I was seventeen when I first came to Faith and Light, and I had never met a person with a disability in my life. I had never really thought about it. In my country, under communist rule, suffering was hidden away as if it didn't exist: orphanages and children's homes locked behind walls—walls of stone and silence.
One of my first days at university, brimming with new friendships and classes to discover, a friend told me: "Pack your bag. Come on, I want to introduce you to some very important people. You need to be on your best behavior."
I thought he meant professors, or at least older friends. Instead, he took me to a house where a huge autistic girl stood in the doorway. She pointed at me with both index fingers and asked: "Who are you? Where do you live?"
Ten years have passed. If someone asked me now which day shaped my life, I would remember this one: Natasha at the door asking, "Who are you?"
When I joined Faith and Light, there were three young communities in Russia, all three in Moscow. We were full of enthusiasm and goodwill, hungry for new experiences. Together we lived through our first crisis, our first losses, the growth of new groups, the building of Faith and Light structures, our first national councils, our pilgrimages.
At the same time, we witnessed the birth and growth of Faith and Light in neighboring countries—our former Soviet compatriots: Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia. We experienced the miracle of friendship within Faith and Light at the very moment of greatest hostility and hatred. At a time when people would spit or turn away just hearing someone speak Russian in neighboring countries, we discovered affinity and affection. The bonds forged then will last forever.
We experienced the miracle of friendship in Faith and Light at the very moment of greatest hostility
We experienced the miracle of friendship in Faith and Light at the very moment of greatest hostilityI was blessed to know and live as part of one great family during my time as zone coordinator. The Baltic-Urals-Carpathian zone, created in 1992, had grown to 300 communities spread across 11 countries by 1997.
The International Council of Faith and Light then decided to divide it into two: Central and Baltic Europe, and Carpathian, Urals, and Caucasus Europe. I had the honor of leading this second zone for almost four years. I am grateful to God for allowing me to accompany two Polish provinces during that time—a country with the deepest Faith and Light traditions. Consider this: the first communities appeared in the 1970s under communist rule, and today there are 190 of them!
Of course, after 28 years and all the changes that have swept through every corner of life, our Faith and Light communities have also changed. They have lived through difficult periods of crisis and aging, and many still do. Yet they remain landmarks for Faith and Light in neighboring countries, especially for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Walking alongside Polish Faith and Light communities taught me much and gave me many friendships. But perhaps the most unexpected and precious gift came through ecumenism. Poland is deeply Catholic. Most community members had never met a Christian of another faith. One day a community leader told me:
"You know, our community now prays for the unity of the Church, because now we know from whom we are separated, and we want to be united." This meant so much not only to me and the Orthodox communities in Moscow, but also to the Georgian communities.
We have two communities in Tbilisi—beautiful and very courageous. They live daily with great poverty, almost destitution, without reliable light or water, bread or work. Inside these communities, there are also deep tensions between Catholics and Orthodox. Yet for nine years they have endured, remaining small flames of unity and love.
Our 16 Ukrainian communities are wonderful. In July 2002 we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Faith and Light in that country. How moving it was to see their joy—to pray, dance, and sing around a great bonfire with room for everyone: more than 250 families and as many friends, guests from every country in the zone, young people interested in Faith and Light, children...
I could speak forever about how beautiful Faith and Light is, how beautiful our countries are—with all the trials we live through each day, with all the difficulties, the fears, the fragility.
— Olga Gurevitch, 2003