Chronicle of a trip to Russia June 30th – July 15th, 2014 My brother

Chronicle of a trip to Russia
June 30th – July 15th, 2014
My brother Ezequiel has already been serving as a missionary around countries of the ex URSS
for ten years. I have always desired to visit him and he has always expected my visit. So why not
then? Russia was also very attractive to me for many other reasons, so I asked and it was granted
to me to spend fifteen days of my vacation with my brother. I want to share some of my
experiences on this beautiful trip, from June 30th to July 15th, 2014.
Fr. Ezequiel, also my classmate, was ordained on the same day as myself, on August 29th, 2003.
He was first appointed to our mission in Tajikistan, and served there as Master of Novices and
Pastor until 2009. After that he served in our Mission of Kazan for three years, and last year was
appointed pastor at our mission in Ulyanovsk. He is now the provincial vicar for the province of
Russia. He also sings and plays the guitar, and is one year older than me. I will later say
something more about his present mission.
Russia, you know, is the largest country in the world (Canada is the second), with eleven time
zones (USA has three of them). Our founder wrote ten chronicles about Russia during one of his
visits to our missions (our order has five missions there). Those writings, which included
surveying geography, history, economics, culture and religion of Russia, awoke my interest in
this country and helped me to prepare a little bit for my trip.
The importance of Russia in the political and economic scene during the last centuries needs
hardly to be underlined. Our Lady of Fatima has also spoken about Russia. That is why I see
with so much hope the mission of our priests and sisters there. This country has a special
mission, and they may be the instruments for the realization of that mission. Humble
instruments, of course, who only on the hands of God can do something worthy of his glory.
I will divide my chronicle in four places: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Ulyanovsk. I
arrived to St. Petersburg July 1st, at 3:20 pm.
1. St. Petersburg
My baggage was lost! I was expecting something like that to happen, since my flight had two
stops. I spent one and a half hour in the baggage claim office… But when I finally came out, my
“big brother” was there! Also the provincial superior for Russia, Fr. Esteban Dumont
(Argentina), accompanied us those days in St. Petersburg. First we celebrated the holy Mass, and
after that, we watched the Argentina game for the world cup. The next day would begin the tour
for the most attractive city of Russia.
(Below: Church of the Saviour at the Bloodshed, St. Petersburg)
July 2nd, Wednesday. Awoke at 7:30, followed by Holy Mass at 8, breakfast and departure. The
first was a boat trip surfing the channels of this Russian Venice, getting close especially to the St.
Peter and St. Paul fortress, the first construction of the city at its foundation in 1703 by Peter the
Great. The city is called “Petersburg” in honour of St. Peter, patron saint of the emperor. It was
called “Petrograd” for a few years from 1914 to 1924, and then Leningrad in honour of Lenin,
after his death in 1924. By a plebiscite in 1991, it was decided to go back to the original name by
54 % of the population. St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than 200
years, from 1703 to after the 1917 Revolution, when the capital went back to Moscow.
(Below: Cathedral of St. Isaac, Singer Building, Cathedral of Kazan and Fr. Esteban and Fr.
Ezequiel on the channels of St. Petersburg)
This first day we visited the Cathedral of St. Isaac and its museum, and went up to its golden
dome, having a 360º view of St. Petersburg. By the way, almost all the churches one can see here
are orthodox, the official religion. We went also to the Cathedral of Kazan, a beautiful church
inspired in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In front of it, we could admire the “Singer” building, a
style modern construction with a famous coffee-restaurant where Dostoyevsky used to go. The
name of the building comes from the famous sewing machines. We passed by “Spas na kraví,”
the church of “The Savior at the Bloodshed,” thus named because it was built on the place were
revolutionaries killed Alexander II the Tsar in 1881. This church is a landmark of St. Petersburg,
and imitates beautifully the older “St. Basil” at the Red Square in Moscow. It took 24 years to
build it and 27 years to restore it. But we could not enter this day, it was closed on Wednesday…
We also visited in the afternoon the Russian Museum and St. Catherine Catholic Church. Enough
for a first day of visits, isn’t it…
(Below: detail of Singer Building; place of the death of Alexander II at the Savior at the
Bloodshed)
(Below: interior of the Church of the Savior at the Bloodshed)
July 3rd, Thursday. I was really looking
forward to visit the Hermitage Museum,
one of the best art collections in the world.
When we arrived, a line of more or less
three hundred meters under a shiny
summer sun discouraged our artistic spirit a
little bit. God knows how we avoided half
of that line, and how happy we were when
we realized that on Thursdays (or that
Thursday, who knows) the Hermitage was
free. The best: two Da Vinci, Rembrandt,
Goya, Rafael, Van Gogh, Greco, Picasso,
Rodin… Two and a half hours in the museum, and we continued our visit with the interior of the
church of “the Savior at the Bloodshed” (just incredible, what can I say) and the interior of St.
