Church of the Nativity (Magadan)

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.

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.

[1] In January 1991, Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley helped a small group of Russians establish the first Roman Catholic parish in the city of Magadan.

As a result of donations received after Fr Shields appeared on EWTN, the Catholic television network, the new building, which cost some $750,000, started to take shape.

In addition, it has a mission in the coastal village of Ola, Russia, 35 km to the east, where it offers support to the indigenous people who are largely unemployed.