The city of Berdsk, located in Siberian Russia, has a new Catholic church dedicated to St. Joseph.
Newsroom (23/06/2023 14:13, Gaudium Press) The city of Berdsk, located in Siberian Russia, has a new Catholic church dedicated to St. Joseph.
The Catholic community of the city of Berdsk welcomed with joy the new temple that was built thanks to the Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo.
The church of St. Joseph was dedicated by Bishop Joseph Werth, Bishop of the Diocese of the Transfiguration of Novossibirsk, a city located 40 kilometers from Berdsk.
The ceremony took place Sunday, June 18, and was attended by about 50 faithful, as well as some representatives of the city.
Some priests of the Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo: Father Alfredo Fecondo, Father Francesco Bertolina, Father Paolo Paganini, and Father Giampiero Caruso.
The Superior General of the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop Paolo Sottopietra, who resides in Rome, also participated in the dedication ceremony of the church.
The administrative representative of the city gave a speech praising the Catholic community of the locality and wishing it to always be a symbol of unity and reconciliation.
In his homily, Bishop Werth thanked the realization of a “dream” that was only possible with the contribution of the donors, mostly Italians and Germans.
During the ceremony, the parish of Berdsk was presented with a chalice given by John Paul II to the St. Charles Borromeo Fraternity, as well as relics of St. Thecla, St. Ambrose, and St. Charles Borromeo. A young parishioner was also confirmed at the Mass.
In Soviet times and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Catholics of Berdsk did not have a church and met in old and poorly maintained buildings. In 2013, the place that was used as a parish was destroyed by a fire. Since then, the construction of a church began thanks to donations from Italians and Germans. (FM)
With information from Fides.
