Even though Christmas is near and everything outside is covered with the fresh, white snow of a Siberian winter, I would like to tell our friends and benefactors a summer story.
Although all the Catholic churches in Siberia were closed or destroyed and we have had to start from scratch, church consecrations are not a daily occurrence here. So my pastoral trip in August, 1995, in which I consecrated three churches in four days, is just as remarkable now as it would have been in an earlier Russia.
Hidden within the three semitrailers which arrived in Novosibirsk in July 1995 were two complete churches. One for Tal'menka in the Altai region, another for Prokop'yevsk in the Kuzbass area. The Kirche für den Osten society and Messrs. Liebherr and Thoma and seven other people had prefabricated the churches in Germany and then travelled with them 10 days to Siberia. Bureaucratic obstacles took two or three days to surmount; and within five days, these two beautiful churches, financed as a project of the German bishops' Renovabis organization, stood in the aforementioned villages.
Our people's display of gratitude was our benefactors' sweetest reward for their efforts on this project.
A month later, after the parishes themselves had put the churches and cemeteries in order, the consecrations were able to take place.
The plan called for first the consecration of the church in Tal'menka, then a more modest blessing for the house transformed into a church by the parishioners at Halbstadt, and finally the celebration of the completion of the frame of the church in Slavgorod. All these churches are in the Altai area; but the day before I left Novosibirsk, Father Jaroslav Spodar from Prokop'yevsk called to ask me to consecrate his church also while I was on the road. With German punctuality and planning this was impossible - but keep in mind that Russian chaos works otherwise.
Father Bernhard Scholtz, a young Berliner who has been in Siberia for a good three years, picked me up in Novosibirsk at 2 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 16. He was to have Mass at 7 p.m. at Redkaja Dubrava, one of the 10 mission stations of his parish. On the way, the good Pater Bernhard (the people call all our priests Pater) kept looking at his watch and ever increasingly stepped on the gas pedal of his Lada. When we arrived at 8 p.m., he breathed with a sigh, "We made it." The church there has met in a dwelling house for over three years. The small congregation of 30 were praying the rosary, and in Russia our hour-late arrival was considered pretty much on time. Holy Mass followed, and even though it was late we visited with the parishioners. The women offered tea and kuchen, and we talked like a large family would. There were also guests from the Lutheran and Baptist congregations present.
We stayed overnight in Schumanovka, 19 miles down the road, and had Holy Mass and confirmation there the next morning. This parish is larger than the one in Redkaya Dubrava, but has suffered much because of the emigration of the Russia Germans. The building, which once housed the collective farm center, was given to the parish without cost. After services, the children had a play about Fatima in front of the church. After tea and kuchen, I spoke with the Sisters of the Pro Deo et Fratribus movement [known in the U.S. as the Family of Mary Coredemptrix], who have been here for three years now.
In the afternoon, we drove to Halbstadt, center of the German district in the Altai area. A young theology student from Sankt Georgen in Germany organized the Catholics of this city into a parish. His time here had come to an end, and the dedication of the prayer house was the crowning of his efforts. While we visited in the churchyard after services, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the heavens - a sign of unity between God and his people.
Slavgorod is centrally located in the parish, which is good for transportation purposes. The priest lives there, and the largest room in his house has been the church. According to an earlier plan, the celebration of the completion of the new church superstructure was to take place on the 18th, but the workers didn't get the job done. Nevertheless solemn services were held within the bare brickwork of the church, and over 30 adults and young people were confirmed. Sister Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Lichtenstein have lived at Slavgorod for several months.
In the afternoon, after all the ceremonies and talks, my adventures really began. All the villages and towns mentioned thus far lie within 19 miles of Slavgorod, but much patience and endurance were needed now for a much longer trip. I returned to Barnaul with its pastor, Father Walter Bachmann [who was to die just 10 days later-Ed.] Father had come to Slavgorod to take part in the celebration. The trip took six hours, and at 9 p.m., we were in the main city of the Altai, where we were "to change horses." An auto from Novosibirsk was waiting for me. Father Wojciech Drozdowicz had also come along to videotape the church consecrations.
After a cup of tea and a little rest, we left. The road was so bad it took 10 hours to travel the 250 miles to Prokop'yevsk. There the Ukrainians celebrated in the Greek Catholic rite, and the Germans in the Latin rite. The Eastern Rite liturgy had already begun when we arrived at the church at 7:08. The parish was celebrating the Assumption of Mary into heaven. People stood in front of the church, and the church was so full I had difficulty getting to the front. During the second Mass, which was in the Latin rite, the church was consecrated.
Prokop'yevsk is the only city in Siberia that has had a priest for 35 years. The Ukrainian Redemptorist, Father Vassily Rudko, was the first; and when he died, Father Jaroslav took his place. Religious Sisters from Lithuania and Latin America help him. The Redemptorist general, Father Juan de la Vega, was visiting at the time. It was this that prompted Father Jaroslav to push so hard to have the church consecrated just then.
