The social department of the Ekaterinburg diocese invites nurses to work. Report of the Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese on work with refugees from Ukraine Training participants from Nizhny Tagil
In March 2018, the Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese conducted training for employees of the Department of Church Charity and Social Ministry of the Nizhny Tagil Diocese. The head of the Department, Archpriest Oleg Shabalin, completed a second social internship in Yekaterinburg from February 5 to 9, 2018, was very inspired by Yekaterinburg projects and sent five employees for training.
Training participants from Nizhny Tagil:
Assistant to the head of social work – Alexander Andreevich Oshchepkov
Coordinator of charitable and social projects, press service - Anastasia Gennadievna Kazakova
Coordinator for work with volunteers, senior sister of the sisterhood - Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Levina
Sister of Mercy – Lyubov Nikolaevna Bastrikova
Specialist in receiving applicants, lawyer - Natalya Evgenievna Gileva
First, all the internship participants got acquainted with the work of the department for working with petitioners, and then went off to their specialized areas.
Galina Lyudina, coordinator of the department for working with petitioners of the Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese:
– I told you how our department for working with petitioners works: who we help, who we don’t help and why. Where does work with the applicant begin and how does it end - the entire cycle of passing the request. Answered questions about the work of the call dispatcher and interaction with applicants.
Natalya Borisovna Savina, assistant director for social work of the Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese:
– I talked with the assistant to the head of social work, Alexander Andreevich Oshchepkov, and the specialist in receiving applicants and lawyer Natalya Evgenievna Gileva. Alexander was interested in questions of how to establish relationships with deaneries and parishes, how to organize social service locally, and how to assist in the organization and development of parish social projects. Natalya Evgenievna clarified the issue of distribution of humanitarian aid among parishes, conditions for issuing and collecting reports. And, of course, my guests were very interested in the issue of grant funding for church social projects. I tried to answer all the questions of our colleagues from the Nizhny Tagil diocese, and show specific examples of solutions to certain issues. Using examples of our grant projects, I explained the system of writing grant applications. We agreed to work together, jointly solve the problems of our clients.
Tatyana Ananina, senior sister of St. Panteleimon's Sisterhood of Mercy:
– I told the sisters from Nizhny Tagil in detail about inner life our sisterhood: prayer, meetings, trips, work with sisters, communication with a confessor. Sisters from the children's department shared their experience of interacting with children's medical and social institutions - holding spiritual conversations with employees, congratulating them on the holidays, and the possibility of providing financial assistance. This was important because... in Tagil there is a fostered orphanage with which relationships are being built.
Svetlana Kislova, head of information department:
– With a colleague in ministry Anastasia Kazakova, who works in the press service of the Department of Social Ministry of the Nizhny Tagil Diocese, we discussed the priorities of information work: what and why we need to talk about works of mercy and church social service, how interesting informational occasions appear, who can and should become the hero of the publication.
Evgeny Shatskikh, head of the diocesan Center for Humanitarian Aid:
– We gave the guests a tour of the Center, showed how work is carried out in the main hall for the wards, how used clothes are sorted. We answered questions about document flow and who, how and how often we help.
Assistant to the head of social work Alexander Oshchepkov and specialist in receiving applicants, lawyer Natalya Gileva
FEEDBACK FROM INTERNSHIP PARTICIPANTS
Sister of Mercy Lyubov Bastrikova (Nizhny Tagil):
– Thank you all so much for the warm welcome, for your patience, for sharing your experience. I took a lot into account when organizing my work. Communication with the sisters in the nursing room also helped a lot. My doubts were dispelled. In general, of course, I was struck by the scope of your good deeds, organization, strict reporting and control. I was impressed for a long time. I told everything in our temple. I was also impressed by the attitude towards charity work of both the sisters and the volunteers. And, of course, the Humanitarian Aid Center was amazing: 600 sq. m, complete order and accounting. The entire database has been saved. It was also interesting to find out that if nothing changes in the petitioners’ family over 9 months: dad continues to lie on the sofa, and mom doesn’t respond, help stops. This motivates people to take action. You show them how it should be so that they strive to improve their living conditions. I was also inspired by the work with the homeless that a department employee conducts in a special trailer in the Cathedral of the Assumption. So to speak, one-time help. Those in need can eat and even rest in the trailer. But first, work a little for the benefit of the temple, and not just stand with an outstretched hand. We need to think about this question... Low bow to you for your work!
