The 'way of beauty' in the Russian Far East

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 05, 2013

On the Catholic Culture site today we’re launching another chapter—the 6th—from the forthcoming book, When Faith Goes Viral. This month’s entry—which I wrote myself, with a lot of help from friends who have spent time in Russia—tells an unusual story about a parish that entices people to church by providing beautiful music.

When I set out to collect stories about successful evangelization, and asked a few dozen friends for suggestions, I was surprised by the number of responses that called attention to the “way of beauty”—the time-honored technique of introducing people to Christianity through the arts. Here is an example of how it works:

At an isolated Catholic parish in the Russian Far East, where most residents are completely unchurched (although theoretically they are Orthodox), American missionary priests realized that the Russians’ deep love for music might provide an avenue of approach for evangelization. Now hundreds of Russians—including many who have never previously entered a church—are discovering the beauty of sacred music, and asking questions that lead to deeper conversations about faith.