Magadan Update - October 2008

I got the latest newsletter for the Mission to Magadan sponsored by the Archdiocese of Anchorage last week. But with everything going on, I haven't been able to get to sharing the news until now.

1 of the works they do is minister to those people who were repressed & suffered in the Soviet Prison Camps. Under Stalan Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners sent to labor camps. Many of them now live in the area. Each month at Nativity Church they have a gathering for these survivors. They provide a meal & some entertainment. The celebrate birthdays, talk about the local news & help them with paperwork related to pensions or to get them humanitarian help. While the number is declining due to deaths & the frailty of old age, about 50 to 70 are able to gather each month.

At 1 of their recent gatherings, they were able to enjoy a program by the Church of the Nativity Bell Choir. Thanx to donations, they now have 3 octives of bells & are preparing for a concert for Bishop Kyrill Klimovich, the ordinary of the Diocese of St. Joseph centered in Irkutsk, Russia, the diocese Magadan is a part of.

Recently, a book was published telling the stories of some of the survivors. Martyrs of Magadan is published by Aid to the Church in Need. You can order the book by calling 1-800-628-6333. By mail: Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222. You may also request a copy by sending an email to info@acnusa.org or by donating online and marking the donation: Martyrs of Magadan. The suggested donation for the book is $20. You can read a couple of their stories here.

Pro-life is much more than merely stopping abortion. The above story shows that. Helping those who were treated so cruelly in the Soviet camps is a part of the corporal works of mercy we are called to do as Christians. Magadan Mission is helping them to restore their God-given dignity that was stripped from them in the camps.

Another Pro-life work at Magadan is Nativity Inn. The Inn offers "a sanctuary for expectant mothers who do not have the financial resources to continue a pregnancy without the Church’s help". The Church also operates a food pantry. Another service is a parenting program. The gathering of new & longtime mothers focuses on a certain aspect of mothering & child care. Helping the mothers to be strong in their faith is a key part of the program.

This issue of the newsletter included a special prayer request. Victor Eritic, husband of staff member Luda Eritic is dying from a brain tumor. Victor was originally from Ukraine & they have returned there for him to die. Before he left Magadan he received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the 1st time. Please kepp the family in your prayers.

All the work being done at Magadan is bringing the light of Gospel of Jesus to an area that was in darkness for decades. & this takes money. Once again I ask you to consider supporting this important work. You can do so by making out a check to Magdan Russian Mission & mailing it to:

Mission to Magadan

Archdiocese of Anchorage
225 Cordova Street
Anchorage AK. 99501

or you can donate on line here.

A group called Friends of Nativity Inn St. Loius MO has a website. The site has a wish list & info on how to donate needed items.