ACN News - Cathedral consecration celebrated in Russia

ACN-USA News

11/3/2010

Cathedral consecration celebrated in Russia


Catholics in the Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov, Russia, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the consecration of their cathedral, St. Peter and St. Paul. Bishop Clemens Pickel talked to ACN about the festivities.

During a visit to the headquarters of the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Königstein, near Frankfurt, Germany, Bishop Clemens Pickel of Saratov reported on the celebrations held on the 14th and 15th of October to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the consecration of the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

This was the first occasion on which not only priests but also the ordinary faithful from the entire Diocese of St. Clement had gathered to celebrate together, the bishop said. The principal festivities, on October 15, were attended by the apostolic nuncio in the Russian Federation, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, all the Catholic bishops in Russia, the Orthodox bishop of Saratov and likewise local civic leaders and representatives from Lutheran and Muslim communities.

Among the invited guests was ACN's representative and head of its Russia desk, Peter Humeniuk. The event was also attended by ordinary Catholic faithful from many of the parishes scattered across this vast diocese in southern Russia which, with an area of some 550,000 square miles is roughly twice the size of Texas. Many had traveled long distances to attend the celebrations in Saratov.

Bishop Pickel, who is originally from Germany, recalled that one of the high points of the celebrations had been the visit to the Catholic cathedral by Orthodox Bishop Longin of Saratov, and his "fraternal and spontaneous" address.

"It was the third visit by the Orthodox Bishop of Saratov to our cathedral," said Bishop Pickel. "The first two occasions were sad ones. The first time he visited us was to express his sympathy at the death of Pope John Paul II, and the second time was to express his condolences following the tragic plane crash near Smolensk. But this time he had come to congratulate us."

Asked about the reactions of the Catholic faithful, Bishop Clemens reported that people had been really delighted and had seen it as a sign of friendship. He added, "Bishop Longin found truly brotherly words to say to us."

The bishop noted that it might well have been sheer coincidence that at this very same time the "Chapel Boat," funded originally by ACN, had arrived in Saratov, carrying relics of some of the great saints from the era before the split between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. This boat has been traveling up the Volga since September 13th, stopping on the way in order to give not only Orthodox but also Catholic Christians the opportunity to venerate the relics.

It had "seemingly simply happened that way," Bishop Clemens said, that this floating chapel, named after Fr. Werenfried van Straaten, the founder of ACN, had reached Saratov on the very day of the celebrations, but nonetheless he regarded it as "a gift from heaven."

Many such things that had happened 'by chance' had nonetheless been significant, he added. "We prepared well for the celebrations, and I always say that, if man does everything he can, then God will add whatever is lacking," he concluded.

The relics had been carried in procession into the Catholic cathedral. "For the Catholic faithful it was a great event, for just like the Orthodox Christians, most Catholics here in Russia have a great veneration for relics,” said the bishop.

“There were eight separate relics within the casket, and yet many people were afterwards able to remember quite precisely which relics of which saints had been in which places," he added. Moreover, many of the people had not simply briefly venerated the relics but had remained behind for a long time in the church to pray.

For the Catholics of the Diocese of St. Clement, the anniversary celebrations had been deeply impressive, Bishop Pickel told ACN. On returning to their parishes they had told the other Catholics all about them.

Many of them, leaving after the end of the celebrations on Friday, had arrived home only early on Sunday, shortly before Holy Mass, since the journeys they had traveled had been extremely long. Nonetheless they had gone directly to their local parish churches and, after Holy Mass, had related everything they had experienced. Some of them had spoken for a very long time, because they were so enthusiastic, but the other Catholic faithful "had not grown impatient," because they too wanted to know all the details.

Bishop Pickel also explained to ACN that one of the priorities for his diocese in the future is the advancement of the laity. In the past it has been the case that the faithful have tended to depend heavily on the priest as their "Father," he said, and while he is not seeking to relativize the importance of the priest, he does want to help the laity to be able to pass on the Faith themselves as well.

At present the Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov has 52 parishes. Yet the Catholic faithful, who live widely scattered, have only 47 priests to minister to them.

ACN continues to regularly support the pastoral work of the Diocese of St. Clement.

Photos: Blagovest Info


Editor’s Notes:



Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org