Ukrainian refugees find community at St. Patrick Catholic School

LARGO, Fla. - A Ukrainian mother was forced to make a devastating choice, leaving her home country to escape war, and bringing her two young daughters to safety in Pinellas County.

Starting a new life in a new country with almost nothing can be daunting. Where do you even begin?

That's where a Largo school comes in. They've made this refugee family part of their own, not just teaching their faith, but living it.

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Inside a classroom at St. Patrick Catholic School, two students put their hands together to form hand hearts. They don't speak the same language, but at this moment, there is no barrier, just friendship.

"They're like besties, two peas in a pod, those two," says their teacher.

Valeriia is in second grade. Her little sister Alisa is enrolled in pre-K. They and their mother, Kate, are a long way from home in Ukraine. But at St. Patrick, there are daily reminders of where they came from and love at every turn.

"It was a very long way, it was very difficult," Kate said through a translator app.

Kate and her daughters escaped the war in Ukraine three months ago. The sound of blaring sirens is still fresh in their minds.

"I hadn't seen any other solution for my children," Kate said. "We lived for a year in the hope that it will all end. But it didn't end. It was only getting worse every day."

Saint Catherine of Siena Parish got them housing and necessities. Saint Patrick got the girls back to class, tuition-free. 

"Within a week, they were in school here," said Principal Keith Galley.

Galley and his daughter drive the girls to school most days.

"We went out, we made sure they had uniforms and shoes and all that kind of stuff," Galley said.

Though they don't speak English yet, translator apps help bridge the gaps.

"The learning will all happen, and we'll catch them up when we need to, when we get there," Galley said. "But right now, it's them being happy and emotionally okay and just feeling a part of the community here."

In the pre-K classroom, Alisa is finishing a snack while her classmates play. Through a translator, her teacher asks if she'd like to join them.

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"Haha," laughs the teacher, "She says, 'I want to eat here'."

And when she's ready, Alisa happily digs into the sandbox. 

"Seeing them everyday over the last five, six weeks, it's been really cool watching them," Galley said. "At the very beginning, they were very quiet, very reserved. Now, it's just constant chatter, constant laughter."

"Each of them can tell you they have a best friend here at school, which is really cool," Galley said.

Saint Patrick has welcomed families from Ghana, The Congo, Venezuela, and Egypt, planning events that allow them to have pride in who they are and where they come from. And the rest of the students learn by example, what "welcome" truly means.

"We can tell them all we want, that those are important things to do, but without actually showing them and demonstrating that to them, it's just words," Galley said.

The first thing that greets students at the gate is a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. Kate said, "I'm very happy to see our flag hanging at the entrance and just happy to be here."

"In Ukraine, we had a similar school the girls went to," Kate said. "To find a similar school here, where we were accepted as relatives, it's a great happiness."

Though her heart is still over there, she's comforted by the love that awaited them here, instant, pure, and unconditional.

"It's very hard for me to find words of gratitude, to express all the gratitude I feel for these people," Kate said.

 "Being able to welcome them all is a really cool part of the community. And it's great, as we bring in other families, that they know that they're not an island within the school, that they're a part of a bigger community," Galley shared.

With classes out for summer, the school will continue to support Kate, Valeriia and Alisa. They are working to raise money to help the girls attend a week or two of circus arts camps, and also to help them with transportation, so their family can stay connected. 

You can learn more about their efforts as well as how to get involved by emailing kgalley@stpatrickcatholic.org or calling the school at 727-581-4865.

Do you know someone who's living out their faith and using it to make a positive impact? We are looking for "Faith in Action" stories all around the Tampa Bay area. You can email Haley.Hinds@Fox.com.