Father Myron Effing of Vladivostok

Michael S. Rose introduces us to an inspired and inspirational man — An American Priest at the End of the Earth. He arrived in Russia in 1992, "to help re-establish the Catholic Church in this spiritually impoverished land." ("In the early 20th century the Russian Far East boasted a thriving Catholic population," Mr. Rose reminds us, but with "Joseph Stalin, the Russian Far East became a showplace of the new Communist era: a land without churches in a country that had vanquished God.")

His was "the daunting task of re-establishing Catholic parishes in a territory twice the size of the continental U.S." He established eight parishes and is now "working actively toward making Vladivostok a center of Catholic study, perhaps even with a seminary and a Catholic university." He "establish[ed] a new religious order, the Canons Regular of Jesus the Lord," because, in his words, his old "order began being affected by the false interpretations of Vatican II, and weak superiors allowed it to be taken over by unorthodox, Modernist members who wanted to remake the Church and the order in their own image, rather than the image given by Jesus Christ and our founder Theodore de Celles."

Father Effing "began a weekly Saturday evening prime-time television program that was broadcast to thousands of households in the Russian Far East" and "sent Catholic literature and rosaries to more than 75,000 families all over Russia who live in places where there is no Catholic parish." He "lectures on alcoholism and drug abuse, and on chastity, Natural Family Planning, and family values at colleges and high schools." He "helped establish a local chapter of the international Catholic relief organization CARITAS," "helped establish the first 'crisis pregnancy center' in Russia," and "started The Foundation for the Poorest, which works mostly with women prisoners."

Like this blog's namesake, Matteo Ricci, S.J., Father Effing is not only a priest, but "a trained scientist." He's "a graduate of Cornell University's premier Astronomy Department," where he studied under Carl Sagan, and he now "delivers lectures and talks on various topics pertaining to modern science."

This paragraph stands out:

Many in the Far East believe that the conversion of Russia will take place not by the establishment of the Catholic Church across the country, but by the reunion of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church. "We pray for a reunion of the churches every day," says Fr. Effing, noting the grave importance of Christians co-operating in this land that has been ravished by anti-religious forces. "I love the Orthodox Church and have many Orthodox friends. When can we be really and officially at peace with one another?" he asks.

Joseph Pronechen has written about him as well — To Russia With Love — and his Mary Mother of God Mission Society has more about the Very Reverend Father Myron Effing, CJD. To think, his mission is just a day away from me by ship!