands of Kruty, so that it could become a place for birth of new diehard patriots and Christians of Ukraine", said auxiliary bishop of Kyiv Joseph Milian of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) during the commemoration of the heroes of Kruty on 29 January. Commemorative events took place in several Ukrainian cities. In Cherkassy, there was a march with candles and the memorial service. In Lviv, the authorities of the region, representatives of non-governmental organizations, military structures and educational institution, laid flowers at the grave of one of the representatives of those remarkable military operations – Ihor Loskyi. The chaplains of Lviv State Lyceum named after the heroes of Kruty, fathers Andriy and Mykhaylo, celebrated the memorial service for the deceased freedom fighters. In Zhovkva, the commemorative events were led by bishop Mykhaylo Koltun of UGCC. Bishop expressed the words of gratitude to the Kruty Heroes at the festive evening in the People’s House of the city: "We pray for those, who were killed while thinking of the future, so that we might live better… We are grateful for their faith and courage, which they presented at that crucial time". In 1918, during the battle near the Kruty station, which is 130 kilometers away from Kyiv, a small squad of the Ukrainian Central Rada rose against four thousand soldiers of the Bolshevik army of Muravyov. They managed to delay the movement of the Bolshevik army in the direction of Kyiv, but several hundred of young people, most of them high-school students, were killed in an unequal battle.
