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The Church of the Nativity at Magadan in the Russian Far East serves local Roman Catholics, many of whom survived Joseph Stalin's forced labor camps set up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to exploit gold in Kolyma's harsh subarctic climate. Today the church stands both as a monument to the millions who died or suffered in the camps and as a source of inspiration for the local population. The church was built largely through the efforts of Father Michael Shields of Anchorage who went to Magadan in 1994 specifically to care for those who had suffered in the camps. There are close contacts between Magadan and Anchorage, its twin city. The church also serves the local Polish community. == History == In January 1991, Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley helped a small group of Russians establish the first Roman Catholic parish in the city of Magadan. For many years parishioners worshiped in a renovated apartment room. In 1994, Father Shields became pastor of the Parish of the Nativity but was seriously threatened in 1997 when the local authorities tried to prevent his work on the grounds that he was not Russian. Shields took the matter to court and, perhaps rather surprisingly, won the case.〔(Judge upholds ruling supporting Fr. Shields’ Magadan ministry ), Catholic Anchor, July 19, 2002.〕 In early 2001, Father Shields and his assistant Father David Means of St Louis found a piece of land suitable for the construction of a church. As a result of donations received after Fr Shields appeared on EWTN, the Catholic television network, the new building, which cost some $750,000, started to take shape. There were serious difficulties with some of the building contractors who had to be replaced before work could continue. The central part of the structure was completed in 2002, just in time for Christmas mass to be celebrated there. Work on the interior continued in 2003 leading to the church's consecration by Bishop Kirill Klimovich of Irkutsk in 2004. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Church of the Nativity (Magadan)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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