Priest on way to clear a path

"I must do everything possible to make sure that all of the money and supplies collected through our Giving From The Heart project reach the people and places where they can be used the best," Father Byrnes told The Evangelist prior to his Dec. 3 departure for Bosnia.

"I already have some very good contacts, including priests and nuns, who will make sure the goods we will be sending from the Albany Diocese will not end up on the black market."

Helping neediest

"When I say the people we are trying to help in Bosnia have nothing, I mean they have nothing," stressed Father Byrnes. "Many have lost loved ones under the most tragic of circumstances. They have no homes, no food, almost no clothing, none of the bare necessities that you and I take for granted -- not even a pair of socks or a toothbrush. The children have no toys. It is absolutely heart-wrenching to see the conditions in which these people live."

Father Byrnes added that "the people weep when they see you coming" because the presence of outsiders brings hope that the world still cares about their plight.

"Keeping that hope alive is a big part of what this relief effort is all about," he noted. "These people need to know that they have not been forgotten."

Relief supplies

There are, said Father Byrnes, four urgent needs in Bosnia today: medical supplies, clothing, food and financial donations. On the medical front, he said, the refugees need everything from Band-Aids to sterile syringes and needles. In the way of clothing, it's everything from the skin out -- socks and underwear as well as sweaters and coats.

In addition to donations of canned and dried food items, Father Byrnes emphasized that relatively few American dollars "can buy hundreds of sacks of flour, cereal and beans for these starving people."

Even after the Giving From The Heart relief effort ends on Dec. 31, Father Byrnes hopes parishioners will do what they can to keep hope alive among Bosnian war orphans and refugees. As an example, a prayer group at St. Mary's has adopted a widow and her four children.

"We try to send them about $100 each month so the mother can feed, clothe and otherwise provide for her children," he explained. (AH) [[In-content Ad]]