The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

It is the first time when a document characterizing the situation with the sacrament of Baptism in Tashkent and Central Asian diocese in postwar years is introduced for scientific use. It is a letter from rector of the St George Church of Samarkand, Archpriest Pyotr Knyazhinsky to Bishop Guriy (Egorov) who chaired the Tashkent and Central Asian diocese in 1946–1953. The letter is written in 1948 and raises the question of the need to prepare the children and babies for baptism. Archpriest Pyotr describes difficult situations connected with child baptism which he had to deal with: mixed marriages, non-Christian parents and godparents. Such situations, as the author of the letter suggests, do not allow the priest to take responsibility for the baptism of children who cannot receive Christian education. The letter, blessed by Bishop Guriy, was published in diocesan edition of “The orders and information for Tashkent and Central Asian Diocese” and was spread to all parishes. Acute issues raised by Archpriest Pyotr were brought before the general court of the diocese clergy. The historic context of writing the letter is restored in the introductory article and the conclusion is made that the questions of education of clergy and laymen and conscious entry into the Church were among the most important questions raised in the Tashkent diocese in post-war years, when the restoration of church life here began.