A recent visit to the Ukraine

The Monastery Garden of 7 Vechirnia Street, Lviv

Our Basilian Sisters have done a lot to preserve this garden which was used by Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky during the last years of his life. The statue of the Immaculate Conception was erected and blessed in 1998. The brick wall surrounding the property was finished in 2003 and gives the monastery an enclosure and privacy from the busy street.

On 2nd June we accompanied the Sisters on their visit to a high security prison to visit one of the inmates whom they were especially asked to help by the prison Govenor. Both the Govenor and the prisoner were delighted to see the sisters.

Before leaving the prison we were photographed

outside the Church built by the prisoners

The body of Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky has been relocated to the Redemptorist church of St Josaphat in Lviv.

Above is the monastery complex of

Our Lady of Pochaiv

The monastery was founded in the 13th century by Catholic Eastern monks who fled the Tartar invasion. In 1713 the monastery became a center of the Basilian monastic order. Our Lady appeared in Pochaiv and nearby on the Holy Mount (Svyata Hora) leaving a spring of holy water near the impression of Her footprint.

The Shrine of Our Lady's Footprint inside the Pochaiv monastery Cathedral

We took our handpainted icon of Our Lady of Pochaiv from the monastery to the Holy Mount. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who went before us to the Holy Mount had left colourful ribbons on the trees that mark the path through the forest to the top of the mount.

Sviata Hora

The Holy Mount

The top of the Holy Mount is a pleasant contrast to the hustle and bussle of the monastery. The only structure on the mount is the canopy covering the holy well. The atmosphere of silence and nature easily lends itself to prayer and is like a very early morning at the grotto of Lourdes when there is hardly anyone present. We blessed our icon here.

Another Holy Spring

This holy spring in honour of the Mother of God is constantly frequented. It is situated on the road between Lviv and Ternopil. There had previously been a church near the site but it was destroyed by the communists in 1962. Ukraine has many holy wells and springs in honour of the Mother of God.