Alexander Oshchepkov, assistant director for social work (Nizhny Tagil):
– We are still trying to come to our senses and tune in, since there was a lot of useful information for us, there is something to think about. Taking into account the fact that I myself have only been in the social service for 2 years, of which more time was spent working with philanthropists and legal issues regarding non-profit organizations. Therefore, for me, everything you told and shared can be called parting words in my work. I appreciate your attitude and determination towards your neighbors, the way you communicated with us and shared your emotions is something I can only envy. It means a lot to me when people are open. I liked everything about the internship, from the well-developed department structure to the grant writing process. It was a great honor for us to be accepted by the social ministry department of the Yekaterinburg diocese. Thanks to this meeting, we not only learned something new for ourselves, but were also able to exchange experiences. Department employees also shared their personal work and experience, and talked about possible pitfalls that may appear when writing grants and implementing projects. After which, with great enthusiasm, they talked about various projects being implemented in the department and throughout the diocese as a whole. I would also like to propose a joint project to create a single database of wards, so that we can know and track actions and weed out dishonest ones. God help us all! Guardian Angel to you!
Ekaterina Levina, coordinator for work with volunteers, senior sister of the sisterhood (Nizhny Tagil):
– There are a lot of impressions from the trip, we are now digesting them and trying to apply them to our work. We were impressed by the warehouse, and since we ourselves are closely involved in the renovation and arrangement of a new humanitarian warehouse, we are now using what we saw. Thank you very much for your responsiveness!
Anastasia Kazakova, coordinator of charitable and social projects, press service (Nizhny Tagil):
– I liked everything very much. I, for one, am simply delighted! You are all such sunshine, such warm-hearted people. Thank you so much for the warm welcome! A lot of useful information received from Svetlana Kislova, at first there was a mess in my head, now that everything has calmed down, I want to create, ideas and ideas have appeared. We will put them into practice. I hope this is not our last meeting. You are all very inspiring. Of course, I would like to wish you love, patience, peace and God’s help! God bless you all!
Website Department of Social Service
Ekaterinburg diocese:
The Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese prepared a report on the work done in July-September 2014:
The following churches and priests are assigned to the temporary accommodation centers deployed on the territory of the Yekaterinburg diocese:
Revda– Bishop’s metochion in the name of the Archangel Michael, ministering priest Priest Alexy Syskov
Berezovsky– parish in honor of the Assumption Holy Mother of God, caring priest abbot Vladimir Tumansky
Pervouralsk– parish of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul, ministering priest, Priest Sergius Tabashnikov
Mr. Director:
- TAP on the street Metallurgov, 8 cares for the temple in the name of St. John of Kronstadt, rector Archpriest Andrei Efimenko
- TAP on the street Lenina, 61 takes care of the temple in the name of St. John the Baptist, rector priest Andrey Yuganets
- TAP on the street Kostousova, 57v cares for the temple in the name of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, rector priest Boris Kalenov.
The Department of Social Ministry of the Yekaterinburg Diocese organized clothing assistance for refugees.
The Diocesan Center for Humanitarian Aid in Yekaterinburg makes collections based on the specific needs of certain people.
At the beginning of August From employees of three organizations - the Institute of Metallurgy of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, LLC Trading House "Lazurit" and the Central Internal Affairs Directorate for the Sverdlovsk Region - a large batch of humanitarian aid - clothing, shoes, bed linen, sanitary and hygiene products, toys - arrived at the warehouse. On August 7, the Gazelle was loaded and sent to refugees located in the temporary temporary detention center in Revda.
August 15 and 16 In the hypermarket "AUCHAN" (Metallurgov St., 87), a charity event "School of Kindness" was held to gather children from large and single-parent families, as well as young refugees from Ukraine, to school.
Gifts for school from a promotion in AUCHAN
August 18 employees of vegetable warehouse No. 4 donated food to Gazelle - vegetables, fruits, cereals, stewed meat, canned food, tea. Over the next four days, 57 families (183 people, including 56 children) received kits made from these products.
