The first steps - "Unknown village"

Introduction

In Ukraine I`ve never been as a tourist. I never had a dream to work there. Yes I was reading some Ukrainian writers books in the childhood and in Seminary, but it was not moving my heart, comparing Belarus, Lithuania or Russia.

The first visits I made together with my Russian parishioners traveling together to Poland. This way I got to know at first Kiev and later Lvov and many other places. It gave me some idea about Ukraine.

In the year 2003 after coming to Makeevka I got bishop permission to visit all the parishes in our huge diocese of Kharkov-Zaporozhe. During 2 weeks I saw about 50 cities, chapels and churches. I was preparing the booklet about our priesthood and parishes` structure. It was imperfect small booklet for 40 persons.

Now after one year all these memories came back to me. I was influenced by enthusiastic youngsters on Kiev`s Maidan of Freedom. I wished to do something for Ukraine and I made poetries.

Fr. Jaroslaw Wisniewski

Makeevka, 22-nd December 2004

I. UKRAINIAN WEST

Lwow - Brzuchowice - 1997

Some settlement Brzuchowice
Small houses on the hill, sanatorium
Big desk on sectarian property,
Small humble desk: seminary.

Cold, humid walls of barracks,
Just bayed from the state.
First pioneers: seminarians,
From diocese of Lvov.

The air heavy because of smog
The Advent time is near.
Bless God these young heroes,
Offering their lives to You.

Lwow Cathedral

Something similar to Krakow:
The mina square and the streets,
Which you will walk to Cathedral,
Similar monument of Mickiewicz.

Inside the darkness like in Marian Church
But there is no signal of trumpet.
There are not so much tourists here
Like somebody stole the city soul.

Very high level of priesthood here,
Bishop Rafael, Cardinal Jaworski,
Small time resided Markijan Trofimiak,
Small time bishop Padewski...

Mother of Ukrainian churches
Today Cardinal`s Sea
The Sea of Most Kind Mary
She hosted here the Pope.

Anthony from Lwow

The church of Anthony on the hill
The "black-Conventual" Franciscans
Lucian, Wladislaw...group from Russia
In the patron`s day accept!

It was about ten years of "perestroika"
From dreams wake up old city Lvov:
Beautiful streets, very old houses
All of them need to be repaired.

Pilgrims from Russia from Taganrog,
Looking for Bus to Poland.
After deep prayer to Anthony
We happy came to Przemysl.

Tarnopol

We came to Parish House
And walking on the stairs
Were looking for the priest
Unfortunately absent

The rain was big and crazy
The road dusty of clay
We came to visit new church
This was under construction.

Luck - Cathedral

Volinian city, Bishops Sea
The walls white and high,
The large curial property
Caritas somewhere there.

Bishop Markiyan very glad
He likes to have guests home,
He likes to share his memories
Like King taking a court.

Diocese small, lack of believers,
We may explain because of war,
The bones of so many martyrs
Form foundations of the local Church.

Bishop Szelazek and Teresian sisters
Were working here together...
Novitiate now moved to Poland
To Podlasian Monki city.

I met sometime Pallotine priest,
In Krakow Piar Monastery.
He took in hands some flowers
To put on the Bishop Szelazek tomb...

He just came from Ukraine
To thank God for vocation,
These hard times he made studies in Riga
Far north in small Latvia.

I was so curios to ask him,
If there are many agents in seminary...
"Perhaps they were, but cannot stay,
Too hard not having vocation".

From him I got to know Szelazek
Also about tumults between two nations,
About beheaded and killed in water,
Polish villagers in Volin.

Pochaev

Traveling in the night
We loose the main road,
My friend who was driving was sleepy,
We made a short stop.

It was monastery on the hill
With very famous Uniat Pochaev-Icon
In Russian Tsar Times given to Orthodox
She was Volinian Patron well known.

Now the nation divided.
Unending discussions about property.
The first Rome met the Third
In one Pochaev Monastery.

II. CENTRAL UKRAINE

Zhitomyr 1996

Cathedral Square, Saint Sophia,
Classicistic church building.
Bishop Purwinski, poor parish house,
Capital of Zhitomyr Prefecture.

The Kiev street number 4
Church of Bernardine brothers
Movie Theater made by soviet regime
But now there is Franciscan Sea.

Choir moved on Presbytery,
Near old altar now the tower
Such was Franciscan perestroika
New flats in old monastery.

Brother Secretary is round as tomato.
Sitting with smile on computer,
New fax, copy machine, furniture...
You may forget that you are in Ukraine.

Mean time Curia of big diocese
Kiev-Zhitomyr
Is making impression of village office
Or post office in deep province.

Father Purwinski, silent man,
Melancholic: like most Latvians.
Keep smiling seeing friends
You have to come and see.

