- Feb 5, 2002
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Vershina, populated by descendants of Polish migrants, spent six decades without a priest under Communist rule, but the people kept the faith alive.
The village of Vershina is located in Siberiaand is inhabited almost exclusively by people of Polish descent. It lies in a small valley surrounded by mountains, and the soil is fertile.
There’s actually only one road leading to Vershina, and a very bumpy one at that. Winters are very cold — temperatures as low as -48°F occur. In the entire village, there’s only one place with cell phone coverage: the cemetery. There is no internet access. The conditions are quite extreme, but you can get used to them.
There’s also a Polish parish in Vershina. St. Stanislaus Church was built by Polish immigrants as early as 1915. It functioned until 1928 or 1929, when the Communist authorities decided to demolish it. However, this intention was abandoned as a result of protests by residents. Nevertheless, eventually the Bolsheviks closed the church and devastated its interior.
The faith survived, cultivated secretly within families. No Eucharist was celebrated there for 62 years. During that time, one of the residents, Magdalena Mycka, baptized the town’s children, and the residents prayed on their own, thus saving the Polish language and native piety.
They also tried to keep Catholic holidays, with the exception of … Easter. “They had no contact with Poland, so they didn’t have calendars and they didn’t know when Resurrection Sunday fell,” says Fr. Karol Lipinski, OMI, the current pastor of the Polish parish in Vershina.
Continued below.
aleteia.org
The village of Vershina is located in Siberiaand is inhabited almost exclusively by people of Polish descent. It lies in a small valley surrounded by mountains, and the soil is fertile.
There’s actually only one road leading to Vershina, and a very bumpy one at that. Winters are very cold — temperatures as low as -48°F occur. In the entire village, there’s only one place with cell phone coverage: the cemetery. There is no internet access. The conditions are quite extreme, but you can get used to them.
All holidays except … Easter
Vershyna was founded in 1910 by Polish settlers who emigrated there. The village, located about 87 miles from Irkutsk, is a phenomenon: In remote Siberia, its residents have preserved the language of their ancestors for generations.There’s also a Polish parish in Vershina. St. Stanislaus Church was built by Polish immigrants as early as 1915. It functioned until 1928 or 1929, when the Communist authorities decided to demolish it. However, this intention was abandoned as a result of protests by residents. Nevertheless, eventually the Bolsheviks closed the church and devastated its interior.
The faith survived, cultivated secretly within families. No Eucharist was celebrated there for 62 years. During that time, one of the residents, Magdalena Mycka, baptized the town’s children, and the residents prayed on their own, thus saving the Polish language and native piety.
They also tried to keep Catholic holidays, with the exception of … Easter. “They had no contact with Poland, so they didn’t have calendars and they didn’t know when Resurrection Sunday fell,” says Fr. Karol Lipinski, OMI, the current pastor of the Polish parish in Vershina.
Revival of the liturgy
Continued below.
Remote Siberian town kept faith for 62 years without a priest
Vershina, populated by descendants of Polish migrants, spent six decades without a priest under Communist rule, but the people kept the faith alive.
aleteia.org
