I know, it brings me to tears to see people who have been forcibly estranged and raised godless in coommunist countries flock to churches. They ever so clumsily approach and enter the church, not knowing what to do, but they are there in earnest, hungry for God.
The situation is changing. There are certainly the young people who come in with little idea what to do, and there’s the old babushkas who’ve been attending for years and seem to know everything. But I have seen more young people and fewer clumsy ones when attending churches in Russia. Probably more so ruraly I guess.
I see the same thing when younger folks who are in the US on a visa or recently immigrated attend.
I think in general the church should work a bit harder to make the customs of what to do when entering/leaving/worshipping clearer.
I do like that our parish has a sign on the doors noting what times one should not be entering/leaving/moving about the church/lighting candles etc.
Our priest also gave me a little pamphlet he put together once on a few of the basics, which is excellent though it was something i had to mention to him to get ahold of.
“I know, it brings me to tears to see people who have been forcibly estranged and raised godless in coommunist countries flock to churches. They ever so clumsily approach and enter the church, not knowing what to do, but they are there in earnest, hungry for God.”
I’ve never seen this in a formerly atheistic country, but I have seen it with Russians, Serbs and Roumanians in Greece and here in the States. Its just as you say, Kosta, the fumbling, unsure approach, actions arising from some long suppressed childhood memory of what a grandmother may have told them and then after awhile in the Liturgy, the eyes shining with tears of happiness. Makes me cry just to think about it.
Kawaii, that’s a wonderful story about the new little Russian temple.