Tag Archives: Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord

Sisters in Jesus the Lord in Russia

vlad-mission-communities-20For those of you who have read Fr. Walter Ciszek’s books, With God in Russia and He Leadeth Me, you will know of the struggles of Catholics in Far Eastern Russia. Father Ciszek endured many years of hard labor in prison camps in Siberia. Throughout his ordeal, beautifully and heart-renderingly portrayed in his books, he was always a priest. Nothing was dearer to him than the Russian people.

If you are interested in knowing about the revival of the Church in Eastern Russia, I suggest you receive the newsletter of the Mary Mother of God Mission Society. It documents the work of the Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord in Russia. In 1992, after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, two priests from the Midwest, Fr. Myron Effing, CJD and Fr. Daniel Maurer, CJD, arrived in Vladivostok to help re-establish the Church in eastern Russia. Since then—and with the mission society’s help—they have founded or re-founded 11 Catholic parishes, have developed numerous charitable initiatives, have created a variety of catechetical programs, and done much more.

They have programs for alcoholics, college students, boy scouts, orphans, the elderly. They conduct pro-life work, bring sacred music to this once atheistic nation, rebuild churches, assign guardian angels (“grandmas”) to orphans, and provide food and medical assistance to needy families.

Our Lady of Vladivostok
Our Lady of Vladivostok

They are assisted by the Sisters in Jesus the Lord (Canonissae in Jesu Domino) who work in Russia with women, children and the elderly. They have woman’s support centers in several Russian cities: Lesozavodsk, Vladivostok, Artyom, Arsenyev, Nakhodka and on Russian Island.

The Sisters in Jesus the Lord is a new Public Association of the Faithful in the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri. Their ministries, at home and in Russia, include: pro-life work, music and liturgy, catechesis and evangelization, ministry to the sick and homebound, AVE media, and stewardship of the land.  Each year, they bring a busload of young men and women to the IRL’s National Meeting.

I ordered a cookbook from the Society called Abundant Blessings, a compilation of recipes from the many cultures and countries of their priests, seminarians, sisters and families. Proceeds go towards the seminarians’ education and the women’s centers. God willing, they will also build a Catholic Church in Nakhodka called Our Lady of the Pacific.

 

The Most Holy Mother of God in Vladivostok

Priests with Patrick and Anulfo2010With the crisis in Crimea in the news, it is happy to see that there is happier news from across the vast continent that is Asia. On March 12, 2014, Brother Patrick Milan Napal, CJD, made his perpetual profession with the Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord in Vladivostok, Russia.

The Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord is a new congregation being founded in Russia at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God in Vladivostok. The canons are helping to replant Christianity in a land where it was almost completely destroyed.

The story behind the re-establishment of this Catholic church is amazing. Over twenty years ago, Andre Popok, a young Soviet naval officer, converted to Roman Catholicism after reading restricted religious literature as part of a Communist indoctrination course. In 1991, he put ads in the local Vladivostok papers, looking for other Catholics. After a community formed, Popok wrote to the bishop responsible for the area asking for a priest. On November 15, 1991, the bishop accepted the application of Fr. Myron and (then) Br. Daniel Maurer to be the first resident Roman Catholic clergy in Vladivostok in 50 years. They found ten Catholics and a state-owned wreck of a church.

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Our Lady of Vladivostok

After receiving help from Catholics in the US and elsewhere, the building was restored and returned to the Catholic Church. Eleven other parishes have grown up as well, some huge distances away. Fr. Myron and Fr. Dan are doing heroic work.You can help. They welcome donations, would love to come and speak in your parish and welcome visitors on mission trips. You can sponsor one of their seminarians. Come for a visit and bring some tenderness to a lonely person in an orphange or nursing home. Russia has the dubious distinction of being the first country in the world to legalize abortion. The average woman in Russia has between 6 to 8 abortions in her lifetime. Your donations can help save a life by supporting the CJD’s women support center.

The address for inquiries in English and Russian: myron@catholic.vladivostok.ru
For inquiries in English, Spanish, Russian and French: daniel@catholic.vladivostok.ru

Mrs. Vicky Trevillyan is the National US Coordinator in Modesto, CA. Her phone number: 209-408-0728 and Email: usoffice@vladmission.org.