From hiding in a dormitory basement while air raid sirens wailed, to honoring a nationwide minute of silence, to standing vigil alongside a grieving grandmother, Andrea Neagle has witnessed firsthand the toll of war on the Ukrainian people.
“We hear this word ‘resilience’ often associated with Ukrainians. And yes, their resilience is extraordinary,” Neagle said. “But I think in some ways, when we talk about resilience, it diminishes what they have to deal with every single day.”
Neagle is the former Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Allentown. She is now Executive Director of Ukrainian Catholic Charities USA. She has traveled to Ukraine three times since 2025, each time at the invitation of Metropolitan-Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
Her first visit, in September 2025, centered on Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. Neagle described it as "an institution that was kind of raised from post-Soviet ashes."
While staying in a dorm on campus, Neagle remained constantly aware that the war was never far away. When sirens sounded at night, she followed the students in her dorm downstairs.
"All these kids just know what to do," she said. "They bring a yoga mat, their pillow, their AirPods, and a blanket, and try to sleep until the all clear, because they get up and start classes in the morning."
She also visited two rehabilitation centers for wounded service members, many of them amputees. The centers are called Unbroken and Superhumans, and both receive support from a humanitarian fund provided by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
“That was a very tangible way to encounter the everyday results of the war,” Neagle said. “The scale of the war — and of the physical war wounds — is extraordinary.”
Her following trips, in January and August, focused on Caritas Ukraine, an international charitable foundation that distributes funding to hundreds of parishes and other local organizations in the country to provide aid to those in need. Caritas Ukraine is an essential partner with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in its outreach to the Ukrainian people.
The east was too dangerous to visit, so Neagle traveled through western Ukraine and saw about 20 Caritas Ukraine programs. The type of assistance offered varies, but many of the programs help displaced people from the east. These people often arrive with nothing, face a language barrier because they speak Russian rather than Ukrainian, and need housing, work, or education for their children. Many of the programs also emphasize mental health support.
In January, Neagle joined priests and bishops for prayer services at two sites in Ternopil that were struck by missiles in November 2025. At the second site, an apartment building visibly charred even months later, a woman stood watching and crying. Her friend explained that the woman's child and grandchild had died in the building. The woman then led the group into the apartment.
"You could still smell the fire and the smoke," Neagle said. "And there she stood, in the very room where her child and grandchild had died. I don't think any of us who were there can ever forget that experience."
Every morning at 9 a.m., Ukraine observes a national minute of silence. The minute is announced on radio and television, and drivers will even pull over to the side of the road out of respect.
"No matter where you are, everyone stops. It's a sacred moment," said Neagle. "It's a really beautiful tribute to the sacrifice that so many families are making for the sake of independence."
By her third visit, she sensed a sober realization that "there really is not a short-term end in sight."
“You know, even when you walk the streets in the relatively safe areas of Ukraine, there is a military presence. It reminds you that even though you may be enjoying a coffee at a cafe outside, there's still war,” Neagle said.
"Many [Ukrainians] will tell you there is no choice," she said. "'We are fighting for our existence.'"
What struck her most was how closely the Ukrainian Catholic Church walks alongside people of every background, not only Catholics.
"The [Ukrainian Catholic] Church is responding with not just physical assistance," she said. "What the Church is doing is embracing, loving, walking alongside so many people, and really living out the Gospel in everyday life."
Back home, the Healing of Wounds of the War in Ukraine Fund (HWF) was established by the four Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the U.S. in 2024, and it has since raised $12.1 million for vetted programs.
But when people ask how they can help Ukrainians, Neagle's first answer is prayer.
"There's a moral element to this war," she said. "Without prayer, that will never shift. So, I always ask people to pray for the leaders of Ukraine and its people."
Above all, Neagle said that she wants Americans to know that life in Ukraine goes on. Galleries and coffeehouses are open, and the arts are thriving.
"There is a beautiful life going on in Ukraine, and it's intentional," she said. "This is an act of resistance in itself: No matter what, we are going to continue to celebrate life, our culture, our heritage."
Those interested in supporting the HWF fund or learning more about the recent efforts of Ukrainian Catholic Charities USA can contact Neagle at aneagle@ukrcatholic.org.
Photos by Andrea Neagle.
Header Photo: Residential building targeted by Russian missiles.
Photo 1: Ukrainian Catholic University students sleeping on then floor of the bomb shelter during an overnight air raid.
Photo 2: A portion of the Field of Honorary Burials, in Lviv, Ukraine, widely known as Marsove Pole or “Mars Field.” There are over 1500 modern burials, and the site recently was expanded as the full-scale invasion continues.
Photo 3: The woman who guided Neagle and companions into the apartment where her adult child and grandchild perished in the November, 2025 attack.
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