Source: First Things – May 2014 by John P. Burgess On the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution, the Orthodox Church had 50,000 parishes, a thousand men’s and women’s monasteries, and sixty theological schools. By 1941, Stalin had nearly succeeded in eliminating the Church as a public institution. Perhaps only a hundred and fifty to two hundred churches remained active in the whole country, and every monastery and seminary had been closed. Although Hitler’s invasion of Russia caused Stalin abruptly to change course—he turned to the Church to help him mobilize the population for war—the Church nevertheless labored under severe restrictions until…
Trending
- Livestream Services for the Glorification of the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk
- Washington state targets priests, confidentiality of confession with discriminatory law
- Archbishop George of Cyprus Speaks Exclusively to “The National Herald” on the Dethroned Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos
- ‘The heart of Orthodox monasticism’: Historic monasteries on Mount Athos damaged by earthquakes
- Ecumenical Patriarchate Issues Statement on Status of Saint Catherine Monastery of Sinai
- Council of Nicaea anniversary is call to Christian unity, speakers say
- Call for Nominations: 2025 Medal of Saint Theodora Award
- Save the Date: October 11, 2025 – Frederica Mathewes-Green to Headline OCL’s 38th Annual Conference
