Magadan Update - December 2008

A few days ago I got the latest Mission to Magadan newsletter from the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The focus of this issue was the installation & blessing of the new stained glass windows in the Church of the Nativity in Magadan.

From the website: After a week and a half of work, the installation of the new stained glass windows was completed, and the scaffolding removed. These new windows are the work of Serge Nouailhat, of Mortain, France. He is a member of the Community of the Beatitudes and became familiar with us here seven years ago, through Sister Tamara, another member of the Community of the Beatitudes, who had helped organize the pilgrimage of the relics of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus to Russia. He visited Magadan 4 years ago, and the dream and design of the windows was begun. It was two years ago that we gave him the ok to begin work on the 10 main windows. For the last two years, he has worked on this project, cutting, staining, firing, leading and assembling the literally thousands of pieces of glass for the more than 100 panels that make up this project. It was only with the final installation, that he himself at last was able to see the fruit of his work all assembled and in place. “They’re extraordinarily beautiful” said many of our parishioners seeing them for the first time. They give a whole new feel to our chapel.

I have to admit that despite them being a bit modernistic for my taste, they actually look like stained glass windows & they actually depict things in a way that you know exactly what it is supposed to be rather than this modernistic symbolism you so often see now-a-days.

The windows on on the walls behind the altar & are on either side of the wall where the Tabernacle is. Yes, the Tabernacle is in the Church & in a very prominant place. & it looks like a tabernacle as well. The Tabernacle itself is made of gold leaf on wood. It is modleed on the Moscow Cathedral. The Church also has several beautiful icons as well as a stautue of the Sacred Heart & 1 of Mary. To the right is a picture of the marble altar & the Tabernacle. You can see more of the chapel here.

I can hear some people saying "Why did you waste your money on something that looks good but won't help the poor?" Short answer: "Why not?"

Seriously, having the right setting does aide in the worship of Christ. That is why proper decor is important. The Vatican has put out plenty on how a Catholic Church should look, so I won't repeat them here. But, I will say much of what passes here in the USA for new or remodeled Catholic Churches of the Latin Rite fail miserably to live up to what they should be.

The Mission does a lot to save lives but it also knows that it exists to save souls, thus the need for a decent Church that has Jesus truly present.

The Mission to Magadan is saving lives as well as souls. & as Fr. Groeschel has often said, it deserves our support.

Send cash donations to:

Mission to Magadan
225 Cordova Street
Anchorage AK. 99501

Do not send checks to Russia, they cannot cash them there. They must be sent to the above address at the Archdiocese.

You can also donate by credit card here.

Christmas will soon be here. Supporting Magadan Mission & their work is an excellent way to honor Christ as we celebrate His birth.