Extension magazine - Winter 2022

12
BUILD
Cover Story
Extension | Winter 2022 13
we turned to some
extraordinary children
to help us see our God
and our world through
their lens.
These words and
images come from
two groups of children
whom you are supporting
through your generosity.
They come from different
cultures and parts of the
world, but what they share
in common is faith—faith in
the midst of terror, violence
and war.
The first group is from
Sacred Heart Catholic School
CATHOLIC
EXTENSION’S
SUPPORT IN UKRAINE
Catholic Extension has supported
the Ukrainian Catholic
Church in the United States
since 1979. This relationship
provided us an immediate and
effective pathway to help the
Catholic Church in Ukraine
as it cares for vulnerable people
in the war-torn nation. Our
support helped Church leaders
evacuate, shelter, feed and
comfort families, orphans and
the elderly. These refugees
continue to rely on the outstretched
arms of the Church
as the war rages on.
11-year-old Vlada-
Maria Hohlochova,
a refugee of Ukraine,
shows her letter and
Christmas angel.
LEFT The fifth grade
artist of this picture,
who lost a cousin
in the violence,
asked the pope to
“come and bless
Uvalde.”
ABOVE An Uvalde parent prays for the safety of her daughter at Mass on the first day
of school at Sacred Heart.
ABOVE RIGHT As seen through the eyes of an Uvalde student, this picture shows the
baby Jesus cradled in His mother’s arms, much like the parents of Uvalde have held
their children closely following the violence of May 2022.
in Uvalde, Texas, whom you
have supported with scholarships
and healing ministries.
Many of these children were
directly impacted by the mass
shooting which took place in
May 2022 at Robb Elementary
School. Catholic Extension
invited them to:
• Write letters to Pope
Francis expressing their
hopes and feelings, and
• Draw a picture of the
Nativity answering the
question, “If Jesus came
today, where would He be
born?”
Additionally, we reached
out to the children of Ukraine,
displaced by war and housed
in a convent with religious
sisters—a ministry you have
also been supporting this
PHOTO JUAN GUAJARDO
year. They gave us letters and
Christmas art to contemplate.
In the midst of the brutality
that they have witnessed,
these children of Uvalde and
Ukraine give witness to their
faith in a tender God, born
in a manger, who is capable
of bringing them heavenly
peace.
These writings and drawings,
along with our reflections
on them, are presented
to you as a reminder of the
hope we share across the
country and world, in a person
named Jesus who said,
“Let the children come to me”
(Mt 19:14).
May the simplicity and
beauty of these children’s
heartfelt art and words bring
us all closer to the true spirit
of Christmas.
CATHOLIC
EXTENSION’S
SUPPORT IN UVALDE,
TEXAS
Catholic Extension has been
connected to the community
of Uvalde since helping
to build its Catholic church
and school in the early 1900s.
Following the tragic mass
shooting at Robb Elementary
School in May of this
year, in which 19 students and
two teachers were killed, we
began supporting ongoing
ministries led by Catholic sisters
to help heal families. Catholic
Extension provided scholarships
to help more than 30
children transfer to Sacred
Heart Catholic School. We are
continuing to fundraise to provide
multi-year scholarships
and help more families who
wish to transfer their children.