Mission To Magadan - Feb 2009 Update

The other day I got the Mission to Magadan Jan/Feb 2009 Newsletter from the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The Mission is in Magadan, Russia. The Archbishop of Anchorage, in service to the Russian Bishop in Irkutsk, oversees and financially supports the Catholic missionary work of the Church of the Nativity there. Magadan was the site of 1 of the Soviet era prison camps..

The newsletter this month had 1 of those good news stories you love to read. For those who are not familiar with Soviet policy, abortion was a common form of birth control, and encouraged by the state. 1 of the main thrusts of the Mission is to provide Pro-Life alternatives. & God is blessing their efforts.

They are seeing a growing number of women chosing to keep their babies rather than abort them. That means that Nativity Inn, their Pro-Life progam, is in need of more support than ever. In addition to long & short term shelter, the Inn helps with food, clothing, medicine, and whatever was needed. It also provides a monthly Mother’s support group. The women receive counseling, skills & training to enable them to care for their children.

They have also opened a 2nd location in Ola is a small town 35 kilometers from Magadan, on the coast and the Ola River. There they currently have 2 young mothers & their children.

Unfortunately, like many parts of the world, the economic crisis is affecting them. THEY NEED OUR HELP NOW MORE THAN EVER.

Lent has just gotten underway. The Catholic Church puts extra emphasis on the Biblical teaching of giving alms at this time. Here is an excellent opportunity to do so. Magadan Mission shows that Pro-Life is much more than just stopping abortion. It is about caring for the whole person, spiritual as well as physical. While it's Nativity Inn project is its most visble, they do much more there.

Another new program that has been started at Magadan works at strengthening the vocation of marriage. Under the protection of the Holy Family, the program stives to teach the importance of marriage as a sacrament. It also helps couples to strengthen their communication with each other. It helps them to learn ways to resolve conflicts.

As I said, Magadan offers an excellent opportunity to practice the giving of alms.

Financial gifts can be given in 2 ways. You can mail a check to the Archdiocese of Anchorage or donate on the Archdiocese's website. Checks must be sent there as any mailed to Magadan in Russia cannot be cashed over there.

Mail checks (made out to Magadan Mission) to:

Mission to Magadan
225 Cordova Street
Anchorage AK 99501-2409

or you can give online at Magadan Russian Mission.

If you want to give specific support to Nativity Inn, there is a group in St. Loius set up to help with that work. Follow the link for more info.