On August 21, P&G donated sanitation and hygiene products with a total volume of 33 pallets (the volume of a truck) to help refugees. The transfer of such a large volume of humanitarian aid was carried out through the warehouse of the State Emergency Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region. With their help, the entire cargo will be divided among all temporary refugee accommodation centers.
August 31 In seven churches in Yekaterinburg, the “Whole World” campaign was held to help refugees. 147,000 rubles and a fairly large amount of things, bed linen, food, office supplies, etc. were collected.
Action "With the Whole World" in the Church of St. Luke and in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Since July 2014, a fundraiser has been opened on the website of the Orthodox Mercy Service of the Yekaterinburg Diocese.
As of September 16, 230,000 rubles had been collected. The incoming funds are spent on the specific needs of refugees:
- 22,500 rub. were transferred to the temporary temporary residence facility in the city of Revda for processing documents for 50 displaced people there: for translation of a Ukrainian document into Russian, notarization of the document, photograph
- assistance was provided to pensioner O.V. Tovstigray with cancer: two cans of special food for cancer patients were purchased, and 1,000 rubles were donated. cash
- RUB 38,046.24 spent on assistance in sending by rail the large Karpenko family (5 people), who went under the program for the resettlement of compatriots to Sakhalin
- RUB 1,575 – purchase and delivery of household goods to the temporary temporary detention center in Berezovsky
- 30,000 rub. – purchase of medicines for a five-year-old boy from Lugansk, Daniil Kulabukhov, who suffers from deafness, his examination at the Bonum medical center and classes with a teacher of the deaf.
Requests for help from Ukrainian citizens are accepted by the dispatcher of the Orthodox Mercy Service and the coordinator for work with refugees. The main issues are related to finding housing and purchasing medications.
Information work has also been organized to call for people who are ready to help refugees (financially, housing, other types of assistance). The Service dispatcher's phone collects information from citizens of the Sverdlovsk region who are ready to provide their housing to refugees. As of September 1, 2014, residents of Yekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region received 29 housing offers and eight job offers with the provision of office housing.
As part of the presidential grant, the second stage of the internship for nurses of the Yugra diocese began under the Social Department of the Yekaterinburg diocese.
Priest Dimitry Sorokin, Deacon Kirill Garafutdinov and 11 sisters and brothers of mercy from the Yugra, Beloyarsk, Kondinsk and Uray deaneries arrived for training in Yekaterinburg.
Nursing internship in Yekaterinburg is as follows:
October 27-28 - participation of clergy and sisters of mercy of the Ugra diocese in the First Congress of Sisters of Charity of the Ural region "Elizabeth's Days: Continuity of the Ministry of Love", which was organized by the Social Department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis.
October 29 - November 1 - internship for the Sisterhoods of the Ugra Diocese - familiarization with the work of the Sisterhoods and Charity Services of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis.
The congress took place at the Saints pilgrimage center Royal Passion-Bearers in the Ganina Yama tract.
Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye addressed the participants of the congress with a welcoming speech and blessing, gave parting words to the sisters and emphasized that there is always a need for mercy and what the sisters do is the mercy of God.
Chairman of the Synodal Department of Church Charity and Social Ministry Panteleimon, Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, also addressed the participants of the congress via video.
The following speakers made presentations at the congress:
- Archpriest Evgeny Popichenko, chairman of the social department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolitan, confessor of the St. Panteleimon sisterhood;
- Archpriest Sergiy Vogulkin, Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, head of the department of medical psychology of the Ural Medical Academy, teacher of the Sverdlovsk Regional Medical College (Ekaterinburg);
- Priest Vasily Baishev, confessor of the Convent of Mercy, rector of the parish in the name of the Holy Martyr. Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Yekaterinburg;
Svetlana Kislova, sister of mercy, head of the information department at the Department of Social Ministry of the Yekaterinburg diocese;
- Priest Konstantin Korepanov, senior teacher at the Missionary Institute, vice-rector for academic affairs at the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary.
The speakers shared valuable information on organizing nursing ministry, talked about their experiences, showed the spiritual side of nursing ministry, and much more. From the speakers' presentations, the sisters received answers to work questions, support and spiritual joy.
