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Pani Rose
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| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 757 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
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Posted: Fri Nov 14th, 2008 04:03 am |
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It is mind-boggeling to me, that a Church could be taken so much for granted that no one ever saw it on a daily basis. Sadly, we all too often take our faith for granted. 
Russia church 'stolen by thieves'
A 200-year-old church building has disappeared from a village in central Russia, officials from the Russian Orthodox Church say.
The building had stood near the village of Komarovo since 1809.
It was intact in July but some time in early October thieves made off with it brick by brick, they said.
Local prosecutors had been informed and an investigation was under way, a spokesman for the local Russian Orthodox Church said.
The disappearance of the Church of the Resurrection, some 300 km (186 miles) north-east of Moscow, was not immediately noticed.
It was in an out-of-the-way area and was not being used, although Church officials were considering resuming services there.
Now all that remained of the two-storey building - a school before it was turned over to the Church - were its foundations and some sections of wall, the Church said.
Thieves often target churches in rural Russia. Religious icons can be sold and church structures sold off for building materials.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7728407.stm
Last edited on Fri Nov 14th, 2008 04:05 am by Pani Rose
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DrDave
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Mildura, Australia |
| Posts: | 289 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Cradle - Lapsed - Renewed Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Nov 14th, 2008 04:21 am |
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Perhaps we should keep an eye out on ebay?
Regards Doc
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NB: 'DrDave' is a nickname from college not and indication of academic achievement.
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Pani Rose
Member
| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 757 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
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Posted: Fri Nov 14th, 2008 03:33 pm |
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DrDave wrote: Perhaps we should keep an eye out on ebay?
Regards Doc
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 2459 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical (1977): Diverse Protestant Influences / Catholic in 1990 |
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Posted: Fri Nov 14th, 2008 07:36 pm |
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| Many of our churches are stolen, not physically, but spiritually, by the devil.
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2100+ papers & web pages (free) & 17 apologetic books (4 sale: 15 E-Books: $25)
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Absurdistan, AKA , Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1574 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Nov 19th, 2008 04:21 am |
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Must've been some ex-KGB guys who looked over their notes and saw a church that was supposed to be knocked down by Stalin. But these new types, having been exposed to kleptocracy since the fall of the Red Empire, went back to "finish the job" only in grand capitalistic style. They give a new meaning to the term, "lumber liquidators."
On the other hand, it could've well be an inside job. After all, Russian Orthodox confessionals weren't exactly the most "confidential" places for the faithful to expose their moral sins and/or anti-socialist "sins" during the days Putin's boyos are trying pretty hard to reconstruct.
Now if they'd only reconstruct that church. 
____________________
James Michael Curley to a young Thomas “Tip” O’Neill -- “Son, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
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Michael Kuznetsov
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Posted: Mon Dec 22nd, 2008 09:36 pm |
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The final demolition of the already ruined church building in the village of Komarovo was of course a VERY SAD EVENT.
No doubt.
However, the ruins of the former church, in fact, was not “taken by thieves” as BBC News reported, but were deconstructed “brick by brick” by the local authorities permission.
Here you can see a photo of the ruins before the final demolition occured:
http://pavel-shemin.ya.ru/replies.xml?item_no=2053
A picture of the present situation in Russia would look too gruesome, incomplete and absolutely deceptive if we do not take into consideration the whole set of facts, namely:
The number of functioning Orthodox churches has grown from 6,800 in 1987, when Mikhail Gorbachev first signaled a loosening of the bonds on religion, to 27,950 today. Of them 20,000 are newly constructed church buildings.
There were 19 Orthodox monasteries then, 735 now.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/05/opinion/edschmemann.php
By the way, about the Catholic section of the Orthodox Encyclopedia you can read here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/21/technology/glossies.php
God bless you all, Brethren.
