Changes

Jump to: navigation, search

Russian Orthodox Mission in China

1 byte removed, 20:19, November 16, 2009
St Nicholas was a 'bishop' at the time of the ordination
[[Image:MitrophanJiJul1882.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Fr Mitrophan Ji at the All Japan Council of 1882 after his ordination as priest]]
While the literary and translation efforts continued through most of the later part of the nineteenth century, the missionary work in the later part of the century lagged due to inadequate funding for preaching outside of Beijing, as well as the arrival of new missionaries whose Chinese language skills were inadequate. The era of an all-Russian [[clergy]] ended when a Chinese priest, Fr. Mitrophan Ji, was [[ordination|ordained]] in Japan by [[Nicholas of Japan|AbpBp. Nicholas]] of Tokyo on [[June 29]], 1882. Fr. Mitrophan died a [[martyr]] in the [[June 11]], 1900 Boxer uprising in China. The nearly 500 baptisms that had been performed by the Mission and the establishment of two new churches, one each in Hankou and Kalgan (Zhangjiakou) had not contributed significantly to the Mission’s missionary efforts.
With the arrival of Archimandrite [[Innocent (Figurosky) of Beijing|Innocent]] in March 1897 the situation changed abruptly. Fr. Innocent immediately undertook reforms in the Mission: he established a monastery, instituted daily services in Chinese, established support for Albasins with business abilities, organized parish activities, dispatched preachers to the hither lands outside Beijing to spread the [[Gospel]], and established charity efforts among the local poor. While Fr. Innocent’s arrival began a period of active missionary efforts, the beginning of the twentieth century also brought serious troubles for the Russian Orthodox Mission, as it did for other Christian missions. The Boxer (Yihetuan Movement) revolt in 1900 resulted in the destruction of the buildings in Beijing, Dongdingan, and Kalgan (Zhangjiakou). The riots caused the death of more than 200 Orthodox faithful. The losses also included the extensive library in the Beijing compound begun by Archimandrite Peter during the tenth mission. The Mission survived, and by 1902 there were 32 churches in China with nearly 6,000 members
16,951
edits

Navigation menu