At the end of the busy day, work was organized in sections:
Section 1: Help for palliative and seriously ill people;
Section 2: Assistance to large and low-income families;
Section 3: Helping children;
Section 4: Help for the elderly and disabled;
Section 5: For priests.
October 28 – the second day was devoted to a pilgrimage trip to monastery in honor of the New Russian Martyrs of Alapaevsk. Icons in the temple Mother of God“Fedorovskaya” the Divine Liturgy took place. The service was led by Archbishop Michael of Medon, vicar of the Western European Diocese (ROCOR).
After the Liturgy Worship cross in place of the last one spiritual feat Alapaevsk martyrs were dedicated to 12 sisters of the Ekaterinburg diocese.
Participation in the First Congress of Sisters of Charity of the Ural Region "Elizabeth's Days: Continuity of the Ministry of Love" provided the opportunity to: exchange experience in nursing social service; obtain an opportunity for cooperation between Orthodox sisterhoods of mercy and determine prospects for the further development of the sisterhoods; to honor the memory in a cathedral manner Heavenly Patroness Sisterhood of Charity - Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna in the year of the 100th anniversary of her martyrdom.
In total, 170 sisters from 10 dioceses of the Ural region took part in the congress of sisterhoods.
Our questions are answered by the head of the department of social ministry of the Ekaterinburg diocese, Fr. Evgeniy Popichenko
When was the social service department created? Ekaterinburg diocese? What are its tasks and main areas of work?
The diocesan social department of social service was created in April 2002. The purpose of its creation was to expand social service within the framework of the Fundamentals of the Russian social concept Orthodox Church and providing general direction and coordination of church social work across the diocese. There are several areas of activity of the department:
- Solution of current social issues, with which people contact the diocese every day. For example, we need to decide the fate of a homeless person sleeping on the street - we are looking for an opportunity to accommodate him; We need to help the elderly department of a psychiatric hospital with indoor shoes - we are looking for sponsors and helpers; we need to take care of installing a telephone for a disabled person - we contact the appropriate service, etc. In the course of such work, connections are gradually established with municipal and public organizations, and schemes for solving certain problems are worked out.
- Activation of social work in the parishes of the diocese. With the blessing of Bishop Vincent, at each parish it is necessary to organize brotherhoods, sisterhoods and societies of mercy for comprehensive assistance to those in need. In many churches and monasteries, such societies have been created and work, carrying out their service in hospitals, nursing homes, colonies, shelters and orphanages. They help the elderly, disabled, and homeless people with clothing and food. Such societies and sisterhoods need methodological, organizational and other assistance. The Department of Social Ministry coordinates their activities, conducts training seminars in various areas, and invites specialists from other dioceses to exchange experiences.
- Work in areas . At the moment, the diocese is actively working in the following areas:
- Rehabilitation of drug addicts, prevention of drug addiction and HIV/AIDS, assistance to drug addicts and their families
- Mobile hospice service
- Children's social and pedagogical center for mentally ill children
- Maternity Protection Center
These areas are provided with comprehensive support and assistance.
- Cooperation with educational institutions. On March 6, 2003, the first graduation took place at the regional medical college Orthodox sisters Mercy, specialty "junior nurse". The sisters carry out their obedience at the churches and monasteries of the city and region.
Please tell us more about the most active areas of social work in the diocese.
The most large-scale social service project is the “Life without Drugs” program, implemented by the Yekaterinburg Diocesan Charitable Rehabilitation Center. The main goal of the program is to provide spiritual, psychological and social assistance to young people in getting rid of drug addiction, as well as their families. The program is carried out with the participation of priests of the Yekaterinburg diocese, psychologists, social workers, the public, as well as in cooperation with foundations, enterprises and organizations whose civic and moral position coincides with the goals and objectives of the Center. The center is headed by Inga Vladilenovna Korolkova, a professional psychologist.
The program is implemented through a network of consultation rooms and inpatient departments. Currently, 10 consultation rooms have been organized in the largest cities of the region. Two offices operate in Yekaterinburg. The task of these offices is to provide assistance to people with drug addiction and their families, as well as active interaction with the public, enterprises and administrative bodies in all areas of work with youth, without exception, to create a kind of “bridge”, a connecting link between the world and the Church.
