A sister parish provides prayer support for its Russian counterpart. A newly formed Russian parish is quite small and usually consists of only six to eight parishioners, usually of Eastern European descent. The parishioners are a handful of practicing Catholics in an otherwise pagan country. This means that the extra prayer support is vital. The Russian parishioners are very encouraged to know that an entire parish is praying especially for them.

A sister parish also provides financial support. The new Russian parishes, besides being small, are often located in poverty-ridden countryside, where money is not readily available. (For many Russians, it is a struggle just to earn enough money to pay for day-to-day necessities such as food and electricity.) Mass and other parish activities are held in parishioners' homes. As soon as funds are available, the parishioners purchase an apartment so that they have a more permanent place to attend Mass and hold parish activities. They search for a ground floor apartment so that they can add their own entryway from the outside, which makes it seem more like a church and less like an apartment. The sacred vessels, tabernacle, vestments, and religious statues are stored there, and the location also provides a parish office: a place to answer phone calls, for catechesis, for starting a Women’s Support Center, and for holding Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The priest stays in the apartment when he comes to visit, which is very important considering the fact that the priest might live hours away. (The priests reside full time in Vladivostok.)

Once the parish is established in the apartment building, the members search for Catholic Church property to be returned from the government so that they can progress to the goal of building (or restoring) a traditional church.

Sister parishes in Russia develop and grow as funds are received. Fr. Myron Effing and Fr. Daniel Maurer are doing what they can to help the Russian parishes become financially independent, so the sister parish program is not meant to fund a parish forever. But until the Russian economy picks up and the tax burden becomes lighter on Russian citizens, outside help will be needed.

A variety of ways exist for American parishes to generate funds. The easiest way is by a second envelope once a month several times a year, or a collection every month that the quarterly Vladivostok Sunrise newsletter arrives. (The newsletter, written by Fr. Myron, informs the American parishioners as to the progress of the revival of the Catholic Church in eastern Russia.) Some parishes hold dinners as a means of raising funds. If you would like more information on becoming a sister parish, please contact the Mary Mother of God Mission Society at usoffice@vladmission.org.