Catholic Mission in Russia and former USSR

Fr. A. Kryssov - CV

Secular Background

Born: June 26, 1966 in Fryazino, Moscow Region, USSR (now Russian Federation) in the family of Soviet scientist-engineers (microelectronics) – Father George (Ph.D.) and Mother Helen. RIP.

1973 – 1983 – Studied and graduated from the local school.

1984 – 1989 – Studied and graduated from the Historical Department of the Moscow University with diploma magna cum laude (Master of Arts (M.A.) in Social Studies and History Education). Diploma thesis: Russian Financial System Reformation 1530’s.

1989 – 1992 – Worked as a teacher of History and Law in College in Moscow Region.

1992 – 1997 – Studied and graduated from the Historical Department of University of Paris [France] specialized in Church History.

1994 - Graduated from the special course “The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church” under the guidance of Patrick de Laubier (professor at the University of Geneva) - Geneva, Switzerland.

1996 – 2003 – Worked as President of Russian Philosophical and Historical Society (which he established together with his brother Dmitriy Kryssov who was responsible for the publishing house “Stella Aeterna”).

2004 – up to present – official expert/consultant for Catholic Church History of the Patriarchate of Moscow [Russian Orthodox Church].

2012 – received the doctorate degree (in History) after the defense of the doctorate thesis in Moscow University: “Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val and the Tradition of Conservatism in the Catholic Church from 1914–1930”.

2014 – Received the doctorate degree in Church History [Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. in History)] by the U.S. Academic Credentialing Commission in Chicago, IL, USA.

Author of about 250 scientific [historical] and encyclopedic articles published in more than 5.000.000 copies.

Religious Background

1984 – Became Catholic.

1989 – Became an altar server in the only Catholic Church in Moscow (St. Louis) under the only Catholic priest in Moscow at that time: Fr. Stanislaus Mazeika.

1999 – Founded the Oratory of St. Pius V [still a layman] in Moscow and became the coordinator for the traditionalist Mission there.

2004 – Became a seminarian in Mater Dei Seminary under Bishop Mark Pivarunas, CMRI.

2008 – October 7 was ordained to the priesthood in Mt. St. Michael, Spokane, Washington, USA by Bishop M. Pivarunas. He was then assigned as permanent pastor for the Russian Mission.

2016 – Delegated by Bishop M. Pivarunas as visiting professor for Church History in Mater Dei Seminary, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

2018 – up to present – takes care of the Philippine and Malaysian Missions.

2005, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2024 - participant as Seminarian and then as a Priest of International Fatima Conference at Mount St. Michael in Spokane.

Mr. Aleksey Zharkov - CV

Secular Background

Born: August 29, 1969 in Moscow, USSR (now Russian Federation) in a family of professional medics. Belongs to both citizenships of Russian Federation and Lithuania. Russian by Father Arkady Zharkov - Lithuanian by Mother Alla Brakas, R.I.P.

1977 – 1986 – Studied at Moscow school with specialization in foreign language.

1989 – 1994 – Studied and graduated from Mechanical Department of the Moscow State University, diploma with honors in Fluid Mechanics.

1994 – 1996 – Postgraduate study in the same department with Ph.D degree by thesis "Nonlinear Stability of Flows in the Solar Wind Plasma" (2005).

1997 – 2004 – Worked as a Senior Lecturer in Moscow Food Industry University and then in Moscow State Technology University.

2004 – 2010 – Worked as a Program Developer and System Analyst in Telecommunication Companies with participation in Federal Projects of the Russian Presidential Administration.

2010 – 2018 – Worked as a Business Process Analyst in Top 5 Russian Insurance Companies.

2018 – up to present - Managing Director of Lithuanian Start Up Company specialized in High-tech, Vilnius.

Mr. Yevgeny Shmelev - CV

Secular Background

Born on August 2, 1989 in the city Bendery, Moldavia (ex-USSR). Mother, Helena, is a teacher of the Russian language and literature; father, Oleg, is a radio-engineer.

1995 - entered at a secondary school in Bendery, then, in 2000, in the theoretical lyceum of Bendery and since 2003 studied and graduate from the biochemical faculty of the same lyceum.

2006-2012 - studied and graduated with honors at Medicine Department of the Transnistrian State University in Tiraspol (administrative centre of the unrecognised Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria)).

2012-2014 - Postgraduate education in the specialty Psychiatry-Narcology as a clinical resident at the same University and in 2014 began to work at the psychiatric department of State Clinical Hospital in Tiraspol.

2013 - married Tatiana Popova, and December 25, 2015 the parents were happy with a newborn son Alexey.

2015 - continued his work in the Hospital and at the same time became a deputy director for the medical part of the neuropsychiatric boarding school in Tiraspol and an advisor in the State TB Hospital.

2016 - moved to Russia with his family.

2017 - to the present lives in the city of Gelendzhik in the south of Russia, works as a narcologist in a City Hospital.

2022 - in December the parents were happy with a newborn daughter Elisabeth, baptized by Fr. A. Kryssov in April 2023.

Religious Background

1992 - baptized in the schismatic Russian Orthodox Church (in 3 years age), but spent childhood in atheist family that led to rejection of God existence.

2007 - renounced atheism, being carried away by Christianity. However, faced with a mass of contradictions, expressed from different sides, the practical confessional search continued for 3 years.

2010 - made a decision about the need to become a Catholic. But, since in his hometown, Bendery, an exclusively second-Vatican sect was widespread, calling itself the Catholic Church, deceived by this organization, he became its adherent. Loving Catholic tradition, never was under the "pastoral" care of the quasi-traditional priests of the SSPX. Created the largest Russian-speaking network, with about 3,000 subscribers today, to unite all those who are looking for the true Catholic faith.

2018 - faced with insurmountable contradictions within the Second Vatican sect and the impossibility of following its false faith, contacted Fr. A. Kryssov for the opportunity to join the Catholic Church.

2019 - on the Feast of Holy Trinity together with wife Tatiana and son Aleksey was affiliated to Catholic Church during the pastoral visit of Fr. Kryssov to the south of Russia.

Founded and carry during 15 years on the largest Russian-speaking network, with about 5,000 subscribers today, to unite all those who are looking for the true Catholic faith.