Pentecost Letter 2002

From the Vicar General of Russia and the Ukraine

Dear Friends!

How delightful it is to see the smile of a child who normally has little reason to smile. Since the beginning of this year, the sisters of the congregation of St Dominic have organized meetings for deprived children of poorer families from one of the districts of Kyiv.

Children at play in the new house of the sisters of the Congregation of St Dominic in Kyiv.

More information about the work of the sisters:
La casa de los ninos
(Web site in English, Spanish and French)

Through happy games, prayer and food, the children can experience a joyous childhood, if only for a moment.

I am enormously grateful for your generous help. Whilst celebrating the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, I am sending you further snippets of information about the development of our Mission in Russia and the Ukraine. I am sure I do not need to write how we depend continuously on your heartfelt prayers and financial support. Without these, our work would be impossible amongst the economic, social and spiritual crises that surround us. We would also not be able to ensure suitable conditions for the training of our seminarians.

On the 20th March in Fastiv we were enthralled witnesses to the solemn vows taken by two of our brothers, Piotr Baloh OP and Dmitro Andrichyn OP. The vows were received by the Master of the Order himself - Fr Carlos Aspiroz Costa, elected last year. This was his first visit to Russia and the Ukraine. The Master's visit to St Petersburg, Kyiv and Fastiv was primarily an opportunity to introduce him to our Mission, but also gave him a better understanding of the Orthodox Church, at a time of difficult Catholic-Orthodox relations.

Fortunately, the protests of the Russian Orthodox hierarchy against the formation of four Catholic dioceses in the territories of the Russian Federation do not have a direct influence on the work of our Fathers and Sisters in Russia, neither do they experience difficulties in crossing the border. In the Ukraine, where recently the Vatican has also formed new dioceses, relations with the Orthodox Church are much easier. This might seem surprising, but we also experience friendly overtures from the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Ukraine. It seems that the main reasons for the difficult relations with the Moscow Orthodox hierarchy are a lack of understanding by the patriarch Alexiy II and those who surround him, that Catholics in Russia also have the right to practice their faith; that Catholic dioceses existed in Russia for many generations before 1917; and that the Catholic Church has no desire to steal faithful from the Orthodox. There are fewer practising Orthodox faithful now than there were in Soviet times. It is difficult for the Orthodox to understand that our Catholic mission for the evangelization of Russia in the spirit of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, is focused only on the larger part of society who have no religious practice whatsoever.

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord - the rite of the blessing of the Jordan. Fr Sergiey, an Orthodox priest from the Moscow Patriarchate in the Ukraine, parish priest and youth chaplain in Herson, a town by the estuary of the Dniepr into the Black Sea. Ever faithful to Orthodox traditions, in obedience to his archbishop Jonathan, he is trying to adapt pastoral work in his parish to the needs of the present day. The reforms - "aggiornamento"- which occurred in the Western Church after Vatican II, are a great inspiration to him.

Amongst this whole difficult situation resulting from the protests against Catholics in Russia, allow me to describe to you another problem, which concerns our Fathers in the parish of St Catherine in St Petersburg. Wholeheartedly devoted to the service of their parishioners, as I have written to you many times, our Fathers have been living for some time in constant stress, seeking finances for the completion of the restoration of the roof of St Catherine’s church. You will understand how important it is for the protection of this 18th century building, terribly devastated by fire in 1984, but containing the recently restored chapel of Our Lady of Fatima. Unfortunately the generous help of foundations in Germany and the USA is insufficient for the continuation of this work. I am therefore appealing to your generosity for donations for this purpose.

Above:
The church of St Catherine. On the left, the entrance to the chapel of Our Lady of Fatima.

Right and below:
The restoration of the sanctuary (scaffolding visible on the photo above) was completed with a solemn blessing with the participation of Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz on Palm Sunday 2000.

The figure of St Andrew the Apostle

With joy I also ask for your prayers for our deacon, Br Angelic Kitsula, who on June 29th, on the feast of St Peter and St Paul, will be ordained to the priesthood in Kyiv. After he is ordained, Fr Angelic will work in our parish in St Petersburg.

Brother Angelic

Earlier, on the 6th June, Br Mykola Luchok will be ordained deacon.

Though we have fewer vocations now than we had even quite recently, it seems that the candidates who do come forward are more mature in their decision to follow their vocation.

Our novice, Alexandr, is preparing himself for his first vows in August.

After completing a year's postulancy in Fastiv, a candidate from Kyiv, Vitaliy, will become a novice.

For the year 2002-2003, we have accepted two ardent young men as postulants.

The Eucharist Taking place during last year's Vicariate Chapter. To the right of the main celebrant Fr Mariusz Wozniak - deacon Br Angelic Kitsula.

The concelebrants (from the left to right):
Fr Grzegorz Bednarz, director of the Institute of St Thomas Aquinas in Kyiv, Fr Kalikst Suszylo from Chortkiv, Fr Wladyslaw Zabkowski, Vicariate bursar from Kyiv, Fr Alexandr Khmielnickiy, director of the Istina i Zhizn publishing house in Moscow, Fr Evgeniy Heinrichs from St Petersburg, Fr Yuriy Dorogin from Yalta.

One of the more important elements in the formation of postulants is service as altar-servers and readers in the Fastiv parish.

Finally allow me to remind you of a celebration that took place in London almost a year ago. We met in the home of Mrs Peggy Attlee,the Chairperson of the Trustees of St. Michael Mission, together with the Assistant to the Master of the Order, Fr Wojciech Giertych, who presented letters of thanks from the Master, Fr Timothy Radcliffe, to Jean and Ryszard Jedrczak. Other Trustees of the Mission were also present, together with Mrs Danuta Sosnowska and Mrs Danuta McBride, who have generously taken over from Mrs and Mr Jedrczak the main weight of responsibility for the affairs of St Michael Mission.

Standing, from the left: Bernard Taylor, who died in the autumn, shortly after this meeting; Fr Andrew; Peggy Attlee; Fr Wojciech; Ryszard Jedrczak; Danuta McBride; Danuta Sosnowska and Jean Jedrczak.

My heart-felt thank-you to Mrs Jean Jedrczak. Mrs Danuta Sosnowska, visible seated on the right, became her successor.

May the Holy Spirit, who as the Love of God encourages the Church to witness to Christ's Redemption, strengthen you, who support our Mission in Russia and the Ukraine.

Grateful for your support, both spiritual and financial, I remain yours in St Dominic,

Fr Andrzej Kaminski OP, Vicar General

How to support us financially

* Cheque *

ST. MICHAEL MISSION
(UK Registered Charity No 1035199.)

C/o Mrs. Danuta Sosnowska,
2 Queens Gardens, Ealing, London W5 1SF, UK.

Tel. +44 (0)20-8997-6184

Donations should always be made payable
to St. Michael Mission.