Michael
“But he that doeth TRUTH cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God”. St John 3:21
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My principal aim is to provide the Westerners with the knowledge of our Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian soul, and Russia's millennial history. Welcome to my websites: http://www.russian-victories.ru and http://www.great-victory1945.ru
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Pani Rose
Member
| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 757 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
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Posted: Tue Dec 23rd, 2008 03:47 am |
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Michael 
I have read elsewhere since the original post that this is kind of a common happening - at least more than this once. It is sad that something so beautiful is taken so for granted that when it is gone, it isn't even missed.
Next to visiting the Hagi Sohia, I would love to visit Valaam. 'Tis the most awesome of chants, alas I know that will never happen Such a beautiful place.
Marian, I have gotten to know online is from Romania, and has shared some beautiful photography of the Monasteries in his country. Absolutley remarkable.
Many of us have been praying for the choosing of your new Patriarch.
God bless you brother, and thank you for sharing.
Pani Rose
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Michael Kuznetsov
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Posted: Tue Dec 23rd, 2008 02:02 pm |
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Dear Sister Rose,
Thank you for your good wishes.
Also, it is most touching and thoughtful of you, Sister Rose, that you remember our recently deceased Spiritual Father Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Indeed, after the death of His Holiness, we Russians feel deep sorrow and suffer from the bereavement like fatherless children. I invite you kindly to visit this page dedicated to the late Patriarch: http://www.great-victory1945.ru/patriarch.htm
As you probably know, when His Holiness the Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, we Russian Orthodox believers did condole, too, with the Christian World upon the decease of the Great Pontiff.
In 2005 many Russian Orthodox bloggers created special pages in memory of the Great Man. In this regard, please visit my own webpage (being stored now in my web archive) dedicated to the late Spiritual Father of all Catholics: http://www.russian-victories.ru/pope_john_paul.htm
And please don't miss THE MUSIC, Sister Rose! Each one of the numerous pages on both of my websites has its own special musical accompaniment.
God bless!
Michael
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My principal aim is to provide the Westerners with the knowledge of our Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian soul, and Russia's millennial history. Welcome to my websites: http://www.russian-victories.ru and http://www.great-victory1945.ru
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Pani Rose
Member
| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 757 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
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Posted: Tue Dec 23rd, 2008 02:37 pm |
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Beautiful pages Michael! I will read them all a bit later.
Michael, I was totally astounded here, especially being in the soutern part of the states, that after the changes in the Soviet Union, and Protestants were going into the country, all they could talk about was conversion.
Sorry folks - my Protestant brothern - don't take offence at what I am about to say.
I was totally amazed, they would say, oh someone gave this person a Bible and all he did was kiss it, he just was so hungry for the Word of God and never had heard of it.
I would reply, no - as Orthodox they have heard it all their lives - they were venerating the Word of God, who is Christ in the Flesh. It is just they had not been able to hold the written Word in their hands in decades.
They would say, no they are pegans.
I would say, no - they were Christians, evangelized by Sts Cyril and Methodius a 1,000 years ago. The concept of Russia ever being evanglized was just far beyond comprehension for most people. I would always point them to the visibile St Basils in Moscow - again, which they really had no idea of - something always seen, but never understood http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-st-basil-cathedral.htm
Also, Valaam and it's mystical beauty
http://valaam.ru/en/photos/icons/
Then to try to explain a persectued Church, one having to live it's life on the surface, yet very much underground.
To me, to hand someone in your country a Bible and to see it venerated, would be jumping for joy because finally, by God's grace and not man, you were able to hold that for which you had hungered for so long in your hands freely rejoicing. Not a pride factor - well look at what I did thing  .
Thanks be to God, you can spread the word now, freely.
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Michael Kuznetsov
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Posted: Tue Dec 23rd, 2008 07:58 pm |
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Exceptionally shrewd observations and absolutely right conclusions of yours, Sister Rose! Accept my congratulations!
Of course, I am well aware of all what you say. Indeed, to call us Russians "pagans" is rather "cool" 
Let the Lord God be the Judge for those who think absurd of a nation that accepted the Christ our Lord 1020 years ago and was duly baptized in 988 A.D.