Korostishev 1996 - 2003

The large and long city
With wooden small houses,
Labyrinth of streets, the main Square
Stone made Immaculate Conception.

In old parish house young priest
His eyes sleepy and full of tears...
Broken to early by deep suffering
Sclerosis multiplex!

Another one, heavy, full of life
He was dismissed from Russia
Repairs the house, the work is hard
So he looks also tired.

"We were worthy to be dismissed"
He says with strange for him humbleness,
"It was better to go without waiting,
For such crazy Russian decision"

The tear appear hearing that,
And looking souls of both,
The first is dying because of sick,
The second: lack of freedom.

He is nostalgic for Cossacks,
Which he met there in Rostov,
They were at first not kind to him
But slowly he made peace with them.

Father Edward, funny man
You always was so radiant
Where is your smile and why
Became so big nostalgic?

Return to the steppe, all you return
Dismissed Polish pastors
Bring to the East your special view,
What is the church and human reality.

Please do not tell me too many sins
We have to be send on missions
Look at your friend he cries but prays
He does not escape from Ukraine!

Krasilov

I met in small settlement
The church with huge monastery,
There were so many guests
Youngsters in each corridor.

Labyrinth perhaps 3 flours
Downstairs big hall
So many people came
Evangelization School.

Brother Paul with face of prophet
And not seeing eyes
Perhaps it was just impression
The man was tired or sad.

I heard that he also is in Moscow
On the KGB "black list"
It is why the people from Russia
Have to come and visit him.

Vinnitsa

In Warsaw on Wyszynski Square
There is Commission for the East
There was some journalist priest
Visiting together with sister.

He came by own car from Vinnitsa
To take the books with him
I was also asking books of Faustina
So he helped me.

On my way to Murafa
I was looking sometime by the window
On the nice looking city
Large and full of hills.

In Rostov city I met father Koryak
Orthodox priest Vladimir
He was so friendly to me
Native from Vinnitsa.

Now in Makeevka city
Every second parishioner
Came from Vinnitsa or Zhmerinka
Kamenets or Murafa.

Murafa 1997

The blue church on the hill,
The motherhood of vocations
Far away from big politics...
But spiritual Podole capital

I met father Swidnicki
This is legendary man
He was strong and impatient
Singing songs with high voice.

I was told he partially loosed seeing
Somewhere in the Middle Asia
He was told that may him kill,
If he will still evangelize Moslems.

Somewhere he loosed chapel,
Somewhere he was in prison
He was so friendly with Protestants
And critical with Priests.

Small Murafa on Podole,
Gave us some great man,
Dozens of priests and nuns,
Even bishop in Odessa.

It is why Murafa is not a village,
Not town in Ukraine
Murafa is the corridor
Which show the way to heaven.

I was there some 3 hours,
In the village near bye
I saw the church throw the window
Just few seconds...

It seems I saw the tower
Making with Cross the whole in heaven
Throw this whole from the Cross
The grace is coming on earth.

Make human spirit happy
Maybe is telling you
Go on the deep see, not fear,
You will find good fish".

III. UKRAINIAN SOUTH

Dzankoj 1994

The point where Crimea and steppe
Unite like head by neck with Ukraine
The city Dzankoy, small station
Dirty new houses around.

Summer just noon time, tropical hot
Mother and sister of my colleague
They cannot go to Yalta baptize the baby
So happy that priest has come from Russia

I was going with curiosity
Because seminarian, which invited me
Was studying in Polish Seminary
In my native Bialystok.

We took all the missal books and chalice
To pray a Mass and baptize
Nobody these days from priests,
Was coming to the city Dzankoy.

Yalta 1994

Immaculate Conception church,
White, new gothic style,
Opening the road to the beach
The place was full of palms.

Organs inside behind altar,
It was soviet style,
To make organ concerts, not prayers
In times, when priests were killed or in prisons.

The icon of Holy Mary of Rosary
Right hand saint Catherine
Humble saint Dominic left hand
In white habit on the knees.

Odessa 1998

The train from Warsaw to Przemysl
Later to Odessa
Took the group of Rostov children
Which were visiting Poland.

I took the cheapest ticket
Around one thousand zloty
It was a gift from Caritas
Director was surprised seeing such a group..

Odessa half a way to Russia
We were waiting 3 hours.
It was just enough to see
The harbor and Black See.

We maid a visit in Cathedral
Praying some Holly Mary
And greeting local Salezians
Hurry back to the train.

IV. UKRAINIAN CAPITAL

Askolds Grave

Hot underground of church,
Very simple Way of Cross,,
Small sample of classicism,
Statue of Holy Mary.

On the roads of old cemetery
Was walking John Paul the Second
Looking on statue of Saint Andrew
And on the river Dnepr...

The sun, beginning of faith
Legends, trees, deserts
On the stone road of Kiev
The soul of Ukraine came back.