On average, up to 300 people receive help every month in the diocese’s counseling offices. Often those who seek help, with the help of consultations, take the path of getting rid of their vice. Those who find it more difficult to overcome their addiction to drugs are sent to inpatient rehabilitation units.
Today, the diocese has created two inpatient departments. One of them is located in the village. Sarapulka, Berezovsky district and is designed for simultaneous stay of 15 people. The department operates on the territory of a former recreation center, on which there are 6 houses for students to live, as well as for economic and production needs.
Another center is located in the village of Olkhovka, Verkhne-Pyshminsky district, and is also designed for 15 people. The center is located in the building of a former kindergarten, donated to the diocese for 5 years, and has a private plot of 50 acres.
Training and production workshops have been organized in inpatient rehabilitation departments. The presence of its own production and workplaces in the center allows the rehabilitator to master a working specialty. Young people who have successfully completed rehabilitation are provided with assistance in finding employment.
To date, 280 people have undergone rehabilitation in inpatient departments for 3 to 6 months.
Another area of social work in the Yekaterinburg diocese is the activity of an on-site hospice service. This service has been in effect since July 1, 2002 at Holy Trinity cathedral. Over the course of 6 months, she provided medical care to 125 patients with stage IV cancer. The age of the patients ranged from 12 to 96 years, all of them were under the medical and nursing care of the service staff. Most of them were provided with free medications for the first three days from the start of observation. 18 people constantly received painkillers for free because they did not have the means to purchase them. In total, the service staff made 430 medical and 367 nursing visits to patients. The priest visited 74 sick people and performed 140 requests.
People of various nationalities and religions from all over the city turn to the diocesan hospice service. The doctor prescribes treatment, the nurse monitors its implementation, makes dressings, and treats wounds. Each patient is examined by a doctor once every seven to ten days. Medical and spiritual assistance is provided to all patients and their relatives who apply. The priest comes to the patient’s home, talks, confesses, administers communion, administers unction, and baptizes. Volunteers help lonely patients, go to the store, pharmacies, clean the house, talk with patients.
It should also be noted that work related to family problems. Since October 2002, under the spiritual guidance of priest Dimitry Moiseev, the Center for the Protection of Motherhood began operating. The center employs obstetrician-gynecologists, psychologists, and volunteers. They set themselves the task of saving unborn children; participation in family revival; educational activities; interaction with government agencies; provide consultations to women seeking abortions at antenatal clinics. Over the past time, the center has opened four consultation rooms at churches in Yekaterinburg - in the name of the Nativity of Christ, St. Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Ascension of the Lord, St. healers Cosmas and Damian, which constantly receives visitors. The center's specialists participated in the fifth Catherine's readings in 2003, where they made three reports.
1500 copies were prepared and distributed. leaflets on relevant topics. Currently, sets of materials (40 items) for clergy and parishioners are being prepared and distributed throughout the city’s churches. Lectures are held in schools and colleges. Relationships are established with the administration and staff of antenatal clinics. So, in October 2002, priest Dimitry Moiseev held a conversation with the medical staff of the antenatal clinic in the Zheleznodorozhny district, and in November the staff of this consultation made a pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama.
In 2002, the Orthodox family and marriage service “Consent” was created in Yekaterinburg. The idea of this initiative belongs to priest Georgy Viktorov, cleric of the temple in the name of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky of Novo-Tikhvin convent. Throughout this year, he has been the curator of the service, a spiritual mentor for the employees of the service (there are three of them) and the leader Irina Vladimirovna Karpina. Over the course of the year, 63 women and 59 men contacted the service with the intention of starting a family. To find peace in family happiness, people come for help from many cities in the region: Novouralsk, Asbest, Pervouralsk, Achita district and even from Perm and Krasnoyarsk.
The service can only be contacted Orthodox man with the written blessing of his confessor. Then he undergoes a short interview with a service employee to determine the degree of his church membership. After the conversation, he fills out a standard form. Attached is a photograph. For a more successful result of cooperation, the applicant undergoes psychological testing. The completed questionnaire is kept in the service database until the formation of a family, or until the termination of relations with the service. Among those who applied were many seminarians and altar servers who are concerned about the depth of faith and adherence to church canons in their future companion. However, ordinary lay people are no less concerned about these same issues. The service operates a dating club where people can directly meet, communicate, and spend useful time together. It has already become a good tradition to go to Saturday services at the churches of the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama or to get acquainted with icon painting.