The Lord sendth us trials and tribulations to examine our souls and to test our faith and to enforce the same. Thank God for all things!
"And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." St Matthew 10:22
In the 20th century, the Russian Orthodox Church survived through two major waves of severe persecutions: the first wave may be called the Ruthless Extermination (approximately in 1918-1937 under the "Lenin's Guards" rule), then came a relatively short period of the Gradual Revival (approximately in 1940-1954), and then again -- another one wave of persecutions, now not so bloody -- the wave of the Harsh Oppressions (approximately in 1956-1964 under Nikita Khrushchev's rule).
We have survived. We have preserved our Holy Faith. The harsher were the persecutions the stronger was becoming our faith!
From personal experience I know that it was a very hard, an almost impossible task for a common person to obtain a copy of the Holy Bible in my country during the years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
During the cursed times of Khrushchev's Oppression of the Church, the Russian people used to re-write Prayers and other liturgical books by hand. For instance, I myself have re-written the Book of Psalms (in Old Slavic language) into a thick note-book by my own hand. That was a real toil which took me several months!
No wonder, people might kiss the copy of the Holy Bible presented by their newly arrived American friends!
As to my own copy of the Holy Scriptures, the most cherished thing in my family, it once belonged to my great-great-grandmother. My forebears lost EVERYTHING during the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945, literally everything, yet the only precious heirloom that was saved from the flames was the Holy Bible, which is now in my possession.
Thank God for all things!
Michael
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My principal aim is to provide the Westerners with the knowledge of our Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian soul, and Russia's millennial history. Welcome to my websites: http://www.russian-victories.ru and http://www.great-victory1945.ru
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Pani Rose
Member
| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 757 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
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Posted: Tue Dec 23rd, 2008 10:34 pm |
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OH wow Michael, such a blessing to have the Word of God last, as though it walked through the fire with the three young men.
I have seen video or film clips of when Stalin - if I remember right - the people walked into a large pit that had a HUGE bonfire burning in it. With them, they took into the pit the most awesome of icons, they must have been in their families for centuries. THEY THREW THEM ONTO THE FIRE! As though they were nothing. I still have that picture fixed in my mind. Just to see the film was paralyzing in some sort of way. It is beyond my comprehension - yet I was not there.
It is an example as to why the Byzantine Churches have the iconostasis, besides the mystery held within, is also the beauty of protection. For those who don't know - In the homes of people they had hidden walls, behind these walls they had Altars - when the Church was persecuted they would hide those things relating to God, so they would not be destroyed by man.
It is a part of history that today modern world, myself included knows little of. One the world needs to watch that it is not on a slippery slope to repeat.
Michael you might like http://www.byzcath.org/forums/ It is a discussion forum with EC, Orthodox, and Roman Catholics with some Protestants who are coming East.
God bless you Brother!
Pani Rose
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Absurdistan, AKA , Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1574 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Dec 24th, 2008 01:50 am |
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Rose,
Great post to Michael. Yeah, those were heartbreaking to watch. Real heartbreaking.
But your mention of the hidden walls reminded me of a story I read years back during Gorbachev's year's about his parents having one of those hidden walls containing an Icon. Talk about a Providential Hand of Protection because there's no way he would've been alive to bring about the changes that eventually brought down the Red Empire.
Though the Russians suffered greatly due to the economic crises that followed (one after another, exacerbated by ex-KGB agents working in the Russian Mob that terrorized many innocent Russians from the Main Street USA to Red Square...Russia is still much freer and more prosperous than she ever would've been without Gorbachev and yes, let's not forget Boris Yeltsin's leadership during that abortive coup that he stopped from stopping Gorbachev's reforms, not to mention his years in service afterwards. Flawed, yes. But aren't we all.
The greatest of all the reforms and fruits of freedom, Freedom to Worship.
Michael, this is for you, too, Brother...and Merry Christmas a little early on our Western Calendar!
____________________
James Michael Curley to a young Thomas “Tip” O’Neill -- “Son, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
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