About children's home of family type demence in the village of Kobelyatsky region, Poltava oblast, told us the Bishop (Tuchapets), Exarch of Kharkiv. Until then, not once been in such houses is, as a rule, the family which took on education of children from the orphanage. And here the children's home of family type do the nuns of the Congregation of St. Vincent.
They also founded and named "Mercy". Demence located 20 kilometers from the district center office and nearly 100 kilometers from Poltava. The village, where, as it seems at first glance, life has stopped... Grey buildings, rickety fences... don't know, looks like an orphanage, but when I saw it, I immediately guessed: orange walls, wrought iron gates, clean and tidy... We were met by sister Magdalene, who is the founder and head guardian of the orphanage. Hastily covers lunch, because, she has to drive the children to school, and to drive them home, and then to the dentist. The boy Andrew should go to football. He plays in the youth team "Leader". She puts food to the jars, the buckwheat with sausages, because after the dentist will have to wait for children with food... On the road sister still have to grab the neighbor Anna with bags of sunflower seeds to get her to the place of oil press. Anna helps the sisters always when she has a time, and nuns also do not remain aloof from her troubles. We go to our destination together. Sister Magdalene and sister Paraskeva are taking care of six children. Eleven-year-old Andrew is the only boy in the family. For the year, since he lives here, he looks physically and morally stronger...
I asked him, wondering when getting into the car:
-Do sisters force you to work at home?
-Yes, – speaks, – to dress, to make the bed, to clean the room, On Sunday morning to embark for the Service of God... We began to laugh. First, the sister carries on to the sunflower oil. Then go to the dentist. She has to explore all sides of motherhood.
Eight-year-old Marichka has a toothache, she is crying, looks cranky. Andrew shows up to the dentist at the same time. While the dentist inspects the boy, the sister decides on other matters: pharmacy, store, payment services... at 16.00 delivers the boy to the football training. Sister Magdalene her wards name as a "mom." I admit, I never heard that a nun would be called so. Her job is to take care of the classes and the children. Her companion, sister Paraskeva works at a local clinic as a medical assistant, so the main chores fall on sister Magdalene. To the question why sister Magdalene chose this occupation, she says: "It's a God's Will!" Here we were invited by father Andrew Bunyak, who served in the village (now his ministry is in Kobeliaky). Before, father Andrew used to say that he found a large beautiful building, where, in his opinion, should live children, and the mission should be addressed to the sisters.
We have long prayed and worked to implement this project.
In Demenko village, sister Magdalene is already for seven years. At first it was tough because people tried to impose the Soviet patterns of the Uniates... If you go to the Uniates, then you immediately go to hell, so was told in a sermon by a local priest... Before the mission in Demenko village, the nun more than two years served in Italy, lived in a house by the sea.
– Italy is beautiful, but I felt the call to something more sacrificial, to something that I have found it here.
The Sister together with Mary and Andrew returned home late at night. The other children were waiting for their mom at home... While the kids worked on homework, and sisters prepared dinner, we had some time to visit the father Basil Ulishaka –who is the priest in Demenko village and surrounding villages. He builds a temple here. And while the temple is being built , the Liturgy usually take place in the chapel of Mercy. And I spoke to the children. All of them come from disadvantaged families. But in the "house of Mercy" all those "past troubles" associated with parental alcoholism, forgotten and disappeared. We look, how the sister is struggling to answer a question by trying to help Andrew with his homework on the history lesson.
– Children call you "mom." What does this mean for you? – I asked the sister Magdalene.
– Before, I do not even think that I would have to be a mom... When I started this mission, the Lord sent us a good people – some sponsors.
Bishop Stepan (Menec) helped us a lot. Somehow came to us father Peter Krinitsky and said to me;
- Start praying for the gift of motherhood, for there will be more children here, And for you this gift will be very necessary.... When we come to the monastery, you renounce having children. Our three vows – obedience, poverty, purity. I felt like a nun, and never thought about motherhood. But I listened to a priest and began to pray.
