"It will be the hardest one since World War II," said Jan Sobiło (pictured), auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia.

"I already ordered wood from western Ukraine; it will be a very hard winter with many shortages of gas, electricity and water supplies," the bishop told Crux.

"People are installing heating units for wood and coal; they don't have a choice, winter is not wonderland here, and certainly it won't be this year," he said.

Zaporizhzhia is the location of a nuclear power plant currently occupied by the Russians.

The Russian forces and Ukrainian army accuse the each other of shelling the plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe.

"That would be a disaster on many levels, including humanitarian, since we have so many IDPs [internally displaced people] from Mariupol and Melitopol here," Sobiło said.

"We pray, of course, that it doesn't happen, but we are also ready for potential evacuation, and for spending days in our basements to wait until the radioactivity goes down a bit and people are allowed to move," he said.

It is not a common image to see a bishop in a bulletproof vest, but this is the reality of Sobiło's current ministry. He is often visiting soldiers in hospitals and comforting people who lost their loved ones.

The bishop said during a war a priest becomes as close as a family member to his people.

"Sometimes we are like a brother, sometimes like a father, and sometimes like a son to someone. Our ministry is now very individual, so any time there is a particular need to help spiritually or materially, we go wherever we're needed," he said.

Although born in Poland, the bishop said he has no plans to leave Ukraine for his homeland's safety.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told Crux. Like all the Catholic bishops in the country, he is staying with his people.

"If our people stay, we stay. When they're forced to go, we'll go. If God wants us here, God will provide."

Sources

Crux Now

"The Ukrainian authorities know education is vital for the country's future, so everything is being done to get youngsters back to school, even while our soldiers are fighting at the front," Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia told Catholic News Service.

"Although the war drags on, there are basic things we must provide them with, including the possibility of being educated. Children can best help Ukraine and their families by studying for their homeland's future."

Classes restarted across Ukraine on 1 September after months of disruption caused by Russia's 24 February invasion, amid warnings that children needed protection against shells and bombs.

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Brother Vasyl spoke with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from a village near Mariupol in south-east Ukraine. Mariupol is an important port, lying only 60 kilometres from the Russian border. However, it is near the areas under separatist control and under heavy fire.

Magda Kaczmarek, Project Manager for Ukraine with ACN, reported, "The leading bishops of the country have made an appeal not to leave the country. That is a difficult decision, above all for priests of the Greek catholic church, many of whom are married. They are afraid not so much for their own lives as for the safety of their children and families".

Project partners from Kyiv and many other towns across the country have reported shootings and explosions. Many have spent the night in presbyteries and bunkers says Kaczmarek. It's unclear what target will be attacked next.

Pauline priest Roman Laba from Bowary, a suburb of the capital Kyiv, said in a video message to ACN that a rocket attack on the city killed seven people and wounded 17. The city has experienced multiple rocket attacks, prompting many people to leave for the west of the country.

"Many people came to the parish looking for help and shelter. So we have set up emergency accommodation in the basement of our monastery and in the unfinished monastery church. Currently we have around 80 people with us including members of the parish and people from surrounding buildings" says Fr Roman. "Please pray for Ukraine" ends the message.

Bishop Jan Sobilo, from Saporischschja in eastern Ukraine, is originally from Poland but rejects any suggestion of getting to safety. "I came here to serve the people. This terrible time of war must also turn itself into a blessing so that goodness and love win."

The Latin rite bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporiyia has spent the past days in a bunker with several families, as well as with his Orthodox counterpart. Amid the constant bombings, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk sent a message saying "we are really surprised and very grateful for the mobilisation of so many people, not only all over Ukraine but also abroad".

"I wish for this war to end as quickly as possible. But while evil has shown itself to be so strong, this has also exposed a lot of good. In a way, the evil we are experiencing also squeezes the good juice from the grape, and that good juice is our compassion, mutual support and love. It shows our true faces. God bless you all! Thank you!" Bishop Honcharuk said.

The bishop concluded, "my message is short because we are under constant bombardment and I am a little nervous, but we try to act normally. God bless you!"

Sources

Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need