Evergreen Park Parish, Community Support Ukrainian Refugees In Poland

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A united community effort to help the Ukrainian refugees took another step forward on Wednesday when a truck full of donations was loaded outside St. Bernadette Catholic Church on Francisco Avenue in Evergreen Park.

St. Bernadette parishioners have spent the last few weeks collecting items locally and offering monetary donations toward humanitarian aide for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of their country. In addition, St. Bernadette parishioners have also raised $55,000 in cash donations and combined those funds with $70,000 raised by parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Orland Park to benefit Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rzeszów, Poland.

Parishioners of Queen of Martyrs Church in Evergreen Park and students, their families and staff at St. Germaine School in Oak Lawn also contributed items. Donations have filled half of St. Bernadette’s Quonset hut.

Donations were accepted at several community locations, including Evergreen Park Community High School, which gathered 40 boxes of new toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs and brushes, children’s underwear, socks, disposable razors, blankets, diapers, baby formula, shampoo and bars of soap were among the most common items donated.

“This was a combined effort of Service Club, National Honor Society, Student Leadership and community donations,” EPCHS Service Club faculty sponsor Eileen Durkin said.

Donations were accepted at several community locations, including Evergreen Park Community High School, which gathered 40 boxes of new toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs and brushes, children’s underwear, socks, disposable razors, blankets, diapers, baby formula, shampoo and bars of soap were among the most common items donated.

“This was a combined effort of Service Club, National Honor Society, Student Leadership and community donations,” EPCHS Service Club faculty sponsor Eileen Durkin said.

St. Bernadette parishioners were joined by community members, Evergreen Park firefighters, student-athletes from Saint Xavier University, Brother Rice High School, EPCHS students and others in forming a chain and loading boxes full of supplies onto the truck.

Rev. Benedykt Pazdan, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish, grew up in a village near Rzeszów, the capital of the southeastern province of Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine. A seminary classmate of Fr. Pazdan’s is now the director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Rzeszów which is offering aid to thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war zone. Fr. Pazdan wants to help his former classmate gather as much support as possible.

"There is a lot of work being done in the region by Catholic Charities, and other organizations, to provide for the Ukrainian people fleeing the war zone," Fr, Pazdan said.

St. Bernadette Church is partnering with Rotary District 6450, which has a warehouse in Aurora set up to receive, sort and hold all physical donations until each week's transport to the Poland and Ukraine border. Rotary has secured space on a plane that will carry these collected items each week directly to those who need it most.

"There are folks on the ground in Poland/Ukraine to receive the goods and get them into action quickly," Fr. Pazdan said.

St. Bernadette parishioners and community volunteers pack a truck with supplies for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. | Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic