Prayer vigils, prayers at the end of Mass, generous offerings of a home, money, clothing, food and medication have been constant since the start of the Ukrainian invasion.

Here are some unusual photos of an Archbishop buying nappies, bedding and all sorts of supplies for the Ukraine, and hear his podcast on his visit to the Polish Community in Balham.

Trafalgar Square Rally

On the 5th March the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral organised a prayer rally in Trafalgar Square, attended by the Nuncio, the Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, Archbishop Angaelos, Archbishop Bernard Longley, Rt Rev Keith Newton Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and Fr Damian Howard, Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain, along with lots of members of the public

BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme

Interviews with Ukrainian refugees who had recently fled the Ukraine and were being helped by the Jesuit Refugee Service in Poland. They reflect on how their faith was helping them to cope with the situation. JRS is very active helping the refugees in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries.

Truck loads

The Tablet reported on how two trucks loaded with aid supplies collected by the Archdiocese of Liverpool left for Ukraine on 2 April. Camp beds, sleeping bags, and medical supplies were included in the consignment described by Bishop Thomas Neylon as “a physical expression of prayer”. The trucks will be met in the Ukrainian diocese of Sambir-Drohobych by Bishop Gregory Komar, who was taught by Liverpool priest Fr Francis Marsden when he was studying for the priesthood. The supplies include items specifically requested by Bishop Komar, and were collected through the archdiocesan Help Ukraine appeal. They will be distributed amongst refugees in western Ukraine.

Ecumenical Prayer Service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London

Senior church leaders representing various denominations gathered in an ecumenical hour of prayer led by the Rt Rev Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family in London. They included the Bishop of London Sarah Mullaly and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols and were joined by the Faith Minister Kemi Badenoch. Other leaders who joined the prayer were the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop Angaelos, the Moderator of of the Thames North Synod of the United Reformed Church Rev George Watt; Rev Les Isaac from the Ascension Trust; Rev Phil Barnard Team Leader of the Baptist Association and Lt-Cl David Shakespeare, Divisional commander, North London Salvation Army.

Roadside Vigil outside the Russian Embassy

Since the invasion there has been a constant vigil of prayer held across the road from the Russian Embassy in London by Ukrainians and supporters. Groups are often praying the rosary, singing hymns, and as they pass by, cars, lorries and busses honk their horns in solidarity.

London’s traffic was brought to a standstill on 28th March by hundreds of thousands of people marching in solidarity with the Ukraine during the aggression being carried out by Putin’s army.

The Nuncio visited Napier Barracks

Ukrainians are not, of course, the only refugees who are suffering dreadful displacement and trauma. The UK’s Government policy of maintaining a hostile environment for refugees seeking asylum means that there are a number of detention centres around the country holding refugees for indefinite lengths of time whilst their asylum claims are processed.

There is a huge backlog of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision, the Home Office stated: "At the end of 2021, there were 81,978 cases (relating to 100,564 people) awaiting an initial decision, 60% higher than the previous year.” In the meantime, these people live in limbo and fear of being sent back to an unsafe place of warfare, oppression or famine.

At the request of Pope Francis, the Papal Nuncio to the UK, His eminence Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti visited one such detention centre, Napier Barracks in Folkestone on a freezing day in March. He was accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop for Westminster, Paul McAleenan, who leads on migration and asylum issues at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales.

Following the visit, the Nuncio gathered with refugees, NGO workers and volunteers in the Church Hall of the Parish of St Paul’s in Dover. There, over a warm welcome of tea, coffee and biscuits, in front of some 30 young men who had been driven across from Napier by volunteers in their cars, he said that it was his privilege “….to be the expression of the love of Peter and the successor of Peter who conveys the message of Christ that each person is a masterpiece.” He spoke with the young men for some time and then the meeting became more informal, giving an opportunity to speak more privately in small groups.

The final stage of the day was to walk down together to the seafront where there are some plaques commemorating asylum seekers who have died attempting to cross the English Channel. One of the these has some words of Pope Francis inscribed on it: 'Every migrant has a name, a face and a story'. Here we prayed for the dead, led by one of the refugees and by the Nuncio. It was a beautiful occasion of solidarity and fraternal love.

Additional Link: Consecration of Russia and the Ukraine to Our Lady of Fatima in Southwark Cathedral by Archbishop John Wilson.

Response by the Catholic Church in England & Wales to the War in Ukraine