Mercy Mondays: Come write letters to local Ukrainian community
We feel helpless and maybe even hopeless in the face of the war unfolding in Ukraine. I send my children safely off to school and think of neighborhoods torn apart and children thrust into the uncertainty of war.
What can I do? When I feel hopeless I am reminded of the wisdom of Dorothy Day who wrote, “No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.”
Dorothy Day also wrote, “An act of love, a voluntary taking on oneself of some of the pain of the world, increases the courage and love and hope of all.”
This is something I have come to believe. Maybe you believe it, too. This is very much what the Catholic observance of Lent offers others. A chance to pray, fast and give — not only for our own benefit, but for the good of the world.
Below are some ways to respond to what is happening in Ukraine. None of them will stop the destruction outright or make things instantly better, but all are acts of love. Consider increasing courage and love and hope in the world through one of these acts.
Thoughts provided by Amy Cady, assistant director at the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life
Write letters of support
Join in writing letters of support to the local Ukrainian community at the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Come by a table in Miley Hall on Tuesday, March 8 through Thursday, March 10, to write or leave a letter of support.
Pick up a blue and yellow ribbon of support
The Mercy Center for Spiritual Life, the Center for Community Engagement and Service and Sigma Phi Sigma will be offering blue and yellow ribbons. These ribbons will be at Miley Hall and O’Hare Academic Building on Monday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; in Miley Hall on Tuesday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and at Miley Hall and O’Hare Academic Building on Wednesday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
A vigil for peace will held after spring break. More details to follow.
Learn more about the situation
To learn more about the rapidly-developing situation, the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy is hosting a virtual roundtable discussion on Tuesday, March 8. Information can be found in a SALVEtoday article here.
Donate money
A SALVEtoday article was recently written on ways to donate to organizations that are helping Ukraine, and the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life would also like to include Catholic Relief Services as a way to donate money.
A prayer for Ukraine
Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.
We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.
We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.
May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.
Amen.
Prayer offered from Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.
This post is part of an ongoing series called Mercy Mondays that highlights Salve Regina’s dedication to its Mercy Mission. Search the tag Mercy Mission for more updates on the Mercy branches of Salve Regina.
Featured image by Getty Images/Eerik
