VOA新闻杂志2022--乌克兰修女向流离失所者敞开大门

A quiet monastery¹ in the western Ukrainian village of Hoshiv has become a large playground for children. They and their families all had to leave their homes because of the war with Russia.

The Greek Catholic² church of the Sisters of the Holy Family is about 100 kilometers from Lviv. The nuns⁴ there have given refuge⁵ to about 40 people fleeing fighting with Russian forces in eastern and central Ukraine.

The sound of birds and prayers are calming for 59-year-old Ryma Stryzhko, who fled from Kharkiv. "It seemed that the planes were flying in the middle of the house. And you could hear the sound of bombing," she said. "After what we saw, (the monastery) is a paradise⁶."

The monastery was built after Ukraine's independence in the early 1990s. The previous monastery in the village had been closed by communist officials when the area was part of the Soviet⁷ Union. The nuns were sent to prisons in Siberia.

"All our prayers are now focused on peace in Ukraine, for our soldiers, for those innocent people who died, who were murdered," said Sister Dominica, the head nun³.

Before the war, the 17 nuns led a peaceful life. In addition to their religious work, they grew vegetables, made their own food and painted. Now, they play with young children and provide support to the mothers. They also cook daily for the guests.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the nuns told local officials they could house up to 50 people.

Many of the children who are now laughing and hugging the nuns arrived traumatized.

"This is a new place for them. They came from cities where (there is shooting)" and bombing, Sister Dominica said.

Even in the monastery, the nuns still get air raid⁸ notices on their phones. They warn the rest of the guests by ringing the monastery bells. It is a less traumatic sound than the loud sirens¹⁰ in the cities. Then the nuns lead the guests to an underground area.

But even when there are no sirens, children happily use the large underground space.

"We play and read prayers," said Rostyslav Borysenko. The 10-year-old boy fled Mariupol with his mother.

Borysenko's mother is still waiting for news of relatives and friends who could not flee Mariupol.

Although the families are thousands of kilometers from most of the fighting, discussion at the dinner table mostly centers around the war.

While the families eat in the dining room, the nuns eat separately in the library. They sit at a long table under a painting of Jesus Christ's Last Supper. Among them is 44-year-old Sister Josefa, who fled a Kyiv monastery on the first day of the war.

"It's hard to leave the place you lived," she said. "Although I can live here ... my heart is there. And I'm waiting to go back."

Words in This Story

monastery — n. a place where monks¹¹ live and work together

nun — n. a woman who is a member of a religious community and who usually promises to remain poor, unmarried, and separate from the rest of society in order to serve God

paradise — n. a very beautiful, pleasant, or peaceful place that seems to be perfect

focus— v. a main purpose or interest

traumatize — v. to cause to become very upset in a way that often leads to serious emotional problems

siren⁹ — n. a piece of equipment that produces a loud, high-pitched warning sound

1 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

2 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

3 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

4 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

5 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

6 paradise   

n.伊甸乐园，天堂

参考例句：

• My house had a small backyard,the paradise of children.我那幢房子有一个小后院，那是孩子们玩耍的乐园。
• On a hot day a dip in the sea is sheer paradise.热天洗个海水澡是十分令人惬意的事。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 raid   

v.劫掠，攫取，袭击，突击搜捕；n.突然袭击

参考例句：

• Our house was blown up in an air raid.在一次空袭中我们的房子被炸掉了。
• During their raid on the house,the police found a lot of drugs.在对这所房子的搜查中，警方发现了大量的毒品。

9 siren   

n.汽笛，警报器，迷人的女人，妖妇

参考例句：

• The cars had stopped at the sound of the approaching siren.这些汽车听到愈来愈近的警笛声便停了下来。
• That woman is a real siren.那女人真是条美女蛇.。

10 sirens   

n.汽笛( siren的名词复数 )；妖冶而危险的女人；危险的诱惑；塞壬（古希腊传说中半人半鸟的女海妖，惯以美妙的歌声引诱水手，使他们的船只或触礁或驶入危险水域）

参考例句：

• police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring 警灯闪烁、警笛刺耳的警车
• In big cities you always hear sirens all the time. 在大城市里，你总能听到警笛声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》