Questions about RTOC in America

[Barbara]

That's not surprising that your friends over in Moscow say that the Western media is pretending that the Russian economy is in terrible shape. The same exactly was done regarding iran in the 1980s. The same EXACT method of demeaning an entire people by slyly maintaining that they are so incompetent that the citizens can not even be fed by the government.

It's a WELL-rehearsed act, therefore.

What do your friends say about the lines for food in Soviet times, though ? Those were actual, I am sure, due to the disastrous planned economy. But today, there are no real lines for food ?
Is the economy OK, then ?

I know what your friends mean saying that every item is available for them. [ Even Harley-Davidsons - ! ]
When I visited in the 90s, my friend there kept protesting when I offered to bring her consumer goods that I figured she couldn't buy there. She waved my repeated attempts away, saying the same "We have everything here !" She finally agreed to accept some anti-mosquito bracelets which were apparently not on offer in Russia at that time for traveling in remote marshy areas to visit monasteries. Another person agreed to accept a special kind of safe-carrying camera bag called a "Zing" which I doubt was sold anywhere there. I was GLAD, for I wanted to help them be comfortable rather than struggle. They had both escorted me to VERY remote northern areas, so I was trying to show appreciation. Without their Russian translation, I could not have managed to book into a hotel, for example, in tiny towns where no one had seen foreign travelers at that point.

[сынок]

Whereabouts is your father's town in Kaluga oblast ? Anywhere near Kozelsk and Optina by chance ? From reading the Elders' Lives, i have become familiar with a few of those towns, but hardly all of them ! Perhaps a pilgrim was traveling through a village or a visitor to one of the Elders was from the region, or if nobility, had estates in Kaluga district.

I think it is right next to Kursk Oblast where dad was a Soviet fighter in Battle of Kursk July, 1943. He was a tank capitan who was wounded and captured during the fiercest battle in world history. He could never return home as Stalin would've murdered him for not fighting to his death. Dad was a 'royalist' who hated 'commies' but fought because he had to for the Motherland! Spas-Demensk is a small town located in the southeast corner of Kaluga Oblast. I have a map here .. let's see if it'll post. His 3 younger brothers were hung by the Nazi in Spas-Demensk. His father escaped to Moscow and his mother - nobody knows what happened to her.

Map of Kaluga Oblast and Town of Spas-Demensk

spas-Demensk.jpg (49.2 KiB) Viewed 2957 times

[Barbara]

So sorry to hear that about your 3 uncles and your grandmother having vanished. I guess many people did during those tumultuous times. We here often don't realize how many missing persons there must have been in such great upheavals.

Thanks so much for the map ! That is perfect. I can make out one or two of the other towns, such as Mozhaisk, a name I have always thought intriguing. If that IS in fact what that says ! For I realize I thought Mozhaisk was farther north and west of Moscow.
Spas-Demensk sounds stately. What does it actually mean ? Savior _____ ?

I see Kozelsk is due southwest of Kaluga. I had it placed as southeast of Kaluga in my mind. Good that you posted the map so I can envision clearly !

I hate to admit I didn't know about the Battle of Kursk at all, let alone that it was the biggest in history. I would have thought Stalingrad would have fit for that dubious title. So Kursk was bigger than Stalingrad ??

No wonder the Kursk Icon was discovered there : the Mother of God's Help would be greatly needed in future times.

[сынок]

I hate to admit I didn't know about the Battle of Kursk at all, let alone that it was the biggest in history. I would have thought Stalingrad would have fit for that dubious title. So Kursk was bigger than Stalingrad ??

No wonder the Kursk Icon was discovered there : the Mother of God's Help would be greatly needed in future times.

Stalingrad was a terrible battle but, it was done over much time. It was a SIEGE. A 'siege', as we know it, takes usually much time to accomplish the goal. The Nazi tried to 'starve' and freeze everyone into submission .. only to do it to themselves thanks to great Soviet generals and the boys. Here is one quote of a million; "The Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-Feb. 2, 1943), was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict."

Battle of Kursk was an actual staged battle - essentially an 'armagedon' - which was resolved quickly by the good guys - the Rooskies!! . The Military Channel on TV does wonderful documentaries on both with no western slant. Don't worry Barbara, you're comment was a common one. Please click on the link and learn about this one ... it is shocking! http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... e-war.html

Both were the epitome of ultimate horror but I think you'll learn one was a bit more devastating than the other. God Bless the Russian fighters and those others who helped defeat a devil!

[Maria]

I have moved this thread into Inquiring into Orthodoxy since it asks many questions about the RTOC and the history of Orthodoxy.

[Barbara]

Ok, in that case, let me sum up the raison d'etre of RTOC for any old or new members>
I found this on RTOC ArchpriestJoseph Sunderland's Church's web page and smiled.
The purpose is stated in plain words :

"St Joseph of Petersburg Orthodox Church was founded in 2002 to preserve the traditional old calendar Russian Orthodox Tradition that was abandoned by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad when they joined the Soviets. "

http://www.stjosephpetersburg.org/About-Us.html

Anyone for whom this explanation resonates should look into RTOC.

On the contrary, people who laud the supposed motives of "brotherly unity" behind the Moscow Patriarchate's coopting of the proudly independent Rocor, the principled Russian Church in Exile, and who prefer to gloss over the realities of the takeover, will not have any appreciation for the RTOC.