The Federal Penitentiary Service awards a priest from the Kaliningrad diocese a medal for his pastoral care of inmates

A cleric of the diocese of Kaliningrad has been awarded today the Silver Medal for Strengthening the Penitentiary System.

Rev. Roman Grigoryev was honored with this high award for the pastoral ministry he has carried out in prisons and colonies in Kaliningrad for many years. On behalf of the Federal Penitentiaries Service/Kaliningrad, Col. A. Chernov presented the medal to the priest at the office of Bishop Seraphim of the Baltics.

The clergy of the diocese of Smolensk and Kaliningrad together with the penitentiary staff have carried out a considerable work among convicts. Along with religious and moral support, the Orthodox work with inmates facilitate their social adaptation after their release.

At present there are 360 Orthodox churches and 506 prayer rooms in Russian penitentiaries and 71 more churches are being built.

There are 755 Orthodox communities amounting to 41,5 thousand people.

From the website of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad