Mission to Magadan Update 2

I recently got my latest newsletter from The Archdiocese of Anchorage, AK's Mission to Magadan. For those of you who are not familiar with Magadan you can check out my 2 previous posts on the Mission.

1st of all the Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity that is supported by the mission now has its own website. The site is in both Русский и английская язык (Russian & English). So far the English site has more available on it. The Russian part has Catholic Apologetics (Католическая Апологетика) articles as well as answers to questions about the Catholic Church. The English portion has information about the work being done by the Church of the Nativity in Magadan as well as its 2 missions to Ola & Sokol. The Chapel in Sokol was dedicated on 9 December 2006 & is named in honor of Blessed Charles de Foucould.

1 of their thrusts is to heal the damage done during the Soviet era when abortion was promoted by the state as a means of birht control. They do this in 2 main ways. the 1st is by helping to change the attitude towards abortion as the answer for an unwanted pregnancy. They "let it be known that any expectant mother who was considering abortion could come to us for support durring the pregancy and the first years of the child's life." They help by providing food, clothing, medicine, and whatever else is needed. They have pictures posted on their site of some of the children whose lives they have saved. They also put on Project Rachel retreats to help bring Christ's forgiveness & healing to those who have had abortions.

Another part of their work is helping the victims of Soviet repression. These are people who are survivors of the Soviet prison camps & gulags. In this work the Church is helped by a community of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. This community currently consist of 4 members. They are Sister Marta (Zofia) Bialowas (born in Krakowiec, then a part of Poland but now a part of the Ukraine), Sister Beata Cwener (born in Żagań, Poland), Sister Jean Marie Williams (born in Norfolk, Virginia) & Sr. Malgorzata Slomka (born in New Sonch Poland).

In the newsletter I just received Sr. Beata shares some of the stories of the people she serves in Magadan. Yulia & Sasha are a couple that were forced to relocate after the nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl (1986). Yulia is in poor health & can barely walk even with crutches. Sasha is dying of cancer. Sr. helps with the laundry as well as grocery shopping & picking up their medicine. But Sister says her most important ministry to them is her presence & concern. As Yulia puts it: "I feel that God has sent you to us & so I don't feel so all alone."

Another person she serves is Anatoli Vasilivich. He is a veteran in his 50s who has lost both legs & several fingers due to poor circulation. He has a wheelchair but had trouble getting out of his apartment in the Veterans Home he lives in. They built him some ramps to ease his getting arround the apartment. Due to government regulations Sr. Beata is unable to wear her habit when visiting him. Because the Home doesn't provide any cleaning services she does housecleaning she does his laundry & cleans his room.

Sr. Beata says of what she does: "I love serving the sick, whether here in Magadan or in Poland, where for 25 years I ministered as a anurse. Each meeting is for me a personal meeting with Jesus."

They have many needs to continue the work they are doing. Any monetary donations MUST be sent to the Achdiocese of Anchorage as they cannot cash an American check in Russia.

Make the checks out to Mission to Magadan & send them to:

Mission to Magadan

Archdiocese of Anchorage

225 Cordova ST

Anchorage AK 99501

If you would like to send a letter or package directly to Magadan there are some special things you must do. (Packages take at least 8 weeks to arrive & letters at least 2 weeks.) Any mail must be addressed to either Fr. Sheilds or Fr. Means alone. If you use both names then both must be present for pick-up. For any package you must fill out a U.S. customs form & declare each box's value as less than $90. Send them at the following address (note how Russian mail must be addressed):

RUSSIA

658000 Magadan

Glavpocchtant, Box 171

Fr. Michael Sheilds (or)

Fr. David Means

Remember only use 1 of the names. Jesus said that whatever you do to the least you do to Him. As Sr. Beata said, here is a chance to truly meet Jesus.