St. Joseph parish in Makinsk

Parish priest Addresses Sisters Diners of Eucharistic Jesus The history of parish

Address:
 

Szevczenko St. 27
Akomolinskja Oblast
474010 Makinsk

Tel. 31646 -21709
Fax  31646 - 91580

On April 28, 1962 Sisters of the Poor Infant Jesus, Sr. Veronica Maria and Sr. Joseph Maria, came to Makinsk from the Latvian City of Daygavpils. There were about 25,000 people in Makinsk at that time.

In autumn of the same year, assistants Sr. Clara Tsetsilia and Sr. Tarsitsia visited the town. With Sr. Tsetsilia, we went to Karaganda to Fr. Dmitry to discuss a next meeting. We were then acquainted with Fr. Vladislav Bukovinsky and Bishop Alexander Chyrr.

In spring of 1963 Sr. Maria Kosmas and Sr. Maria Pastorella came from Latvia. Sr. Maria Pastorella returned to Latvia in 1993.

In autumn of the same year, Fr. Andreas Pavlovskis (a Capucin) from Riga visited for a couple of days. He attended to the believers, administered the holy sacraments as often as possible and left Eucharistic gifts, which have been here since then.

On August 5, 1963 a new house was bought, but was not occupied until October. In the spring of the next year, repairs were made to the shed, which had been used for keeping cattle by the former owners, and a chapel was built, where the Eucharistic gifts were placed. It was a small secret room with a table, a keeper for the gifts and a latticed window and door, always locked for strangers but opened for the people who came for prayer on Fridays and Sundays.

In November of 1963 Fr. Seraphim Kashuba visited for the first time. He came to the town several times after that. In 1964 Fr. Vladimir Prokopiev from Vilnius visited a couple of times.

The latter lived and served as a priest in Tselinograd (Astana), but not for long. In the end, the administration demanded that he leave the town in 24 hours, so he returned to Vilnius where he began looking for sisters who could live in Kazakhstan and help the believers. We came to Makinsk on his advice.

In 1965 we were acquainted with Fr. Anthony from the town of Chy. From September 13-14 of the same year, the First Communion of 14 children was celebrated in the parish. Fr. Anthony came and prepared each child separately, so that they did not know about each other. They firmly kept their secrets, though many of them were neighbors. With great surprise, they saw each other when they met to celebrate the sacrament of their First Communion. Since then, the First Communion of the parish children is celebrated every year. Fr. Anthony seldom visited, which is why we often came to Karaganda.

On September 24, 1967 we met with Fr. Albinas Dumblayskas (a Jesuit). On November 14 of the same year, Fr. Anthony visited with Fr. Bogdan (Gottlib) Tadavchi. They lived nearby in Shuchinsk, and served the believers of Makinsk as well. In 1969 Fr. Bogdan moved to Makinsk.

In 1974 Fr. Michael Keller asked Fr. Bogdan to move to Frunze (Bishkek), and promised to get permission from the administration for Fr. Bogdan to work as a priest in the Church in Frunze. Fr. Bogdan was very glad to have such an opportunity.
 

In 1976 Sr. Teresa Gia (Janina) come from Latvia to live permanently in Makinsk. From 1977 to 1979 Fr. Peter Kisielewski worked in Makinsk, coming from Krasnojarsk (Tiysha). In 1979 he died. Fr. Stephan from Karaganda visited us the same year. From 1980 to 1984, Fr. Boleslav Babrauskas from Tselionograd led public worship once a month in Makinsk. In 1980 the prayer house was officially registered, and permission was received to rebuild the building, making it wider and longer.

From 1984 to 1988, a priest from Latvia, Fr. Vincent Barsda, led public worship four times a year in the parish.

On June 19, 1988 Bishop Wilhelm Niuksh from Riga came and dedicated the church in Makinsk in honor of St. Joseph.

Since July 16 of the same year, until 1995, Fr. Otto Messmer worked in Makinsk. In 1993 Fr. Witold Mazurkiewicz came from Canada and stayed in the parish for nearly five months. In 1994 Fr. Stanislaw Krol worked here for two months. In September of 1995 Fr. Piotr Pytlowany and Fr. Janusz Klamut started to work here. On August 1 1998, Fr. Jaroslaw Slowy came from the diocese of Gniezno in Poland to work in the place of Fr. Janusz.
 

Translation: Irina Shirshova

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