On August 03, 26 parishioners from Kuibyshev, Barabinsk, Ubinsky and Vengerovo, led by our rector Father Ditmar, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Cross in the village of Dobrinka. The name Dobrinka comes from the Polish word "Dobrzhe" - good. The land here is really kind and fertile. The village is located on a high and beautiful place, which the old residents call Zhylaya hryvah, next to it is the Short hryvah, followed by the Mysovaya hryvah. The village is surrounded by lakes, one of which, Big Tebis, is salty.
The pilgrims traveled to this place in 3 cars and a minibus. On the way they did not get bored, sang psalms glorifying Christ and the Virgin Mary, and read prayers.
A few decades ago, a Catholic Church, made of redwood wood, stood on this spot, where the locals came to pray, mostly Poles, Estonians, and deported Germans.
In 1938 the church was ruined, the Bolsheviks took the bell and church utensils to Chany.
This building served mainly as a clubhouse where festivities were held, people could also watch movies there. In 1970, a new clubhouse was built on this site.
The idea of erecting the Cross came to Fr. Ditmar and a sister from our parish, Nina Stanislavovna Shestak. She directly lived in this village when she was a child. And of course she was very interested in this matter.
By the grace of God and the common efforts of good people (special thanks to Alexei Arkhipov) the Holy Cross was installed in September 2020. And on July 9, 2021 the opening of this place took place with Bishop Joseph Werth of the Diocese of Transfiguration.
The weather on that day was good, the sun was shining, rain clouds were hanging in the sky, but by the grace of God it did not rain. The pilgrims traveled along the picturesque terrain of the Chanovsky district. However, pilgrimage is not only a road, it is also intentions, prayers, petitions and finally - it is a spiritual journey from the mundane to the eternal.
After 2 hours spent on the road, the pilgrims reached their goal:
Around 11:30 a.m., the praying of the Rosary began
At 12:00 noon, the Holy Mass took place. Before our eyes, the holy place was transformed into an open-air shrine. The lamp was lit, relics and faces of the holy sisters Olympia and Laurentia, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Sharbel, Bishop Pavel Gojdic, Vladislav of Bukovina, etc. were placed on the red carpet on the right edge, and a sermon was preached by our priest, dedicated to the church, when every person who comes there is a living stone on which the House of God stands, every person is important to God, let us not forget this.
After St. Mass, parishioners enjoyed an outdoor tea party in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Pilgrimage to such a place is a special grace for the believer and expresses the desire to walk the path to the "Father's House" together with his community.
Let's continue this mission, come and prayerfully bring to the Lord the brothers and sisters who once lived in this place, who came here to glorify God, and also pray for the people who stayed here in this village, for their conversion to the Lord.
Thank you to the people of God for organizing this trip.
We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary - Patroness of Russia for peace in Ukraine, in Israel, for the unity of all peoples, for strong faith for us. Lead us Mother Mother of God to her son Jesus Christ. Amen
