Catholicism in Russia

The Catholic Church in Russia

по-русски

auf Deutsch

For centuries Russia has been in contact with Catholicism. Individual Catholics came to Russia as traders or diplomats. Larger groups of Catholics migrated from Russia and Poland or were deported from the Western parts of the Soviet Union, which were traditionally Catholic, to other parts which were traditionally Orthodox or Muslim.

As this site develops it is hoped that a clear picture of the Catholic Church in Russia might be provided. Its history, its present and its future, its people and its connections with Russia, Russian culture and Orthodoxy all remain areas of special interest.

This site would like to make a recommendation: that you become aquainted with a typical Catholic Parish in Russia. The parish of Syzran is an average sized parish in provincial Russia. Its story and the tales that its parishoners have to tell, represent what it means to be a Latin Rite Catholic in the Russia of today. How did the parish begin, who are the parishoners, how has it grown, what difficulties does it face and what does the future hold for it? The answers to these questions tell a typical story of Catholics in Russia. Also from the Syzran Home Page links to other parishes in Russia will be made.The parish of Syzran also attempts to enter the cyber age.

Maybe you would like to become spiritually associated or a member of the Cyber Parish of the Holy Cherubim and Seraphim.

Catholic sites in Russia Dear visitor, the Center is glad to invite you to visit the Catholic sites in Russia or sites dealing with Catholicicm in Russia.

First of all there is this Internet Center where you are now located. Here you can find a wide range of articles and ideas dealing with Ecumenism, Catholicism in Russia, Russian Orthodoxy, and finally Russian Philosphy and Culture. The aim of this site is to encourage a growth towards mutual comprehension and above all towards Unity within the Church which is the Mystical Body of Christ.

Church-unity Internet Center

This site offers an alternative and challenging look at contemporary Catholicism in Russia (This is the page you are reading now).

- The Catholic Church in Russia

As of yet not all parishes are connected to the net, but a few are. Just as each parish differs greatly from one another so also do the various sites. If you have some free time, maybe you would like to make a cyber tour or pilgrimage of the various parishes.........

Parishes ....

Cheljabinsk lies on the Siberian side of the Southern Urals. In the main parish work several German priests and some American sisters who keep us up to date with frequent newsletters.
Irkutsk lies in the heart of Siberia on the beautiful Lake Baikal, the deepest in the world. Read an open letter of the pastor.
Kazan This site, run by a group of Argentinian priests is highly recommendable. It describes the life of Catholics in one of Russia's most beautiful and historical cities. The site offers a wide range of links and of books on line. It is in English, Russian and Spanish.
Magadan is an isolated city in the Russian Far East. The city grew up out of the gulag system.
Penza a beautiful and historical city in the heart of European Russia, is home to a parish which is only beginning to be born again. Help it with your prayers!
Ryzan one of the cities of the Russian Golden Circle, about 200 km's from Moscow, is a parish struggling to get official recognition, the return of its Church and the permanent presence of a priest.
Samara a major industrial city on the Volga River is home to a historically Polish parish. The church here is one of the most well preserved of Catholic churches in Russia.
Syzran is a small provincial city on the Volga. The parish is mostly ethnic German and strives and thrives in an ecumenical spirit. It is not only a pleasure for people to visit the church in Syzran, but its web-page is well organized and makes an enjoyable visit as well. Why not take a look at our photo album of Catholic Churches in Russia
Ulianovsk is a parish struggling in its revival. It suffered greatly in the town where Lenin was born and is still struggling in the battle with the effects and remainders of atheistic communism.
Vladivostok a major port on Russia's pacific coast. Not far from North Korea and China, the parish and the surrounding areas are served by two American priests.
Yakutsk is a town in the center (almost north) Siberia. Here a group of Salesians are at work.

Trans-parochial ....

There are also some pan Russian sites:

The Apostolic Administration of European Russia:

Directory and General Information (Only in Russian)

Apostolic Administration of Asian Russia (in German)

News from Asian Russia - A letter from Siberia

Caritas (in English)

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles Seminary

Salesians in Russia

Interesting materials

The New Russian Law Concering Freedom of Religion (in English), just click here

Maybe you would like to know how many Catholics there are in Russia. This article looks at debatable stastics of Catholics in Russia. It shows how many practising Catholics there are, what sectors are decreasing and what ones are increasing, and what this radical changing of the Catholic population can mean for the future.

Since 1991, the Catholic Church has been organised into Apostolic Administrations. What are these? This describes what apostolic administrations are, how they developed in Catholic Canon Law. It shows that they are an ecumenically sensitive structure for Catholicism in Russia. The article seeks to propose possible ecumenical developments of the apostolic administrations.

Please Sign our Cyber-Guestbook and take a chance to Meet some of Our Cyber-Visitors

If you would like to contribute to this home page and offer your articles, we would be glad to consider them for inclusion. Anything that treats of the Catholic Church in Russia and her contacts with Russian culture and Russian religious traditions is of interest.

If you would like to e-mail us
please send your message to church-unity@bigfoot.com

Return to Church-Unity Internet Center