On June 27-28, Father Daniel Maurer, CJD, from the Most Holy Mother of God parish in Vladivostok, Russia, will visit the St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs to speak about the Roman Catholic Mission Churches in Eastern Russia. A special offering will be taken for the missions.
There will be a reception in the parish hall on Sunday evening, June 28 at 6 p.m. where parishioners and visitors will have a chance to meet Father Dan and other members of the mission yeam. We will offer a taste of delicious Russian recipes and have an opportunity to purchase religious items from Russia.
In the early 1900s, the Russian Far East boasted a thriving Roman Catholic population. Many Russians, Poles, Lithuanians and other groups inhabited the area and had built schools, hospitals, and beautiful churches. After the revolution of 1917, Russia became an emblem of the Communist era, a land without churches and without God. Under Stalin, all Catholic churches were confiscated and dioceses closed. Most churches were desecrated or destroyed. Catholics were murdered by the hundreds of thousands and their bodies dumped into mass graves.
Our two American priests, Father Myron Effing, CJD, and Father Daniel Maurer, CJD, arrived in Vladivostok in 1992 to help re-establish the Church in this region and provide charitable assistance to the many poor. Now that the foundations have been laid, additional priests and sisters are joining the work, and parishes are growing and multiplying, very slowly, but surely.
For the latest news on activities of the mission and the Catholic Church in Russia, visit www.vladmission.org .
