Transforming an Orthodox Parish: from Catechesis to Patriotism (the Case of the Intercession Commune in Perm)

Abstract

The article investigates the strategies of adapting to the changing social environment of city-based religious communities on the example of the case of the Intercession Commune (Pokrovskaya obitel’) in Perm. The community of believers led by activists developed as an Orthodox institution and subsequently evolved into a closed group with elements of mysticism and esotericism under the leadership of a charismatic female leader. The logic of the changes that have taken place is described through an analysis of interviews with former believers, private correspondence, and is performed using elements of the biographical method, materials from a closed group on a social network, records of classes conducted by the leader of the monastery, and photographs. The Intercession Commune as a community successfully evolves and adapts to the changing environment in response to the lawsuits filed against it. As a defensive strategy, community members chose active participation in patriotic projects, applying for grants issued by the local administration, and active appeal to Russian cultural traditions. Emphasis was placed on military education, which led to the creation of a special training center named after a former foreign intelligence officer. An additional way of legitimizing the community in the social space was participation in all-Russian patriotic actions (Immortal Regiment). All the above mentioned indicates a special mimicry of the group to appear as loyal to society, since it contradicts the ideas of withdrawal from social life, broadcast by the leader during internal seminars in the community. The chosen defensive strategy of the Intercession Commune allows us to say that religious associations that are not affiliated with official religious organizations are open to the active use of non-religious ways to assert themselves in society.