Church of the Nativity (Magadan)

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The Church of the Nativity at Magadan in the Russian Far East serves local Roman Catholics, many of whom survived Joseph Stalin's forced labor camps set up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to exploit gold in Kolyma's harsh subarctic climate. Today the church stands both as a monument to the millions who died or suffered in the camps and as a source of inspiration for the local population.

The church was built largely through the efforts of Father Michael Shields of Anchorage, Alaska who went to Magadan in 1994 specifically to care for those who had suffered in the camps. There are close contacts between Magadan and Anchorage, its twin city. The church also serves the local Polish community.

The parish has about 250 registered parishioners, with 50-80 attending Sunday masses regularly.^[1]