For as long as he can remember, Dmytro has had two feet on Earth and a head in Heaven.
“Since a very young age, I have been dreaming of serving God and people as a priest,” says the 25-year-old. He’s been in good company, growing up in our Ternopil, Ukraine site surrounded by community-minded, faithful, and hopeful friends — both near, and far.
“In total, I have been sponsored for 18 years, and throughout this time, my sponsor, field worker and friends from the community always supported and guided me,” he says. “Thanks to the sponsorship program, I learned to enjoy life, communicate, believe in God and create.”
As soon as he graduated from high school, he launched into three years of training to be a deacon. The year the war broke out, Dmytro clung to his dream, and entered seminary.
It wasn’t the war that then threatened his future, it was cancer. In 2023, his mother, Olha, was diagnosed with stage III Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; his father, Vasyl, was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
“We spent all the family money on their treatment,” says Dmytro. “At that time, I doubted whether it was possible for me to continue studying when my parents were battling with cancer. I was ready to give up the calling of my heart for the sake of my parents’ health, as Jesus taught us.”
But thanks to supporters of Chalice’s critical needs program, the Ternopil site covered the costs of their treatment, and he could stay in school. Sadly, both died of their illness in 2024. Dmytro and his sister, Khrystyna, became guardians for their younger siblings, Viktor, Mariya, and Diana.
“Thanks to you, we have peace in our hearts because we know that together with you, we fought for the lives of our parents,” he says. “My mother died peacefully knowing that I would continue my studies and my dream of becoming a priest would come true.”
Thanks to everyone who supported higher education through our gift catalogue, Dmytro received ‘continuing education’ support for his seminary tuition, books, and school supplies.
When his mother heard the news, “her heart settled because every mother is always ready to sacrifice herself for her child. Thanks to you, I am studying, and my parents had the opportunity to receive treatment and be with us for a while longer.”
Thinking back to all the formative experiences he had through the Ternopil site’s programs, he gives back by organizing camps and activities for sponsored children that he so loved himself.
“Every day, I thank the Lord for everyone who puts their heart into helping deprived children all over the world. Your support gives us hope for a better future. Every sponsor and every donor is on my prayer list.”