From the first days of the war, Mr. Philip Hick, his wife and other Irishmen met Ukrainians in the city of Hawes, Ireland. At that time, everyone was confused by the war: both the settlers from Ukraine and the Irish themselves. After all, everyone saw uncertainty ahead.
But the broad soul of Mr. Philip helped to overcome even the language barrier and forever leave the door of both his soul and the Church of St. Mary in Hawes open for Ukrainians. The interview turns the pages of the history of the Irish people's support for Ukrainians in such a difficult time of war.
Boundless gratitude and a deep bow to Mr. Philip Hick, the priest of the Church of St. Mary in Hawes, Ireland and the Irish for their sincere spiritual support and help to Ukrainians!
Transcript of the interview:
Alla Korolevska: Hello everyone, this is Alla Korolevska, and my social project "Ukraine is for Ukrainians and Ukrainians are for Ukraine." I am very happy to introduce to our audience a very special guest for our project. This is the priest of St. Mary Church in the region of Dublin, Ireland, Rev. Philip Heak, the director of St. Mary's Church. He is one of the first persons who met our Ukrainian refugees. I don't like this word; I would prefer to say "displaced people" because the word "refugee" often has negative connotations. So, "displaced Ukrainians" works quite well.
Rev. Philip Heak: Don't you remember your first impressions when you met Ukrainians when the war broke out in February? For everybody in Ireland, we watched feeling absolutely helpless as we saw Ukraine being invaded. Then, as the footage was shown every day, we started to realize, "Hang on, these people are just like us." We saw people carrying their animals and everything that was happening, but we still felt that feeling of helplessness. In the initial month or so after the invasion, people raised money, and we sent it over with the Red Cross. But then, within a few months, Ukrainians started to arrive in Ireland. I moved to H, where my parish is, in May. About two weeks later, we found out that some Ukrainians were going to move into H. Very quickly, we called together all the different churches and voluntary communities. I remember the first meeting; I think we had 30 people there, and we were all saying, "How can we help?" We came up with a very simple rationale: we wanted to help provide a safe place for Ukrainians.
The Ukrainians moved into a hotel that had closed down but was being renovated. As the rooms were being prepared, Ukrainians were being moved in. The first Ukrainians that came, most of them from Mariupol, arrived with nothing, under terrible stress. Many had spent quite a while in bunkers and had very little or no English. They didn't quite know how they found themselves in Ireland. My first impression of them was that they were very resilient people. We had a meeting in my church where we invited all the Ukrainians down, and they all turned up. Few spoke English, but we had a few people in Ireland who could speak Russian, so we were able to communicate a little bit. Within a very short period, friendships started to build. We started to share music both ways. What we discovered was a very strong, resilient people, very similar to us in Ireland. Even though they needed help, they didn't really want to accept it, but they did, God bless them. We found them to be very honest and people of integrity.
Alla Korolevska: You like to repeat that we are similar. What kind of similarities do you see?
Rev. Philip Heak: The classic Irish person is white-skinned, maybe with dark hair or red hair, and blue or green eyes. I don't look very Irish; I have dark hair and dark skin. But a lot of Ukrainians have dark hair, blue or gray eyes, and white skin. I've met quite a few Ukrainians with red hair. Maybe it's our common Viking or Celtic heritage, I don't know. But people would say to me in our church, "Are they Ukrainian?" and I would say, "Yes, because they look similar to us."
Alla Korolevska: What about mentality?
Rev. Philip Heak: The mentality is similar. We find that a lot of people from Ukraine are very well-educated, very good at science and mathematics. Musically, we share quite a lot in common. I play a lot of music, so we would teach them our songs, and they love "Molly Malone" and various songs. They also taught us Ukrainian songs. Another thing we share in common is a love of food. We've had a lot of shared meals. For instance, many Ukrainians moved in around June, and by July, a group of Ukrainian ladies organized a borscht feast which fed about 100 people.
Alla Korolevska: How did you manage to organize that?
Rev. Philip Heak: We had people who took them shopping, and they discovered there are lots of Polish shops in Ireland. We have a huge community from Poland here, so they got all their bits and pieces. In our church, we have a kitchen, so we let them use it. They got the food ready, and we had a wonderful afternoon of sharing between our two cultures, Ukraine and Ireland. At that stage, very few Ukrainians spoke English, and we didn't speak any Ukrainian, so it was a wonderful sharing experience through food and fellowship.
Alla Korolevska: What about plans for the future?