After the consecration, we ate the noon meal with a Ukrainian family, rested a bit and then started back to the Altai area to consecrate Prokop'yevsk's twin church at Tal'menka the next day.
On the way we had bad luck. The road was so rugged one of the front struts on the Lada broke, and the chauffeur had to tie it on with a rope. We could only travel 12 to 13 miles an hour, and I knew enough arithmetic to understand that it was now impossible to have the consecration in Tal'menka the next morning. I even slept a little as the chauffeur drove slowly forward, and he and Father Wojciech took turns driving. The entire night was a tiring trip, and when dawn appeared we were still a long way from our destination. But the road improved, and the chauffeur felt better about the damaged auto and was now able to drive 35 to 50 miles per hour. Only later did I learn that this was a very dangerous tip and could well have been our last.
We arrived in Tal'menka an hour before festivities were to begin, but the church was packed. People had come from neighboring towns within a 20 mile radius. Many children were there, too. The church could not hold even half of the people there, and after the celebration people stayed around for a long time to visit. It was an experience I will never forget. How important such occasions are in our country today! This gives people new strength to overcome difficulties as well as new hope for the future.
On Sunday evening, very, very tired, but also very fortunate that everything had gone well, we arrived back in Novosibirsk. The Apostolic Administration in Siberia now counted three more churches.
[Translated from the German by Volga-German historian Lawrence A.
Weigel and Father Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap., both of Hays.]
[Photo unavailable]
The newly-blessed prefabricated church at Tal'menka
is a gift from the Catholic Church in Germany.
(This is the second part of a letter from Siberia, written in Minneapolis by this newsletter's 27-year-old founder, who returned home in September, 1995, after three years in Novosibirsk.)
(The first part of this address appeared in Issue 17.)
Although I lived with the Franciscans and went to the parish they staffed, most of my time in Siberia was spent working at Caritas, the diocese's charitable organization.
When I arrived in Novosibirsk the main tasks of the organization were to start construction of the orphanage planned by Father Paul Bitautas, O.F.M., and distribute about 30 tons of religious books and other aid the diocese had received.
The organization struggled at first. It seemed to have more problems than achievements the first two years. I remember attending a meeting in July of 1993 with the head of the district of the city where we intended to build the orphanage. He told us the land would be confiscated if we did not start construction within two months and that the city would not deal with any other church officials concerning any other project till the orphanage building was underway. The Franciscans, eager to erect a multipurpose building behind their parish, were stymied, for they needed this man's permission. Caritas's reputation and that of the church in the city were at stake.
Needless to say, construction started; but problems continued and the building's basement was not finished till Nov. 1, 1994. Meanwhile Caritas had three directors; with another considering the possibility for three months, before deciding to decline the position.
The staff consisted of three, when I became Caritas's fourth director in October 1994. Four staff members were added, labor contracts made, and a new office and equipment purchased. Bishop Werth approved our new work plan and budget, and we started work in four areas: orphanage construction, social services, publications, and general services. The goal was set to open the orphanage by Christmas 1995.
Building in Russia can be as mind boggling as it is expensive. Some days construction would stop for lack of cement at the factories. Bricks had to be examined and discarded because of defects. Workers would be out laying bricks at -25° F. with the help of salt added to the mortar to prevent it from freezing. Tensions escalated when we nearly were taken to court by our builders. We refused to pay for bricks that were not necessary to build the orphanage and not used to construct it, but present in the architect's plans and consequently in our contract.
Construction of two of the three buildings continued on schedule, and children should be able to enter the home by Christmas of this year [1995]. The St. Elizabeth Sisters, who have three members of their congregation presently in Novosibirsk, will manage the home for 54 children of ages 6 to 18.
The number of children in the city's orphanages is increasing and becoming a real problem. Strangely enough, nearly all these children have one or more of their parents still living. The children end up in the homes either because the state decides the parents are unfit to care for them or the parents themselves say they lack the means to do so.
(Next issue: Homeless & others in need)
[Photo unavailable]
Construction supervisors of the new Caritas orphanage
at Novosibirsk, in August 1995. The building in front
is a dorm, and the one in back a dining hall.
Bishop Joseph Werth was joined Feb. 11 at Magadan by Archbishop Francis Hurley of Anchorage, Alaska. They were there to celebrate the five years of Father Austin Mohrbacher's ministry in Magadan. Father Austin, who will be 70 in July, will now be returning to the States. During the ceremonies, many of the people gave testimonials to their faith and thanked Father for what his presence has meant to them. The testimonials brought tears to the eyes of Bishop Werth and many others.
According to Father Alexander Kahn, rector of the Novosibirsk cathedral, Bishop Werth had two enjoyable visits with the 33-year-old new Orthodox bishop of Magadan. "There is also a new Orthodox bishop in Novosibirsk," added Father Kahn, "and Bishop Werth recently had a pleasant encounter with him. The future looks good in that regard."
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