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Pokrov Community |
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The Pokrov Community is the St Petersburg orthodox public charitable organization providing help to lonely elderly sick and disabled people. Here Below is a brief information about us.
History
From our first l experience of random hospital visits it became clear that we should unite and organize our efforts to make our work more useful and helpful. Our faith became a natural foundation of such a union, we wanted to make the Community's activities the real service in the spirit of Orthodox Church. As opposed to private charity, our service is impossible without open advertising and thus it becomes a missionary work “of deeds and words”. That is why the educational work became an integral part of our mission.
Structure Unlike many parochial sisterhoods of modern Russian Orthodox Church, the Pokrov community, mostly women, is led by the Head Sister, chosen by the members of the community. Among clergy our constant advisors and support are the head of the central deanery of St Petersburg archpriest Vladimir Sorokin and priest Iacov Ambartsumov.
Currently the Pokrov Community has around fifty active members. Their contribution and involvement into the Community depends on their talents, education and personal circumstances. Each person sharing our goals and views can become a member of our community. Some of the members are professional physicians and nurses, others are people of different professions far from medicine, working as volunteers during their free time. Many people – architects, builders, designers, lawyers, film directors, photographers, and others help the Pokrov Community with their professional skill.
Our contacts The Pokrov Community benefits from its non-church status, being more open when collaborating with various Christian confessions and jurisdictions, secular organizations and people of different views, that is to become “ all things to all men “ (1Cor.9:22)
We established a working relationship with St Petersburg and Moscow Sisterhoods of Mercy, Catholic organizations such as Home for homeless run by sisters of Mother Theresa, Caritas organization, and also with the Center of the development of Non-commercial organizations, “Nochlezhka” found, Military Medical Academy , Medical Academy of Postgraduate education, Military Medical Museum DM RF and others.
We opened the small chapel that is located in the neurological department of the hospital. Every day one of our sisters is on duty there. In addition to taking care of the patients she prays for their health, helps to prepare to confession and communion, gives away the spiritual literature. A patient can come to the chapel looking for the cross or icon, warm cloth, a cap of tea with sandwich, or the kind word. During the evening hours our sisters and brothers visit the wards looking for opportunities to help those in need. They come here after their main work or studies at least once a week. Our organization provides regular visits of priests to the patients of the hospital and our Nursing Homes(see below). Head Sister of the Pokrov Community belongs to the Charity Board of Mariinsky Hospital. We run various projects to collect material aid for the hospital. By means, collected from our donators, grants and projects we passed over to the hospital the medical equipment, medicine, bed cloth, mattresses, blankets etc. in amount of more than 70 000 euro.
The Pokrov Community initiated the renovation of hospital church of St apostle Paul at the Mariinsky hospital. Regular liturgy services take place there since the jubilee 2000 year Christmas. Today the historical building of Mariinsky hospital, planned by famous Giacomo Quarengi, is under restoration and soon the Church hall in it will be returned to its original beauty. We are happy to have contribute in disposing the administration of the hospital towards renovation of the church. Sisters and Brothers of the Community composed the historical reference on the St Paul Church , participated in the parochial board of the church of St apostle Paul , help with registration of the parish, monitored the restoration process.
The community has a medical room with modern medical equipment, where sick homeless people, devoid of usual medical help, can receive a consultation of a physician and free medicine.
Our home visiting service is handled by 10-15 sisters, assisting those in need at their homes.
The educational work is an important part of our activity. The community initiated a six-month medical course for Sisters of Mercy at Medical college N 6.
During the last several years we were running the educational seminars «Charity and Professionalism» for sisters of Mercy of St Petersburg, the collected reports were published in May 2003.
The exhibitions, organized by our community, became a tradition. The first was the Easter charity exhibition “Resurrection” at Beloselsky-Belozersky palace. The exhibition “Images of Sisters of Mercy in Fine Arts” took place not long ago.
During the annual charitable action “Christmas in Mariinsky”, carried out together with the administration of Mariinsky hospital, the exhibition and sale of art of St Petersburg painters took place. The “Christmas in Mariinsky” itself, with its Holy service, congratulations, presents for the patients and festive concert of famous actors, is well-liked both by patients and the stuff of the hospital.
One of the guidelines of our work is studying of the history and experience of the pre-revolutionary communities of the Sisters of Mercy. We also follow the development of modern sisterhoods of mercy and similar organizations both in Russia and in the neighbouring foreign countries.
The Pokrov community participated among the authors of historical book “Mariinsky hospital”, devoted to the hospital's 200 th anniversary, and in the album on the history of St Petersburg communities of Sisters of Mercy, that is being prepared by the publishing house “Liki Rossii” (“Faces of Russia”).
We are grateful to all our partners and donators. We receive constant financial support from:
Abroad: Diakonisches Werk der Evangellischen Kirche, Deutschland Paris Archiepiscopy of Constantinople Patriarchy, France Christian Charity fund of Upe Poutiainen , Finland St Petersburg Paris Club, France
At home : Buildong-corporation “ Alice ” Architectural studio of Baranovsky, Ltd. Production complex “Peterbugzhnka”, Ltd.
Our profound bow also to many of private donators, contributing in our serving to suffering people
Address: St Petersburg Charitable Organization “POKROVSKAJA OBSCHINA” Kovenskij per. 11, ap. 5 191014 St Petersburg Russia Tel (fax) : (812) – 275-37-40
Our bank: MDM-BANK ST PETERSBURG MEDICAL BRANCH Conto # 4070397801100100002 (“For donations for charitable work”) Address: Kuznechnij per. 4, St Petersburg Russia
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The Pokrov Community was registered as non-profit charity organization in year 2000, though it started its service in early 1990s as a part of 
Since 1996 sisters and brothers of Pokrov Community serve in Mariinsky hospital , taking care for the patients of the neurological and neurosurgical departments. The hospital is one of the oldest and busiest in 
Years of helping the homeless patients of the hospital led the Pokrov Community to start such a line of work as a social help to homeless , aimed to assist homeless disabled to collect and fill up the necessary documents for private and state nursing homes. According to current legislation in 
For lonely sick elderly and disabled people our community provides a Nursing Home for four women in the city of 
The international conference “Christian Charity and Care for Patients” was held in collaboration with administration of Mariinsky hospital in May 2003. It was devoted to the 300th anniversary of 
The head Sister – Galina Alexandrovna Klishova.