Rev. Philip Heak: Two years ago, when the Ukrainians first moved in, the needs were very immediate. At our first meeting, we asked the Ukrainians to join us, and we had translators to learn and understand their needs. They needed basic things like soap and toothpaste. The big request was for English lessons, which we were able to provide. Many had arrived with very little, so there was a need for clothing and shoes. The host community was incredibly generous in giving. We had a free shop where people could take what they needed.
As the Ukrainians settled and things got better, they didn't need that anymore, which was brilliant. We also had a Friday drop-in center for friendship, with refreshments, Irish dancing, and music. Now, a lot of the Ukrainians are working and studying, so their needs have changed. It's more about friendship and letting them know that if they need help, we can possibly help them. It works both ways because I know that if I needed something, I could ask the Ukrainians, and they would help. We've had work parties in the church, helping with the grounds, and many Ukrainians would come and help with that.
Alla Korolevska: It is very cool and often heard that many Irish people are very open to supporting Ukrainians. I know that many retired people visited you and asked how they could help.
Rev. Philip Heak: There is a wonderful organization called F. One of the most pressing needs was English conversation. It encourages retired people to volunteer and help with English conversation, which is great for improving English skills. We had quite a team of volunteers in the church, with classes every Thursday for people from Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and other non-English speakers.
As I said, one of the most pressing needs was English conversation. It encourages people who are retired to come forward and act as volunteers. It's not quite teaching English; it's English conversation, which is great for improving English skills. We had quite a team of volunteers in the church. They had their classes every Thursday. We have people from Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, all non-English speakers, and they would come. Our volunteers, who are all retired but really well-trained, would sit and have conversations with two or three people. They would practice conversations like going into a shop to buy a loaf of bread, going on holiday, or finding their way if they got lost. Practice, practice, practice. Those sessions were invaluable. It's incredible for me to see some of the people from Ukraine who could not speak English. These are people in their 50s and 60s, some of whom had never left Ukraine, but they had to, and now they can communicate in English, which is amazing.
Alla Korolevska: Do you have any ideas or advice for people from Ukraine who have lost hope, who are disappointed with life, and don't trust that the future can change? What could you say to such people?
Rev. Philip Heak: I would feel very presumptuous to give advice to people who have lost so much. I can't do that. The only thing I do know is that in the Christian Gospel, we believe that there's always a light that shines in the darkness. The only thing we can offer is to walk alongside people. A lot of the help that the people of H gave to the people of Ukraine was practical help, not just saying, "Oh, you're going to be fine." That's never enough. It's about saying, "Here is a way that I can help you," or "You need this, here it is." But I would never presume to say it's going to be okay. What we certainly do is pray for the people of Ukraine every day. I do hope and believe that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it. We will pray for that.
Alla Korolevska: Philip, I am very thankful that you found the time for this interview. I would like to express my gratitude and the gratitude of our project to you and the parishioners who support the Ukrainians. It is very important for us. Here, I have two papers for the church and parishioners of St. Mary's Church, and for you personally. We express our sincere gratitude for your unwavering moral stand and enormous spiritual contribution to the people of Ukraine in our fight for the freedom of the whole civilized world. Thank you very much for your support. It is very important and appreciated. This is for you and for the church.
Rev. Philip Heak: Oh, that's very thoughtful. Thank you. Can I just say, for the people of Ukraine, we've learned that you're very resilient and strong people, very skilled, with a natural grace, a wonderful history, and culture. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine the light of His countenance upon you, and may the Lord truly grant you peace.
Alla Korolevska: Before we finish, Philip, I have something for you.
Rev. Philip Heak: Really?
Alla Korolevska: Yes, I do. This is a card of St. Mary's Church in H, and this is a St. Brigid's cross made out of mahogany.
Rev. Philip Heak: Did you make it yourself?
Alla Korolevska: Yes, I made it by hand. It's very nice. Thank you. And this is a picture of all the family for you.
Rev. Philip Heak: Thank you very much. It has been lovely to meet you, Alla.
Alla Korolevska: Thank you very much. I'm very happy to be here, feeling this unbelievable, hopeful atmosphere at your place in St. Mary's Church in Halls, Ireland. I was surprised and very happy about how similar we are in our minds. Thank you very much for your invitation and support for Ukrainians. It is very important for us. I hope to see you and your family in Ukraine, and I will be your personal guide for one day in peaceful times.
Rev. Philip Heak: We will do it. I've been told that when the war ends and we visit Ukraine, I need to bring the clothes I travel in and extra-large clothes because people will want to give us so much food. Our trousers will need elasticated waists.
Alla Korolevska: Thank you, Philip, for all that you do as well.
Rev. Philip Heak: Thank you very much. This was Philip Heak and my social project "Ukraine is for Ukrainians and Ukrainians are for Ukraine." Thank you very much and see you.