The Beginning of the Ministry of Metropolitan Bar- tholomew (Gorodtsov) at the See of Novosibirsk and Barnaul (1943–1947)

Abstract

The article is about the first years of the ministry of Metropolitan Bartholomew (Gorodtsov) at the Novosibirsk see. Right after the arrival of Archbishop Bartholomew in Novosibirsk, his Siberian ministry began. The already middle-aged archpastor faced a huge number of problems and tasks having to do with the establishment and improvement of the church life beyond the Ural Mounts. First of all, it was necessary to solve the problem of the shortage of Orthodox churches. For this, the Archbishop needed to build the most productive relations with all the Commissioners responsible for the territories — those of Siberia and Far East — that were part of the Novosibirsk Diocese. In addition, it was necessary to obtain the support and respect of the flock, so that people could see and appreciate the efforts of their Archbishop aimed at reviving church life in the region, and would support him by submitting applications on the reopening of churches to the Commissioner for the Russian Orthodox Church Affairs. Although Archbishop Bartholomew was a very religious person and grieved at the difficult situation the Church experienced in the Soviet Union, after his arrival at the see he soberly assessed the situation at the place of his service. This allowed him to build sensible relations with the representatives of the Soviet government and strengthen the church life in Novosibirsk and other regions. The flock came to love its wise archpastor and showed him due respect. Even the Soviet officials were forced to admit that Vladyka Bartholomew had a strong influence on believers, which extended to the population of the regions next to Novosibirsk.