Amid the heart of war, Valentyna finds God waiting
Story by Mary Kay McPartlin
In December 2022, Catholic Life shared Valentyna Pavsyukova’s love story with God and how she was guided to create the nonprofit Chalice of Mercy. The past three years have seen the work done by Chalice of Mercy in Ukraine transformed in the way the organization supports life from conception to natural death.
The Work Continues
The nonprofit, which originally focused on providing other forms of aid, now delivers medical supplies to doctors working on the front lines of war. Valentyna spends spring, summer and fall in Ukraine working with volunteers and the doctors, in the thick of where bombs land.
“My country has no safe space. I live 20 kilometers (approximately 12.5 miles) from the front line,” Valentyna says. “A very large drone flies over my roof every day. It’s really hard to imagine living this life. Doing the mission work in Ukraine, every day I’m so thankful to God for being able to deliver the medical supplies.”
In the winter, she returns to the peace of Fairchild to focus on fundraising for Chalice of Mercy. Valentyna has lived in the rectory of the old St. Joseph Church since 2020. “It’s nice and quiet,” she says. “We’ve always been part of this diocese, and the support of the people of the Diocese of La Crosse has been immense. It touches me so much when I receive random messages from people that say, ‘I am praying for you.’”
On the Front Lines and the Cost to Get There
Life in Ukraine and life in Chippewa Falls could not be more different. Often, Valentyna experiences culture shock as she travels between her two homes.
“I’m often deep into the front lines delivering pallets. I see the wounded bodies of the men being brought to the military hospital,” says Valentyna. “It’s constant life and death, and sirens blare relentlessly. But, I’m more torn apart when I arrive back in the U.S. than when I’m focused in Ukraine. If we do not do this work, what will [the medical staff] use? The grace God gives all of us is incredible.”
The Chalice of Mercy warehouse in Ukraine is approximately 32,000 square feet. Pallets of medicine and other supplies are stored there and delivered to doctors to help with surgeries. Chalice of Mercy’s goal is to provide doctors with surgical tools that help them save lives by tending to wounded soldiers more quickly. For example, the body staplers Chalice of Mercy provides doctors with reduces the time needed to sew up soldiers from three hours to just 30 minutes. Valentyna coordinates with many organizations across the U.S. to receive these life-saving supplies, which are not available in Ukraine.
And as varied as the organizations are that donate supplies, the facilities in Ukraine receiving them are even more diverse. Depending on where the battles take place, the hospital providing care could be military, civilian or even a maternity center.
“We have shipped over $180 million in medical supplies,” Valentyna says. She adds, “With the unwavering support of so many people, we can continue to ship medical supplies and medicine for a reasonable price.” Recently, Chalice of Mercy purchased $30 million of medicine for just $10,000. This included oral painkillers, topical painkillers and vitamins. Shipping costs $7,000 to $8,000; however, on occasion, the organization can ship emergency supplies by air at no additional cost.
A recent delivery included wheelchairs designed for amputees to play soccer, supporting the former soldiers’ goal of joining Ukraine’s Paralympic soccer team. Chalice of Mercy provided 12 wheelchairs, allowing for two teams to practice together. Additionally, Nova Post, a private postal and courier company in Ukraine, shipped the wheelchairs at no cost.
“We have built an incredible logistics system that allows us to move really fast,” says Valentyna. “We also help organizations that work with families who have been internally displaced from their homes but cannot leave Ukraine.” Chalice of Mercy has also welcomed volunteers from the U.S., including a recent group from the Twin Cities to Ukraine.
Finding God in Battle
Valentyna knows that people outside the country may not understand, or even believe, the reality of war in Ukraine. But, the danger from Russian attacks is real and relentless; the war has decimated cities and communities all over Ukraine. Valentyna shares, “There are many brave people here. However, there is always a danger, and I warn people very seriously that it is a matter of life or death. Every day we lose young children to rocket fire that kills them in their sleep.”
Despite the danger, Valentyna feels God’s protection, allowing her to continue her ministry. Recently, Valentyna and her team were traveling to Zaporizhzhia to deliver pallets of medical supplies and were running about 90 minutes late.
Valentyna believes that the delay saved their lives. The medical checkpoint they were about to visit was struck by a Russian missile at the exact time Valentyna’s team should have been in front of the building. “Thankfully, the doctors were underground,” says Valentyna. “No one died, but they all suffered concussions from the explosion’s blast wave.”
“This is where faith has to lead us,” Valentyna says. “There is no other place that I have felt God so strongly as when I visit the war’s front lines. It’s hard to understand, but spending time there feels like spending time in eucharistic adoration—and only because of His grace is this possible. “My faith must be visible in what I do. Every time doctors come to our warehouse, they tell us that they encounter God’s presence. They arrive weighed down, and they leave uplifted.” The love God gives me moves me. I can suffer, but that suffering is not what moves me. I know God is waiting for me and ultimately, I want to be at the foot of His cross.”
Lifted in Faith
Catholicism and faith are growing in Ukraine. Although religion was discouraged for so long, God is finding people in the midst of war.
Valentyna does what she can to bring God’s comfort to men who need it most. The Blessed Mother is a reminder of her Son’s love. “Soldiers love praying the Rosary and once taught how to do so, find the devotion soothing,” says Valentyna. She explains that, for many, placing the Rosary around their necks feels like putting on a shield of God. They don’t know theology, but in the way they receive and carry the Rosary, it is clear that God has begun to write the faith on their hearts.
Healing from the experience of war, both physically and emotionally, is difficult. For former prisoners, including some who experienced torture, pilgrimage to Medjugorje—a village in Bosnia-Herzegovina where many pilgrims gather in devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary—can become part of a process of healing through prayer, reflection and spiritual support. For this reason, Valentyna has organized two pilgrimages to the site to help those struggling with the aftereffects of their captivity.
Bringing Love in War
Help is what Chalice of Mercy provides. That help looks different for different people, but Valentyna and her organization are always ready. “We adapt to whatever the need is,” she says. “We never put ourselves into a situation where we can’t do something.”
“This ministry still is my love story with God,” says Valentyna. She adds, “It would be too easy to run away and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore, God, I am too tired.’ But instead, God is opening His heart to me and asking me to work with Him. If something happens to me, I know I’ve given everything I could to God.”
“There is no other place that I have felt God so strongly as when I visit the war’s front lines. It’s hard to understand, but spending time there feels like spending time in eucharistic adoration—and only because of His grace is this possible.
“We have shipped over $180 million in medical supplies,” Valentyna says. She adds, “With the unwavering support of so many people, we can continue to ship medical supplies and medicine for a reasonable price.”
Pull 3: “She explains that, for many, placing the Rosary around their necks feels like putting on a shield of God. They don’t know theology, but in the way they receive and carry the Rosary, it is clear that God has begun to write the faith on their hearts.”
“The support of the people of the Diocese of La Crosse has been immense. It touches me so much when I receive random messages from people that say, ‘I am praying for you.’”
To learn more about Chalice of Mercy and support their efforts, use your camera’s smartphone to scan the QR code to the right.
To read the 2022 article written about Valentyna in Catholic Life, use your camera’s smartphone to scan the QR code to the right.
To listen to the recent episode of the podcast “Connecting the Diocese” with Valentyna as a guest, use your camera’s smartphone to scan the QR code to the right