An important area of activity of the diocesan social department is the holding of conferences and seminars on the problems of social ministry. On October 24-25, 2002, an international scientific and practical conference “10 years of social work in Russia: current problems of practice and professional training of specialists in the higher education system” was held in Yekaterinburg on the basis of the Ural State Pedagogical University.
By blessing His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Alexy St. Demetrius School of Sisters of Mercy in Moscow on November 25-27 held a seminar “Medical and social service of the Orthodox Church” in Yekaterinburg. The seminar was held at the Regional Clinical Hospital and Regional Medical College. The program made it possible to consider the issues of training nurses and modern methods of rehabilitation of convalescents; the activities of the parish patronage service and the organization of assistance from the sister of mercy to the priest during the fulfillment of needs in the hospital and at home; organizing leisure time and providing psychological assistance to the elderly and disabled. 80 people took part in the seminar - sisters of mercy from parish sisterhoods, social workers of churches, 6 clergy caring for medical and social institutions.
On April 8-12, 2003, specialists from the DECR and the Moscow public organization AIDSinfosvyaz held on-site seminars on working with HIV-infected people for diocesan clergy and seminarians. The seminar was attended by 70 people.
To implement large-scale social programs, cooperation with government agencies is necessary. Are you able to establish such interaction?
Indeed, good relationships with government agencies, including social ones, are very important for the successful conduct of church social work. Fortunately, our diocese is able to establish constructive cooperation with the state. Relations between the diocese, the city and the region took shape in appropriate agreements.
August 29, 2002 Ministry of Social Protection of the Population of the Sverdlovsk Region, represented by Minister Turinsky V.F. and the Yekaterinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in the person of the Ruling Bishop, “guided by current legislation, in order to further improve the organization of social protection of the population, comprehensively address issues of social support for the most vulnerable groups of the population, restore moral standards in public life, and also seeking to expand the potential of the social system protection of the population of the region”, signed a Cooperation Agreement. The main areas of cooperation are identified:
- development of joint programs, including charitable ones, for social support of the population;
- creation in social service institutions of citizens of conditions for the implementation of missionary and educational activities by the clergy of the diocese: the performance of religious rites, the distribution of religious literature and religious objects;
- collection, analysis and mutual exchange of information on jointly implemented and related projects, generalization and dissemination of positive cooperation experience;
- holding joint events, searching for new forms of interaction.
The parties also committed to inform each other of their work plans as they relate to issues of joint activities. The implementation of specific projects and programs and joint events will be formalized in separate plans.
In order to implement the above Agreement, a joint work plan was approved. One of the first joint events was the holding of the Day of the Elderly on October 1, 2002. Within its framework, in the Novolyalinsky district, clergy and laity visited all departments of medical and social rehabilitation for a month. In the cities of Alapaevsk, Polevsky, Talitsa, Kamyshlov, Artemovsky, prayer services were held for the health of the elderly. In the city of Novo-Verkhnyaya Salda, more than 300 people gathered for such a service. By October 1, parishioners brought a lot of homemade jam and sweets to the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Uralmash and went to a home for the disabled and elderly.
At the request of employees of the regional Ministry, a joint discussion took place on the issue of creating a hostel house for people without a fixed place of residence. The project is currently being discussed by a working group.
Favorable relations were established with the Yekaterinburg City Department of Social Policy. August 20, 2002 Ruling Bishop and Head of the Department for Social Policy of the Administration of Yekaterinburg E.Ya. Goncharenko signed a Cooperation Agreement. This document defines the forms, directions of activity and order of interaction in the implementation of social programs in order to combine efforts aimed at a comprehensive solution social tasks, increasing the social security of the city population. The agreement provides for mutual informing by the Diocese and the Office of each other about ongoing activities for social support of vulnerable segments of the population, joint holding of such events, development and implementation of various charitable programs aimed at supporting elderly citizens, the disabled and citizens who find themselves in difficult life situations.
