MSC Mission to Southern Russia: the CaucususBackground and Origins of the Mission Frs Steve Rogers, Michael Screene and Con Doherty MSC: pioneers in Russia For seventy years the Marxist-Leninist state had dominated world politics. Within a very short period of time, however, it had completely collapsed. While the crash opened up a road of faith for people who had been crushed and persecuted, sixty years without church or priests now left a vacuum. The MSC offered to help. At first three priests were sent in 1995 to assist the re-building of the church. The aim was to serve the Catholics in Russia whose priests had all been eliminated by 1939. All the seminaries had been closed soon after the Revolution and in 1995 they were only just beginning to re-open. The MSC also hoped to be a support to the Orthodox Church – the church of most Russians – and to be bridge-builders in a genuinely ecumenical endeavour. They found very quickly that the preaching of the gospel required a lot of work in supporting very poor people.
A mutually enriching missionAll missionary activity is two-way: the missionary hopes to bring some of the riches of the faith that he or she knows, but is also acutely aware that Christ has been present long before the missionary ever arrived. While the missionary brings a precious gift, he is also blessed by the life and faith of the local people.The MSC in Russia have been happy to experience the truth of this expectation as they have come in touch with the rich history of spirituality in the east and the incredible pain and struggle that believers had been though in the Stalinist-Khrushchev times. Russia had more martyrs for the faith in the 20th century than in the whole twenty centuries of Christianity.
The scope of the mission Working with groups of young people plays a major part in the mission to a nation where whole generations of people have been lost to the Church Initial work consisted in finding local Catholics, making provision for liturgy, catechesis and social support, where many were refugees of the Chechen war. Through this work a number of parishes have been organised and lay people trained in different ministries. At present two MSC from the Irish Province, Fr.Con Doherty and Fr. Steven Rogers work with Fr Pavol Baros MSC and Fr Tomek Poterala MSC, two recently ordained MSC priests from Eastern Europe. Their work is now centred around the towns of Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk. This beautiful area at the foot of Europe’s highest mountain, Mount Elbruz, is a complex challenge with its ethnic mix and long history of persecution and neglect. The experience of our MSC in Russia since 1995 tells a story of great commitment and hope that the seeds sown in these early years promise a rich harvest in God’s own time.
Father, we bless you for the faith we share; totally your gift to us.We bless you for the feet of all who bring Good News, announcing peace in all the ages and in every land. We bless you that a missionary heart continues to reach those starving for light and healing in our day. Draw all into your great Heart, to be part of that love covenant you have made in every age and with all people, so our world may hear again today: “I am Your God; you are my people”. Amen. |
Christ the Saviour: Moscow