The
Brotherhood’s chronicles
On November
21st 1992 (the day of celebrating the memory of the Brotherhood’s
Holy Patron) the Brotherhood of St. Archangel Michael erected in Kruptsy a
sanctified wooden cross and started regular water-sanctifying services in front
of the spring.
 On
June 26th 1993 a religious procession of believers representing
almost all the Minsk parishes marched from the Minsk church of St. Mary
Magdalene to the Kruptsy spring.
On October 21st
1993 the Minsk municipal authorities officially registered the new Kruptsy
parish named in the honour of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God (Pokrov).
In January-February a railroad wagon properly arranged for public worship was
placed there by the Brotherhood and the necessary literature and church plate
was acquired.
On March 20th
1993, the Divine Liturgy was served in the restored parish for the first time
after a long pause. The renewal of religious life was blessed by such remarkable
gifts as the ancient copy of the Kruptsy Icon of the Holy Mother of God and the
particles of the holy relics of St. Sergy Radonezhsky, St. Serafim Sarovsky, St.
Alexander Svirsky and about thirty other saints.
Together with
the veterans of the war in Afghanistan, the Brotherhood of St. Archangel Michael
erected a memorial cross on the “Island of Tears” - a monument to the
Afghanistan war victims on the Svisloch River in Minsk downtown. A similar cross
was set up in front of the Minsk St. Peter and Paul Cathedral to commemorate the
1000th anniversary of the Holy Orthodoxy in the Belarusian land.
Also, the Brotherhood actively took part in restoring the tradition of
pilgrimages to such holy places as the Russian monastery of Valaam.
 In
1995, a small church in the name of the Kruptsy icon of the Holy Mother of God
was opened in Kruptsy and regular divine services started there. The first
Divine Liturgy was served in the new church on July 18th, and four
days later (July 22nd1995) the parish was honoured by the visit of
the Patriarch of Moscow and Whole Russia Alexy 2nd. The Patriarch
sanctified the cross and the memorial stone near the would-be-restored Pokrov
church.
The late
1990s were marked by intensive construction operations. Since October 14th
1997, the Brotherhood of St. Archangel Michael managed to build a refectory, a
kitchen, a clerical office, a car park and an apiary. In 2000 the church was
roofed and the basement of the administrative building was laid. In May 2001 the
church belfry was founded. Today the building is very close to completion,
although much effort is still to be given to the inner decoration and finishing
works.
Besides the
restoration of the Kruptsy church, another major goal of the Brotherhood of St.
Archangel Michael is promoting Orthodox Christian education for the youth and
adults. In order to achieve this goal, in 1993 the Brotherhood set up an
Orthodox Sunday school and opened a library. It has also actively distributes
Christian literature and music records (including the reconrds of the
Brotherhood children and adult choirs), arranges conversations between believers
and priests and publishes topical books and brochures.
 Since
the autumn of 2000, the Brotherhood has been organizing regular public lectures
for laymen, inviting such renowned academicians and preachers as the world
famous musicologist Prof. Vyacheslav Medushevsky, Father Artemy Vladimirov,
Father Anatoly Berestov and other interesting lectors. The purpose of this
educational initiative is to help those Belarusians, who are still outside the
Church shelter, to return to the divine tradition of their forefathers.
“If the Lord
wills” (James 4;15), the Brotherhood of St. Archangel Michael will continue its
dedicated work in the field of Orthodox Christian enlightenment.
May Our Lord
bless its efforts!
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