A Church Destroyed During the Blockade is Resurrected in Memory

   St. Petersburg

  On an overcast February evening three pastors and a few dozen parishioners from Lutheran congregations in the city gathered near a blue construction fence; the media were there, as were children who held candles in their hands. Passers by stopped as they heard the voices saying prayers and singing hymns. Our people were gathered in memory of St. Mary's Church in the Petrogradskaya region of the city. The congregation was organized in 1866, and the wooden church that stood on the site was dedicated in 1874. It was a beautiful church building; for the first time Petersburg architects used an approach common in the Baltic region, using Medieval-like details and accents. It had a 32.5 meter high bell tower and was located prominently at an intersection of two streets, not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress. For the most part the congregation's membership was made up of working class people from the neighborhood; they had an active social ministry, supporting a school, an orphanage and home for widows.
  The congregation's last pastor, Christian Zemke, was arrested and executed in 1935. In the years following, the church was closed...but served the city, just the same, when it was dismantled and its wood used for heating during the 900-day blockade of Leningrad during World War II.
  The site is currently under construction; a business center is planned to be built there. But Pastor Dmitry Zenkenko has organized the “Brotherhood of St. Mary” which aims to honor the spiritual heritage of the congregation and gain recognition of local authorities that the site formerly hosted a church.

  Acting Archbishop Dietrich Brauer took part in the service. During his remarks he said: “the living and the dead are together in Christ's church; we honor their memory. The graves found here are of those people who built this city – Finns, Russians, Swedes, Lutherans and Orthodox. They remind us of our moral and historical duty to honor them.” Pastor Dmitri Zenchenko said, “today we honor the memory of the martyrs that belonged to St. Mary's of the Petrogradskaya region. Among them were not only the executed pastors Lev Schultz and Christian Zemke; there were also many congregational members of our church. They give us an example of personal bravery and a patient bearing of the cross. They knew that the path to resurrection from the dead always goes through Golgatha.”
  Perhaps it is not utopian to dream about building a small memorial chapel next to the business center? We'll be praying about it.