Isaac, both also museums (that means that you have to pay a ticket to enter those churches,
though they are still used for worship). The grand finale of that day was at the Marinskij Theatre,
where we saw the opera “Tosca.” I enjoyed it so much! An excellent scenography, a great tenor,
etc.
(Below: Hermitage Museum)
July 4th, Friday, was the day dedicated to the palace of the Tsars, in Peterhof. It is a huge
complex of luxurious buildings and fountains, also called the “Russian Versailles.”
July 5th, Saturday, was a day off. We had a barbeque at noon, and gave the farewell to Fr.
Esteban Dumont, who had guided and accompanied us during the past few days. I thank him
heartily for his kindness. I could not meet his companion of mission, Fr. Paolo Giacinti, who was
not in Russia at the time. My brother and I left in the evening to take the train to Moscow, and
once in the train station, we could watch the Argentina game at a restaurant nearby. The train left
at 10:15pm, and arrived in Moscow at 5:30am.
2. Moscow
July 6th, Sunday. We had only that day in Moscow (our next train to Kazan was leaving that day
at 10 pm) so we had to really take advantage of the time. Moscow is the largest city in Russia
and in Europe (more than 10 million people), and was the Capital of the Empire since the middle
of the XVI century to the foundation of St. Petersburg in 1703, and then Capital of the RSFS of
Russia (1918-1923), of the URSS (1923-1991) and the Russian Federation (1991 to this day).
First we went to the Catholic cathedral in Moscow, took a shower, celebrated the Mass and had
breakfast. Then to the Metro station where the visit began. We passed by the Great Theatre (the
“Bolshoí”), a beautiful example of classic architecture in Russia. Then we went to the Red
Square, where we visited the Cathedral of St. Basil (built in 1553 when Ivan the Terrible
conquered the khanate of Kazan). As we have said, this church is much older than the fine “The
Savior at the Bloodshed” in St. Petersburg and its inspiration, though the interior of the one in
Moscow is not so impressive.
We passed by the tomb of Lenin (we couldn’t get to the Kremlin, the line was unending) and
admire the different buildings of the Red Square: the Museum of History, the GUM, etc. We
then visited the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (divided in three different sections, with
masterpieces of many great painters of all times) and the Tretyakov Gallery (Russian artists only,
and the famous icon of the Trinity of Rublióv, among others). I enjoyed the works of the Russian
painters, so much, they are great. Finally, as part of the landscape of Moscow, we saw three of
the Stalinist Buildings known as the “Seven Sisters.”
(Below: the “Sisters”)
(Below: Theatre Bolshoí)
(Below: Red Square)
3. Kazan
July 7th, Monday. After a 12 hours trip by train, we arrived in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan in
the Russian Federation, at 10 am. Fr. Diogenes Urquiza, IVE, pastor of the only Catholic Parish
in the city, welcomed us and took us home. Fr. Diogenes has been in Russia for 17 years already.
My brother had been his associate for three years until 2013.
(Below: Soccer Stadium, our Church)
Kazan is perfect. Everything is new and everything is clean. Everything works. The city hosted
last year the University Olympic Games, and one can see all over the city the impressive
stadiums for the different sports: basketball, soccer (the next world cup will be in Russia), a
swimming pool, etc. (a long “etc.”, mind you). Kazan has celebrated its millennium in 2005. Fr.
Diogenes took us for a ride the first night we were there.
This is getting long, and I still have a lot to share. Let’s make it more schematic:
Kazan: July 7th to July 8th:
Places visited:
1. Kremlin of Kazan (kind of fortified city): It has been declared Patrimony of Human Kind
by the UNESCO in 2000.
- Inclined tower 7 floors high, from which the princess of Kazan jumped down in
order not to be married to Ivan the Terrible when he conquered Kazan. She told
him that she would marry him if he built a tower for her like that, but one floor a
day. Ivan did, but she did not keep her word…
- Orthodox church: in baroque style, perhaps the most beautiful interior I have seen
during my trip.
- Mosque: impressive construction, a big dome and for sharp towers like arrows.
- View: you can enjoy from the kremlin a beautiful view of the Volga river and the
city.
(Below: Kremlin of Kazan)
2. Shrine of Our Lady of Kazan: it is one of the most important shrines of Our Lady for the
Orthodox Church. The Icon of Our Lady of Kazan had been lost, and finally it was found
in the States in the collection of a certain person. Card. McCarrick bought it and gave it
to St. John Paul II, who kept it in the Vatican and prayed before Our Lady of Kazan until
he returned the icon to the Orthodox Church. Our Lady of Kazan brings together in
prayer both Catholics and Orthodox and it is for this reason an invitation to pray for the
unity of Christians. The Icon is beautiful, and richly adorned with precious stones.
