Needy Find Comfort in a Cathedral
The Moscow Times
The doors of the SS. Cosma and Damian Cathedral on Stoleshnikov Pereulok,
only steps away from bustling Tverskaya Ulitsa, almost never close. Some
come to pray and light a candle, others show up for a free meal, a warm
sweater or even a book.
Since reopening a decade ago after serving as a library and printing house
for 70 years, the cathedral has been more than just a house of worship for
the 3,000 parishioners living nearby. It has fed the homeless and the poor
and gathered clothes and books for refugees.
Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the cathedral feeds the homeless
and the elderly, who often find themselves living on bread. Sometimes as
many as 300 people show up for a free meal in a single day, said Mikhail
Turbin, who helps with the cathedral's charitable outreach. On Wednesdays
and Fridays the small park beside the cathedral and across from Moscow
Mayor Yury Luzhkov's office on Tverskaya Ulitsa fills with scores of
homeless people.
A group of 15 volunteers also comes to the cathedral at least twice a week
to sort out donated clothing by size and season and distribute the clothes
along with blankets, dishes and other donated necessities to the needy,
Turbin said. Recipients include the homeless, elderly and Chechen refugees.
Parishioners also correspond with inmates and send them books, he said.
The cathedral, led by Father Alexander Borisov, gets financial support from
businessmen and charity organizations for its ministry to the needy.
The 18th-century cathedral itself miraculously escaped destruction in the
1930s when many pre-revolutionary buildings on and around Tverskaya were
torn down to give way for Stalin-era architecture. Parts of the building
have yet to be restored.
The SS. Cosma and Damian Cathedral is located at 2 Stoleshnikov Pereulok.
Tel. 229-4104.
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