On October 30, 2026, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, got acquainted with the work of social projects of the Yekaterinburg Diocese. The visit took place within the framework of the XVII Interregional Conference on Church Social Service.
He was accompanied on the trip by Archpriest Evgeny Popichenko, head of the Social department of the Yekaterinburg Diocese, and Anastasia Kamshilova, Executive Director of the Orthodox Mercy Service of Yekaterinburg.
The first object of the visit was the Maria Women's Support Center, which was opened in November 2024. They help women who find themselves in difficult situations, including mothers with children and graduates of orphanages.
The wards of the center are provided with temporary housing, psychological, legal, social and spiritual support. Specialists help to restore documents, find a job, and acquire necessary household skills. Meetings with the priest, classes and workshops are held. The center is designed for simultaneous accommodation of ten people. Since the opening, 68 women and 53 children have received assistance here.
Then Archpriest Mikhail Potokin visited the St. Elizabeth Monastery of Mercy, which operates at the church of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. The monastery, run by Priest Vasily Baishev, provides constant assistance to the seriously ill, people with disabilities, and lonely elderly people in need of care.
In September 2024, the monastery moved to a new building on the shore of Lake Shartash. It is equipped taking into account the needs of people with limited mobility and is designed for 50 residents. Currently, there are 48 wards here, who are being cared for by brothers and sisters of mercy.
The acquaintance with social projects ended with a visit to the Opora Probation Center, which was opened in November 2024 with the blessing of Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.
The center was created jointly by the Nika Charitable Foundation, the Yekaterinburg Diocese and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Sverdlovsk Region. They provide assistance to people who find themselves in difficult situations, including those released from prison. The wards are provided with temporary housing, food, clothing and necessary social support, help to restore documents and find a job. Currently, 56 people live in the center.
The XVII Interregional Conference on Church Social Service was held in Yekaterinburg from October 27 to October 30 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. It was attended by more than 360 representatives of church social services, charitable organizations and government authorities.
Photo: Orthodox Mercy Service of Yekaterinburg.