KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2024 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Phoenix Ukrainian Catholic church supporting parishioners, sending aid

A Phoenix Ukrainian Catholic church has spent the past week reaching out to parishioners with ties to Ukraine.

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox President Victor Szwez says the church is keeping its doors open as often as possible.

“We’ve started opening up our church in the evenings, we have it open as much as we can. Last night we were open, tonight we’ll be open, tomorrow we’ll be open,” said Szwez.

Szwez says he’s spoken to parishioners with immediate family in Ukraine, and that the church is beginning efforts to send humanitarian aid.

“You just keep getting reports, more and more people are dying, more and more people are injured, more destruction is happening, I mean it’s just continuous shelling, pretty much around the clock. It’s hard to watch,” said Szwez.

Szwez says one parishioner told him a story of bombs going off near their mother’s house.

Tags
Vaughan Jones was a reporter at KJZZ from 2020 to 2022.