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This summer, Gannon University Chaplain Father Michael T. Kesicki ’83 had the opportunity to spend a month in Lviv, Ukraine assisting at the Ukrainian Catholic University’s English Summer School. The Ukrainian Catholic University was founded in 1928 and is considered a top school in Ukraine. The English Summer School began in the 1990s and has become an integral part of the school-required language-immersion experiences.
Father Kesicki shared his first introduction to the program: “I first came to Ukraine in 1997 as a teacher in the early years of the English Summer School and returned the following summer. Since then, my responsibilities at 名媛直播 and in the Diocese did not afford me the time to continue with this, but Ukraine and the courageous spirit of the Ukrainian Catholic Church maintained a hold on my heart so that I tried to stay close to the developments of the growing university.”
He reconnected with the program in 2023. “With the outbreak of COVID in 2020 and the war in February 2022, the summer school was suspended and offered only as a remote (on-line) experience,” he explained. “Last year, the school proposed reviving the in-person experience, so I wrote to them and asked if they could use a Roman Catholic priest on the staff. The director, Tania Basiuk, wrote back immediately and said I was an answer to prayer as they did not yet have a priest to be the spiritual director for the summer school. I joined a volunteer crew of 20 individuals from the U.S., Australia and the U.K. along with the language department of UCU who organized the summer school.”
Father Kesicki noted that while Lviv is not near the ongoing war in Ukraine, the effects are still felt, stating, “The war is very much on their minds as they go shopping, meet in the public squares, have a meal out with friends, see a show. This summer, we had daily power outages for one to two hours to relieve the stress on the power grid. This did not disrupt our work as everyone was prepared to adjust readily. While many of our students are deeply affected by the war... I found it important to listen as students brought up the war but did not initiate the conversation as not everyone wants to talk about it just because some foreigner wants to hear their experience.”
When asked to summarize his experience in Lviv, Father Kesicki said, “The students and the whole university community are strong, courageous, faith-filled and ready to encourage each other. I was honored to accompany them and honored that they found my presence meaningful and valuable. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up back in Lviv next June.”