3. Tartar part of the city: Kazan is presented as a model of tolerance because of the peaceful
coexistence that is fostered between the different religions. This part of the city contains
the Mosques, and the Christian churches are mainly in the Russian part.
4. Bolgar, the historical place of the foundation of the city in 1005.
4. Ulyanovsk: July 9th to July 13th
Now we began to travel by car. Before going to Ulyanovsk, we went to spend one day at a
camping place across the Volga river, close to Kazan. We went with Fr. Diogenes, and met two
other diocesan priest and the associate of my brother, Fr. Eugenio Kondratenko (Russia) there.
The latter was a novice in Tajikistan when my brother was there as the Master of Novices, and
he was a seminarian in Italy when I was there as the prefect of studies. He was ordained last year
and appointed to Ulyanovsk, with my brother (again!). It was very nice to meet him now as a
priest. We had a beautiful camping day, stayed overnight, and from there, my brother, Fr.
Eugenio and I went to Ulyanovsk.
Ulyanovsk, originally Simbirsk, is the city of birth of Lenin, whose last name was Ulyanov. It
changed its name at the death of the soviet leader in 1924. The central part of the city, where
many of the houses of the Ulyanov family are, became a museum.
Activities in Ulyanovsk:
1. Visit of the community of Sizran’, 150 km away (Saturday, July 12th). Holy Mass, and
then refreshment and singing with my brother.
2. Visit of the Catholic community of Karsun, a place 150 km from the city, but also part of
our parish (Thursday, July 10th). Holy Mass, refreshment, singing.
3. Holy Mass at the parish chapel, with the community of the city (Sunday, July 13th). We
don’t have a church in Ulyanovsk. As many other Christian churches, the original
Catholic church was first closed (1931) and then destroyed (1959). It was 200 m away
from the house of Lenin. My brother is now beginning the project of a new church.
4. Concert of Argentinian folk music on the street, at the square of the Philharmonic,
downtown Ulyanovsk. Dasha and Sasha, from our parish, work there and organized the
event. My brother and I performed together before more or less a hundred people. We not
only found interest for Argentinian folk music, but also two young people began to dance
the proper folk dances of Argentina!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xx48nDxYvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88fwTTH1sMY&list=UUdWvJd-YyU7WAdSpDIzB5WA
5. Visit of the Concert Hall in the House of the Nobles. As a remembrance of the glorious
past of the city of Ulyanovsk (especially during the XVIII century) one can admire the
perfectly classic and most beautiful concert hall, with two balconies with columns inside.
Mr. Sergei Borisovich was very kind to take me there after our presentation to the
University Staff.
6. Presentation to the University staff. I almost forget it. We did a simple presentation of
our missionary activity, both in Canada and in Russia, and sang some songs with my
brother, at the request of Mr. Serguei Borisovich. He had previously occupied several
important positions at the University, being highly considered in the city, and now he
collaborates in the organization of different cultural projects.
7. Two dinners with parishioners.
8. Visit to the house of the SSVM (the sisters of our order). Three sisters work there: Sister
Misericordia (Peru), Sister Milagrosa (Argentina) and Sister Boholuveva (Ucrania).
5. Kazan: July 13th to July 15th:
My return flight was from Kazan. On July 13th, Sunday, after our arrival by car in the evening (3
hours), we celebrated the birthday of Fr. Diogenes and watched the Final of the FIFA world cup.
No comments. We did our best. So close…
(Below: Theatre of Puppets in Kazan)
The next day Fr. Diogenes invited us to a small and peaceful lake in the outskirts of the city. We
barbequed the left overs from last night and had a nice swim. Back home, we then visited one of
the two houses of the SSVM in Kazan. In the city we have six sisters: Mother Amor Divino (also
the provincial, from Argentina), Umilenia (Master of Postulants, Russia), Svietok (Russia),
Poietnania (Ucrania), and the two postulants Ania and Elvira (from Russia). We had dinner and
some songs, also beautiful Russian songs by the sisters and my brother.
At 2:30 in the morning, on July 15th, my brother and I celebrated the Mass at the beautiful
church of Kazan. He then took me to the airport, 20 minutes from the city. The takeoff was
punctual at 5:20 am. I arrived in Toronto, after 2 stops, at 6:45 pm.
I thank my brother for the organization of the trip and for his kindness in making my holidays a
perfect and beautiful time. I thank Fr. Esteban Dumont and Fr. Diogenes for their time and
gentleness in showing us the different places. To Fr. Eugenio, the sisters, and all parishioners for
their welcome and help.
I need to thank those who made possible my holiday: my provincial, Fr. Higinio, the staff and all
of you, parishioners of St. Michael’s. I prayed for you always, especially before Our Lady of
Kazan, before whom also St. John Paul II prayed. Thanks be to God!
Fr. Andrew Ayala, IVE
Cobourg (ON), Canada