Communication - a dialogue with each prisoner of the Southern Penal Colony №51 and Odessa Detention facility №21. To to meet and talk with each inmate of these two institutions during 6 months. 14 people a day. 30 minutes per person.
Today visited the AIDS hospice in Kriva Balka (Crooked Beam.)
I walked all the patient’s rooms, talked with heavy aching.
Next week I will go to make communion and serve as a prayer for the health.
It is necessary to put in order the worship cross, which is in front of the Chapel of the hospital ...
... And in the Chapel itself some places need a lick of paint and finish in plaster.
Today the Liturgy was served in the convict colony of intensive regime .
Let us pray for peace and for Ukraine, for the soldiers, for our city, and for those who did not live to see this day.
Holy Communion took place...
Abstract from the sermon:
"We all are so far from a state when we will take with joy any event in our lives – as the one from the Lord, even such as the looting of our property.
We “sour” at home in cabinets and on shelves things that we can never wear out,
Prisoners of the convict colony of intensive regime ask for shoes of 43rd and 42 size.
Prisoners of jail also ask for sports trousers, shirts and light jackets.
Also, they also need the food products, linens (for bed and underwear), drugs
and basic necessities.
The work of the Prison Mission today is also woefully inadequate - there is a need to invite an ophthalmologist -
check the eyesight of prisoners, and order glasses for those who need them. So that they could read ...
I had a conversation with one of the police department heads.
Do You know, what is the percentage of repeated criminal offenses today?
90%!!! and a couple of years ago it was 70% ...
What does it mean?
This means that out of 900 prisoners of the convict colony of intensive regime, who were imprisoned for the first time, 810 will repeat the crime..
I will continue to do what I can do. And if these repeated offenders will be one less – the time spend and the efforts were not in wain.
the Liturgy plays a key role in the case of correcting the prisoners, bringing them to Christ and His Church, for
changing not only the direct participants in God's service, but also their environment: a prison is a very close-bodied
place, everything is close, out in the open, and thus the grace of the Holy Spirit applies to virtually everybody,
who is even slightly open to the Lord, seeking His mercy and pray to Him ...
We took the Holy Communion, prayed for us sinners, and all those killed and tortured in camps and prisons ...
This is - a prison.
It is a prison our’s.
Road to Europe starts from prisons, hospitals and orphanages - I beleive so ...
And, on the other hand - with the judicial, executive and legislative authorities.
With the judicial - in the first place ...
So what is my point?
My point is that: our prisoners without the Lord can only be crippled (hurt).
I.e - the prisons release not the reclaimed (healed) criminals, but even more poisoned, morally crippled people, who can not live in a normal civilized society ...
The Orthodox Mission "Hodegetria" conducts its charitable activities
in Odessa:
in two hospitals,
AIDS hospice,
prison
two convict colonies,
and two prison hospitals.
These activities - are the fulfillment of the Lord's command.
Church Service was held in convict colony of intensive regime. We prayed and then spoke about the sacraments of the Church, and sin, and repentance, about the
prison and freedom.
At the end we discussed the technical details of the construction of the Church – everything stopped-- no one moves the construction ...
After the service, I spoke with the head of the colony for the order of forged products for the Church.
The Lord will provide ...
Right now I received the Prison Officer’s call - I was given a room for the Chapel right on the prison cell block.
Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord!
This means - someone else will be able to reach out to the Christ ... and maybe – There is not only one person ...
Merciful Lord, loves us, unworthy and evil, He does not want the death of the sinner, but wants the sinner come to repentance, and save his soul...
Photo by Boris Buchman