At first I thought that it's not mine, it's not my calling. And the Lord decreed otherwise, and instructed me to this ministry. I looked at the virgin as she holds Jesus in her arms, and prayed that she taught me how to be a good mom. I was watching moms as they treat their children... And when Olenka came to us, I was ready. She started calling me "mom", even though no one required it from her. But I was ready, and to my ears it was acceptable. Not to say that I'm so perfect and completely replace them with mother... Regarding the vocations to the religious life, sister felt it when she was 15 years old.
-Don't you regret that you choose this way of life?
Аfter all, you could have some other way to serve God, no?
– I do not regret. If I'm confident that this is God's will, we will go down this road to the end.
– What did you notice as you watched the moms? – Different things... the positivity that they radiate... like how the mom gently reminds the child that he needs to do..not forget to take medication..that the child wasn't hungry... – But not all mothers are good mothers for their children...Do some of your kids remember something from the past life? – Sometimes. But I see the positive change... for example, for a long time I had to explain the kids that you cannot just leave the house for a long time without explanation, you know they are accustomed that no one is looking after them, and they can do anything. – What was the most difficult, when you began to take care of the children?
– At first it was hard to wake up Olenka in the morning to the school. She did not want to get up, was crying... Then I thought, maybe I do it in a wrong way. And I started to wake them up in other way. I was telling gentle words: -honey, come on, look, it's a beautiful day has come...
And you know, afterwards there were no problems any more with waking up the kids at the morning . After all, kids love when you speak gently to them, although, it was quite unusual... but I prayed and God helped me.
– It it necessary to raise the children in the Greek-Catholic spirit?
– No, not necessary!.. When the public service decided to give me the children, I was asked, about the children's freedom of religious choice. At 14 years old, the teen himself can choose who he/she wants to be: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant...
It is important to be kind to all of them.
All our children go to Church, except Esther.
She does not recognize any Church...
But we understand, she's going through adolescence, she rebels against everything, moreover, had a difficult childhood. More precisely, she didn't have it because mom had problems with alcohol, and Esther herself cared for the smaller children and ran the household.
It was not always easy for nuns to deal with Esther.
The psychologist Sofia helped a lot, she often talked with a girl.
All the anger that Esther had on her mother, she covered me and sister Paraskeva, as well as other children, – says the sister.
To take care of six children, one of whom has cerebral palsy and every one has psychological trauma from the birth parents, – it is not easy. So people in the village help the sisters as best as they can. The teachers come to do with the kids homework. Anyone helping with certain household chores... And so people feel that they belong to the Greek Catholic Church...
Well, clearly visible result of the education has not yet seen.
Our Mother-Superior says that the result sometimes can be seen after 10 years.
None of the parents for all the time since then, as the public service took the children, came at least once to see the child...
– ''Have you learned something new with the kids? ''
I asked the sister.
– A lot of new things. And still studying... God sends Me all kinds of surprises. I am constantly forced to seek new methods and approaches. The most difficult to overcome the reluctance and indifference of the child to something that must be done... Hard to watch, they do not feel like all other children. At school the teachers and classmates some times have their different look...
– Do you have enough funds provided by the government?
– You know, the last time - very little. I'm trying to save up for every child, for their future, that they were not abandoned later, after graduation.
We had to stay overnight in the "House of Mercy". I started to talk with the little girl Maria, she tells me a story about a Kolobok(the tale for children). Gradually moving the story about her childhood at home and her mom.
– Would you like to see her?
– Yes, very much. I am waiting for her, but she doesn't come.
– She was drinking vodka?
– Yes, and cognac – answers Maria, and it is clear that the poor child does not understand that it is through vodka and brandy her own mother had forgotten about her.
...We were coming back from Demence, filled with optimism. For the children that, in fact, left without parents, there is a hope. Also thought about the mission of the Church.
If the Church would have followers in this region,
then surely success will be in this direction, which was chosen by sister Magdalene and sister Paraskeva.
source: http://goo.gl/2QObU1
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