The social department of the diocese, under the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, regularly informs the Office about social work in the diocese. Since the district divisions of the city Department for Social Policy of the city are willing to cooperate, the main joint work goes through them. On the eve of the Day of the Elderly, 200 free subscriptions to screenings of Russian films in the Palace of Culture, organized by the diocesan department of culture, were delivered to 5 social service centers. Some centers are supported by parishes. So, the Veterans House on the street. Technically assigned to the church Vladimir icon Mother of God. The Ordzhonikidze District Social Service Center takes part of its meals for the poor from the Orthodox soup kitchen, which is under the care of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent. The administration of the Kirovsky district is also very grateful to the canteen for help with meals. At the request of T.T. Evdokimova, director of the rehabilitation center for children and adolescents with disabilities “Luvena,” Deacon Andrei Shestakov, clergyman of the parish of All Saints in Yekaterinburg, was assigned to the center for spiritual care. At the request of the administration of the MU “Psychiatric Hospital No. 12” for cooperation and spiritual care, the clergy of the Holy Trinity Bishop’s Compound, Priest Sergei Savin, was assigned to the hospital. Also, Psychiatric Hospital No. 12 received charitable assistance from the parishioners of St. Panteleimon's Church with sewing materials and accessories.
The social department of the diocese seeks to establish cooperation with other departments of the Yekaterinburg city administration in order to more actively promote Orthodox social projects. Consent to cooperation regarding charity concerts was received from the head of the city Department of Culture V.P. Plotnikov, it was transferred to the culture department of the diocese. Confirmation has been received from the city Health Department that a Cooperation Agreement with the diocese is possible. The agreement is being prepared for signing.
What are your plans for the future?
As part of the development of anti-drug work, it is planned to open another inpatient department of the rehabilitation center in the village. Kosulino.
To train medical workers who could participate in the implementation of social programs, it is planned to organize three-year training in the specialty “Orthodox nurse” and 4-month courses for “younger sisters of mercy”.
We also plan to create a “convent of mercy”, which would include an Orthodox boarding house for the elderly, offices of a maternity protection center, a kindergarten and schools for the mentally ill and their parents, etc.
Ekaterinburg, October 16, “Information Agency of the Ekaterinburg Diocese.” In the City Trauma Hospital No. 36, the Orthodox sisterhood, created under the Department of Social Ministry of the Yekaterinburg Diocese, carries out the ministry of mercy.
Several times a week, the sisters come to the trauma hospital, care for the sick, console them, talk about the spiritual side of the disease and how to use this time for the benefit of the soul. The head of the Department of Social Ministry, Priest Evgeniy Popichenko, confesses and gives communion to hospital patients. Patients are extremely grateful to the service of the sisterhood. The doctors are also pleased with the cooperation.
In agreement with the hospital management, nurses are also on duty in the post-resuscitation ward, where patients who have undergone major operations are located. During the first postoperative days, these patients constantly require care and attention, and, unfortunately, there are not enough nurses for everyone. Therefore, the Department of Social Ministry and the Orthodox Sisterhood of Charity invite women of the Orthodox faith aged 30–50 years to work in the intensive care unit of the city trauma hospital No. 36.
Anyone who feels the spiritual strength for such work can contact the Department of Social Ministry of the Ekaterinburg Diocese. Department address: temple in the name of the Healer Panteleimon, Siberian Highway, 8 km. Tel.: 24–98–89, pager: 777–333 or 085, ab.: 19261. Contact Elena Borisovna Menshikova.
Social service
Ekaterinburg, October 14, “Information Agency of the Ekaterinburg Diocese.” Some parishioners are brought to confession to priest Vyacheslav Ivanov, who spiritually cares for the parish in the name of St. Pimen of the Many-Sick in the village of Iset in the city of Sredneuralsk.
Traditions and pilgrimage
Wandering, pilgrimage... The ineradicable craving of the Russian person for holy places. The desire to get up one morning and, regardless of the weather, off-road conditions, temptations that lie in wait, hit the road. Then the impressions will fall on the pages of the diary and become notes and letters. Here is one of those brought by our editorial mail. After living for three weeks in a nunnery