With God in Russia

An Interview with Father Anthony Corcoran, S.J.

Since his earliest days in the Jesuits, Fr. Anthony J. Corcoran, S.J. of Dallas wanted to be a missionary to Russia. His long dream is now fulfilled as he helps his bishop in Novosibirsk lead one of the largest dioceses in the world. This interview was conducted by the late Fr. Thomas H. Stahel, S.J. of the New Orleans Province.

Are there aspects of your work that encourage or inspire you?

Basically, every single person that we meet here who kept their faith and handed it on to the younger generations during the relentless persecution of the Church by the Soviet regime are in and of themselves true witnesses to this faith in Christ. This includes among others: the grandmothers who preserved Christian prayers and hymns by copying them by hand into cleverly disguised address books or notebooks and read them privately or with others; those who were imprisoned and who made rosaries out of their daily bread [literally], and prayed and sacrificed for future generations; priests who worked as ambulance or truck drivers or miners, and who risked everything to minister to the faithful; parents who prepared and baptized their children and grandchildren; religious sisters who traveled incognito and catechized untold numbers of the faithful.

What do you tell people who ask you about the activity of the Catholic Church in Russia?

The atheistic regime of the Soviet Union has left our society in great need in regards to spirituality. The rate of practicing Christians among the general population is very small. The situation of the family is really very critical, and the problems of contemporary society (i.e., secularism, materialism, alcoholism, etc.) also plague many in this region. The vast majority of our priests and religious sisters have come here from different countries. The people tend to accept these foreign religious and priests with openness. Thank God, the recent decade has seen the emergence of local vocations. Of course, these local seminarians, sisters, and lay catechists are mostly still in formation. The spring of 2004 saw the ordination to the deaconate of the first four of our seminarians.

What do you imagine the future holds for the Church and Society of Jesus in Russia?

God alone knows what the future holds here or anywhere. We can know for sure that it is in His hands. We hope and pray that the government continues to protect the rights of minority religions. As far as relations with the Orthodox, we can't lose hope that this is all His Church.... Please God we never become a community that relies only on human efforts, no matter how important these are in accomplishing any goal. Pray for us!