Mission Statement: To provide spiritual and material support for the Catholic Church in the diocese of Vladivostok and the Russian Far East, and to be a means of mission awareness and education for our members in the United States.

The Mary Mother of God Mission Society began in February 1992, when Fr. Myron Effing and Fr. (then Brother) Daniel Maurer arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, a port city on the eastern border of Russia (very near China). Both Fr. Myron, who is originally from Indiana, and Fr. Daniel, who is originally from Michigan, felt called to serve the Russian people and volunteered to begin the revival of the Catholic Church in the Far East.

The Society received its name from the parish at which the priests are stationed in Vladivostok. The parish, which had been a cathedral in pre-Communist times, is consecrated to Mary, under the title Most Holy Mother of God Catholic Church.

One of the major goals of the Society, and of the parishioners in Vladivostok, is to restore the cathedral to its former beauty. The building was confiscated by the Communists in 1930, who turned it into the state archive. It was returned to Catholic hands in October 1993. To see a timeline for the progress of the restoration, click here.

Mary Mother of God Mission Society relies on private donations to support the Church in Russia. The Society is not funded by the Office of the Propagation of the Faith in Rome. (Russia is not considered to be mission territory in deference to the Russian Orthodox Church, with whom Rome desires to reestablish full communion.) Most of the financial support in the United States comes in the form of second collections at parishes that have agreed to host one of our mission speakers, as well as in the form of sister parishes, in which an American parish agrees to sponsor a Russian mission parish with periodic collections and prayer support.

The pastors of Most Holy Mother of God Catholic Church in Vladivostok are working with the parishioners to enable the church to become more financially independent. The church is beginning to generate some income on its own by means of music concerts and donations from local parishioners (average Sunday collection is $80-$100). The parish will continue to pursue business ventures so as to not always be dependent on American and other foreign benefactors.

More about the Vladivostok Mission

	Click here to learn more about the city of Vladivostok.
	Click here to see pictures taken by mission travelers to Vladivostok, and pictures of the mission in the US.
	Click here to read letters from Fr. Myron with recent news about the mission.