Saint Nicolas of Kiev

Red church in Ukrainian Capital
Damaged foundations
The walls also break,
During organ`s concerts.

Perhaps also damages,
Because of metro line like in Moscow
Just on the same place where are foundations
Of the local Immaculate church.

The rulers of Kiev like criminals,
Promise but never does
People very patiently wait
When will be church returned.

In Moscow and in Kiev
The same sad picture
Rich people is steeling territories,
Damaging beautiful churches.

Capuchins in Kiev

On the left side of the river
Like mushrooms after the rain,
Appear monastery towers,
Red roof and yellow walls.

Chapel, tower bell, garden,
Many place to enjoy time
In the parish house
I spent just one day.

Small eating room
The noodles on the dish.
Holly Mass, short speech,
All in Ukrainian language.

New walls, furniture
Fathers spend here big money,
I was looking in memory the legend
About small orphan in monastery.

Bread-wine, Emanuel
Good boy Marcellino
Felix which was loving children,
Stigmatic father Pio.

If you are looking for Francisco
Come on to Kiev...
Obligatory in autumn
In the hot evening.

Vortsel of Kiev

In the middle of mushrooms
Many small "dacha" houses
Grow also palaces of rulers
Good place for Seminary of Kiev.

The foils fall down on the road
Autumn, hard time for students
In the silence of trees spirit grows
Contemporary monks...

Alvernia of Saint Francisco
Egypt of Saint Anthony
May this forest became
A school of holiness...

Take care young seminarians
Take the Cross and holly altars.
The candle has to be shown,
Someday you also start burn.

V. WILD STEPPES

Zaporozhye

Near bye from the Circus
Not far from the police
The Merciful God in the Cossacks city
Unexpectedly got His Home..

The big city on Dnepr
In autumn full of smog
The lights of new settlements
In the wild steppe shine.

The horrible roads, full of wholes,
But you drive happy knowing
That in the city live Albertinians
They are very good hosts.

The soul of Chmielnicki far away
Perhaps will come to you in deep night
But do not be afraid, just pray
Holy brother Chmielowski.

Walking in the evening around
You do not need to take your rosary
Just push your hand on the stones
Reciting Hail Mary�just walk.

Saint Joseph in Dnepropetrovsk

Trying to visit the church
Not easy in Dnepropetrovsk.
No altars, no benches, no icons,
Only offices and the clerks.

In the entrance a man in black
Sawing me in sutana
Stand up and forbade me to enter:
"So said my boss" - he informed me.

What is his name I asked him but no answer.
It was very strange meeting
The priest cannot visit church because:
Dressed in sutana!

The temporary church is not far away
Small, law and dark
Like in soviet times today
Believers have no rights.

Saint Nicolas in Dneproderzinsk

By night is the best time to come
The large and long avenue fall down
From the side of Brezhnev monument
Is nice to go by car.

Lamps and the moon will give you
The deep feeling of nice spectacle
You will not see the dirty smog
Which slowly kills the citizens.

Also here like in Kiev
Saint Nicolas is the patron
Also here brothers Capuchins
Have convent in small houses.

The teenagers have own place
In the underground of church,
Small children have kinder Garden
Under Ursulan sisters.

Neo Catechumens has own chapel
Evangelization in garages...
The students of Christian courses
Many activities.

In the city of Saint Nicolas
Ash Sunday happens daily...
In the Spring, summer and Autumn.
Thanks metallurgical dust.

Pavlograd

Small church hidden somewhere
In the forgotten street,
Some lady promised to open
I wished to see the church, even in the night.

No priest here-sad destination
Of many communities in the country,
Give them our God some day
Good and permanent pastor.

Somebody was drinking beer
The bottle was staying on the street
And has gone, such is indifferent people
Not carrying about consequence.

VI. AZOV LAND

Berdyansk

In November the see is cold
White sand on the beach like sugar
Pink church facade new bells,
With high voice calls to pray.

Sisters of Merciful Jesus
Small parish house with a garden
The place where the old church was before
Today is a park and some Institute..

Too small territory and humid land
To difficult to built again.
Pity, because it was homeland for deans
Of part Ukraine and part of Russia.

Chekhograd

Potiomkin with Tsarina Catharine
Traveled by Dnepr in these places
To make pleasure for empress
Traveled also artificial village.

Today many towns and villages
Which were full of citizens before.
Became like Potiomkin theater
The church is empty also.

Priests from Slovakia, Czech nuns.
Do their best to reanimate,
The Christian life in the village.
They come here twice a week.

Melitopol

Chapel of Cyril and Methodius
In the simple Cossack garden
The holly statue and sisters house
Just behind the wall.

The priest humble, sisters with good humor
The guitar is in the chapel
They walk every year to Zaporozhye
On the pilgrimage to Merciful God.

There is also Czech lady poet
Writing in Ukrainian, but also in native Czech
Her ancestors came here
In Catharine` as times..

