Missionary family returns to Spain from Ukraine: 'We witnessed God's miracles'

Burgos, Spain, Mar 8, 2022 / 14:35 pm

César Campomar and María Auxiliadora Hernando and their ten children have lived in Ukraine since 1997 where they went to evangelize as members of the Neocatechumenal Way.  The family had to flee Ukraine because of the war and arrived in Burgos from Kyiv last Thursday.

Before serving in Ukraine, they lived as missionaries in Belarus for six years but they were given "an ultimatum because they knew we were from the Church" and so they were given a new assignment in Ukraine.

The family decided to leave Ukraine shortly after Russia’s invasion.

César, María Auxiliadora, and seven of their ten children, along with their respective wives and children, headed for the border to try to make it back to Spain. Two of their children who are seminarians decided to remain, and another lives in Murcia, Spain.

All together there were 25 people: 13 adults and 12 children. Two of them returned by plane, and the rest left in three vans. It took them a week to get to Burgos.The family crossed the border with Hungary because "it was easier than doing it through Poland," and stopped in Trieste and Nice along the way. 

The Campomar Hernando family told the Archdiocese of Burgos that they "witnessed God’s miracles for us” during the trip of over 2,250 miles.

They were held up at the border crossing for 13 hours and could get only about five gallons of fuel at each gas station. In addition, some of their vehicles broke down, but  "thanks to the generosity of the people" they met, the problems were taken care of.

"Some of the babies only had birth certificates,” but they lacked official documentation. However, “they were treated well" by authorities, said César.

Maria Auxiliadora said that given the terrible situation in Ukraine they want to discover “the hand of God in all this … May he help us discover his will.”