“Despite the difficulties of the political situation, the communities continue their journey with creativity and perseverance, making every effort to preserve their faith and, above all, to put into practice what they believe”
-Fr. Levi dos Anjos Ferreira, SCJ
Fr. Carlos Luis Suárez Codorniú, SCJ, superior general, and Fr. Levi dos Anjos Ferreira, SCJ, general councilor, spent Triduum with the Dehonian community in Belarus.
“It was a singular experience for us, given the difficult moment that the country is going through,” wrote Fr. Levi on the general website, dehoniani.org. “However, the celebrations were filled with many faithful.”
Frs. Carlos and Levi visited with all six SCJ communities in the country. Currently the district has 13 members, many of whom are Polish. The Belarus mission was begun by the Polish Province over 30 years ago. It officially became a district of the congregation in 2002.
Since then, there have been several vocations. Of the 13 SCJs who serve in the district, seven are Belarusian, five are Polish and one is Moldovan. There is also a Belarusian deacon and an SCJ priest who are currently in Poland.
Dehonian communities and ministries are in the northwest, concentrated in the towns of Grodno, Postavy, Lachowicze, Worapojewo, Szarkowszczizna and Astryno.
“Despite the difficulties of the political situation, the communities continue their journey with creativity and perseverance, making every effort to preserve their faith and, above all, to put into practice what they believe,” wrote Fr. Levi. “They demonstrate this through the numerous social works that exist in the parishes, as well as through pilgrimages and other pastoral activities that bring together many young people and adults in an active and profound manifestation of their faith.”
Catholics in Belarus are only 10.58% of the population. The vast majority of people in Belarus belong to the Orthodox Church.
“Due to the lack of opportunities in small villages, many young people migrate to big cities in search of new job opportunities,” continued Fr. Levi. “This often leads to an older population in the rural areas, with many challenges…
“Fr. Carlos and I returned to Rome with hearts full of hope, having seen with our own eyes how suffering people keep their faith alive and hope for improvement in the near future. We are very grateful to our SCJ brothers for the work that they are doing in Belarus and we ask God to bless and encourage them to continue serving God’s people in these lands marked by so much suffering.”
