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Picnic with homeless

Fine weather, birch clearing in the woods, hot hearts of volunteers, fathers and sisters, peace and joy – that was the way a picnic with the homeless looked like. 

“The Picnic with the homeless” took place on May 19, 2018, in Kyiv. For the fifth year in a row that event was arranged by the Sisters of the Miraculous Medal in cooperation with the Missionary Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul and volunteers of the Charity Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The picnic program included a short catechise, lunch and outdoors fun activities.  Organizers prepared songs, activities and games, while The Last Barricade restaurant cooked a warm lunch. Two weeks before, those homeless people visiting the Warming Center received their invitations for that event to which they always looked forward.

The picnic started with a catechise on the Resurrection preached by Fr. Mykhailo Talapkanych, CM. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain,” the Father cited the words of apostle Paul. He stressed that without the Resurrection there would be no picnic, no vocations of sisters or brothers, neither would there be any one of us. Fr. Mykhailo also made everyone believe God was present at that event, for “wherever Christians gather together in God’s name, there is God present among them.”

Moreover, the Father spoke about the rehabilitation center in Fedorivka, where alcohol and drug addicts, while being there, thought about their own resurrection – from sins and addictions. So, he encouraged those in need of help to visit that center. Ending his catechise, Fr. Mykhailo wished everyone “to believe strongly in Resurrected Jesus and to take care of their own soul.”

Having said the Our Father, all those present sang together to the guitar “Chervona Ruta”, “Oi Chorna Ia Sy Chorna” and other Ukrainian folk songs. Together, we danced, had fun and laughed during contests and games.

Everyone tasted hot sausages which were so deliciously cooked by “chef-cooks” Ruslan and Vania, and then we had a warm lunch and tasty baking. After the lunch, we started playing a communication game called the Ungame. In small groups, we talked to each other, answered questions about different moments in life, about the things making us happy, or else about feeling or not feeling lonely, about personal dreams, about what one would do if given a chance and about lots of not less interesting issues…

You could feel the experience under players’ belt – of both numerous tough moments and injustice and of joyful memories and minutes of past and present life. Asked about his dream, Mr. Anton said that all his life he wanted to become an architect, but he never became one. However, he was still drawing for himself and making sketches. Asked about the happiest day in his life, Mr. Fedir broke in tears and said that was the birth of his daughter. Concluding the game, Mr. Serhii summarized “we are all different and live in ‘different dimensions’, that is why our answers do differ from yours (meaning the volunteers).” Volunteer Khrystyna is sure “God created us in His image, and we are all equal, but next everyone chooses his or her own way.”

The aim of the picnic is the communication between those helping and in need of help. It offers an opportunity to open up, find some support or maybe even a real friend. This picnic is the time when all of us become equal, free of statuses, welfare and are just children of God. There is no one who is better or worse here. It is the time when everyone feels being friends with others, friends at the picnic.

The picnic ended with sweet gifts, goodbye hugs and words of gratitude. With smiles on their faces, strengthened both physically and spiritually, all those present returned home: someone to their own apartment, others to a shelter for the poor, but someone to the street again.

Oksana Pavelko, volunteer of the School of Volunteers

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