The silent auction for Ukraine aid ends Saturday at 7 p.m. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

silent auction

Catholic church parishioners fundraising for Ukraine humanitarian aid

Apr 7, 2022 | 2:22 PM

Parishioners at the St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church in La Ronge are raising funds to assist refugees and displaced people in Ukraine.

Members of the church have launched an online silent auction in solidarity with Ukraine featuring a number of items. The public can bid on items such as handmade pysanka (Easter eggs), quilts, baked goods, a beaded sunflower, a floral arrangement and more.

The winner of each silent auction item will also receive one dozen potato, cheese and onion perogies, which were made by church parishioners. The auction is being held on Facebook and can be accessed here.

“Our parish normally has a campaign to support the work of Development and Peace every Lent as part of our Share Lent campaign,” church member Linda Mikolayenko said. “The funds are then directed to our partner organizations in different countries. Occasionally, there will be special initiatives when there’s a crisis in a particular country.”

All proceeds from the silent auction will be donated to Development & Peace – Caritas Canada, to be directed to Caritas Ukraine for humanitarian aid in that country. Bids can be made by commenting on the item and bids will be accepted until April 9 at 7 p.m.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine began Feb. 24 and, as of April 7, the United Nations estimates there are more than 4.3 million refugees and nearly 6.5 million internally displaced persons. Thousands of soldiers from both countries have been killed.

“People generally want to help,” Mikolayenko said. “It’s a devastating situation and people want to help, but I think there is a sense of identification in some way because many of the people in Ukraine are displaced because of the war. We, in the North, know what it is like to be displaced because of forest fires. I think there may be that little bit of empathy that’s coming through.”

So far, Mikolayenko has been encouraged by the number of bids that have been made. She noted others have decided not to bid, but have still reached out to organizers wanting to donate. Those who would like to make a donation can do so by e-transferring sjvlaronge@gmail.com and donations exceeding $20 are eligible for a charitable receipt.

In years past, members of the St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church have raised funds for typhoon relief in The Philippines, as well as COVID-19 work in India. Parishioners have also fundraised for local organizations or causes.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno