Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees to Poland with Fr. Damian Czerniak, SJ

On a given day, Fr. Damian Czerniak, SJ, faces a laundry list of responsibilities: finding Ukrainian refugees temporary housing, providing psychosocial support, assisting with paperwork, distributing funding, and maintaining contact with two Jesuit houses in Ukraine. Alongside Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Fr. Damian is coordinating the Jesuit response to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Since the invasion began in February, over 2 million Ukrainians have come to Poland seeking refuge. They’ve been met with a groundswell of support from aid organizations and from local communities. Volunteers line the Ukrainian border to offer food and hugs to arriving refugees, and many families, as well as religious communities like the Jesuits, are providing Ukrainian families with temporary housing. On today’s episode of AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Fr. Damian about this robust community-led support for refugees. They also discuss how vocation and faith have guided Fr. Damian across his life, from teaching French at Creighton Prep here in the U.S. to responding to a refugee crisis. If you want to support JRS’s work in Poland, click here: https://www.jesuitsmidwest.org/support-us/donate-now/ If you wish to donate directly to the Jesuits in Poland, please email Fr. Damian at damianczerniak@jesuits.net. Take action for Ukrainian refugees with JRS USA: https://www.jrsusa.org/take-action-for-ukrainian-refugees/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.