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Help for the Training of Orthodox Seminarians in Russia Success Story The city of Stavropol, which today has almost 370,000 inhabitants, lies in the northern Caucasus mountains. It was originally established in the year 1777 as one of the 10 fortresses designed to defend the southern frontier of the Russian Empire. At that time it was quite common in Russia to give Greek names to newly founded towns and cities. In fact, the name of the town, “Stavropol,” actually means “City of the Cross.” Today, the city is also known as the “Gateway to the Caucasus.” In the Russian Orthodox seminary in Stavropol, there are 183 young men currently training for the priesthood. ACN has for many years now maintained close contacts with this seminary and here, too, as in many other places, there are close and friendly relations between Catholics and Orthodox. Our support for the training of these future Orthodox priests in fact also indirectly helps the situation of the Catholics in Russia since, given the minority situation of the Catholics in the country, those Orthodox priests who are well disposed towards the Catholics and who maintain positive contacts with the Catholic Church can also become valuable helpers for the Catholic communities as well. This is already happening in many places in fact, and more and more such joint initiatives are being organized today. The seminary in
Stavropol was founded back in 1846. However, during Soviet times and since
1920, it was only open briefly, from 1946 to 1960. It was not until 1988 that
it was finally reopened as a Spiritual School, and not until 1990 that it was
given the status of a higher spiritual seminary. The situation in this area is
particularly difficult, owing to its geographical proximity to the “troubled”
republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, where the situation is very
explosive. The results of the war in Chechnya and the internal conflicts
between moderate Islamic groups and radical Wahhabi-influenced Muslims –
conflicts either conducted locally or “exported” in the form of terrorist
attacks – are leading to a continuing emigration of ethnic Russians, who are
increasingly leaving even the southern, ethnically Russian heartland around
Stavropol. The result has been a weakening of the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the region, with once Christian villages now becoming Muslim and more and more mosques appearing. In the face of these developments, the Orthodox Church in the Caucasus faces some particular challenges which have to be taken into account in the formation of its clergy. Consequently, and at the request of the Moscow Patriarch, the seminarians in Stavropol have for some years now included Islamic studies in their formation. The seminary also offers its students the opportunity to learn Arabic. But the library also includes works of Catholic theology, which ACN has helped to provide. In addition to their academic studies, the seminarians also work with the elderly, the handicapped and orphans, in order to gain some practical experience of pastoral work. By now in fact this has become a standard element of priestly formation, and not only in Stavropol. ACN helps regularly for the formation of these future priests, and this year once again, thanks to the generosity of our donors, we will be able to help with a contribution of about $338 for each of the 183 seminarians – for a total of $61,800.
Code: 427-02-79 Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive. |
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Keeping the Faith Alive