Small island of Czech Catholics
Two hundred years exists
In the Wild steppe of Ukraine
Working on their farms.

Mariupol

Four churches in the neighbor
Italians, Germans and Polish
Between big Greek Diaspora
Such is this strange city.

Bishop sends here St. Paul`s Order
To built New Czestokhova
Small chapel on the "evening market"
And miraculous Icon..

VII. DONBASS

Saint Joseph in Doneck

Street of Kommintern
The truth of all difficulties,
Which local Catholics suffered
Establishing own community.

Small Yozovka became big Stalino
Later Doneck but bad reputation
Has still as a place of unbelievers
Not easy to change such image.

Everything what is nice and good
Has to be proved many ways
All these ways saint Joseph
In the city Doneck followed..

The old church disappeared
Perhaps nobody care
New peace of land we got
Near from railway and Kommintern.

Saint Joseph in Makeevka

Twin Parish of Doneck
Parish satelite
Just fifteen kilometres
Between both places

Joseph in Doneck huge and nice
Made in tears but now
Full of activities, real life
There are many things to be proud.

Saint Joseph in Makeevka
On old Jewish settlement
Small chapel, little garden,
Parish for fifty persons.

Joseph have today in the garden
Small stone made tower
Some secrets for the future
Like Joseph in old Testament.

Mother Teresa of Metallurgy

Old church door from the snow and rain
Grow that impossible to open, difficult to close
On my efforts were looking ten of workers
I asked them to help, no answer...

The first time in my life I was so surprised
By the total absence of human feeling
Lack of kindness in simple thing
They were sitting and smoking cigarettes.

Mother Teresa looking on passivity
Of Calcutta people, even small lady
Was taking by herself heavy bodies of sick
Many years nobody helped her�

Big metallurgical enterprise
Just at front of nice and old church
Is bringing daily tons of dust
The only way of collaborating.

Holly Mary of Rosary in Bakhmut

Old Tartar settlement, old Donbass capital
Beautiful landscape...two hills and valley
Between them small river Bakhmutka
Slowly goes to the south.

Mines of salt, known in all soviet empire
Here produce jewelry and wine
Large streets, secession style of houses
Catholic church, two Orthodox, one Baptist.

The city of students, musicians, medics
Small, but same time great
People prayed just on the road
In the day of Rosary, patron day.

October, evening, cold and rain.
Sweet lunch at the end
Homeless parish at walls of own church
Wait for mercy and understanding.

VII. LUGANSK

Przevalsk

In Ukraine there are cemeteries
Without crosses and visible graves
There are fields o which some soldiers
Lay in the sand...

First old man walking, by case
Told us in Przevalsk,
That he remember the place
And explained us who have we go�

Behind regular cemetery
Some land like abandoned place
Some curved trees and small river
Hot, tropical air.

The died people was buried,
Sometime in snow or the sand
The land was showing the bones
After 50 years

I took some of then with me
And put them in the car
In the evening were simple prayers
For German soldiers which have no graves.

After some days in small box
I took the bones to cemetery
In the middle of old graves
I was looking for German names.

There was metallic grave of boy
Small Stolpen Alexander
Near there the chapel of monk
Holly man Phillip.

The grave was old, half empty
Waiting for my box
How many souls
Still wait for simple prayer.

Starobelsk

Thousands of polish names
To know them you have to visit Kharkov
Most of our officers were killed there by KGB
At first they were in Starobelsk.

The book about them wrote Mr. Czapski
They mostly were like heroes
But some was just in fear,
Not easy to wait for death.

There were some sick men
They died earlier than transport came
To take them in Kharkov forest
Some died in Starobelsk.

Forty bodies were buried
Near of KGB office
Without any cross or inscription
Between office and garage.

After exhumation now they lay
Far from the center in the forest
Sometime some pilgrims will came
Once a year, parishioners from Lugansk.

X. THE SECOND CAPITAL

Kharkov Cemetery

Four thousand iron desks
Just in the fresh air
The big bell tower like in grave
His voice cannot go far away.

Impossible in such a place
To walk, only on knees, you may
Impossible to talk, because they cry
As innocent victims of crime.

In fact they are very humble people
Without any aggression
When I was praying I was hearing:
"Go in peace, we bless you"

Glukhov - monument of Lenin

The small city Glukhov
One of Cossack capitals
Beautiful and full of churches
My friend stopped car to make photos.

I asked some lady the way
We were a bit lost, the first time these places
Traveling to the city Sumy
We were talking with her.

She answered in local dialect
That we have to move near Lenin...
He still is here not destroyed?
I was a bit kidding with her.

And she answered seriously
In her funny language
"If only possible we will destroy
And will put in the grave"

Such simple adventure
I remember from city Glukhov
Russian border is near here
But the people talk nicely in Ukrainian!