Rising Costs of Religious Services: Orthodox Church Donations Surge Amid Economic Pressures

Donations suggested for baptisms, weddings, and funerals in Russian Orthodox churches have surged by nearly 40% following Moscow’s extensive invasion of Ukraine, reported The Moscow Times’ Russian service.

An examination of official websites and archived records from 140 churches and monasteries located in 70 regions and occupied Ukrainian areas revealed that the recommended donations for religious ceremonies have increased by approximately two-thirds since 2020.

Nineteen regions and republics, mainly those with dominant Muslim populations, lacked accessible Orthodox Church websites and were excluded from this review.

Some of the most significant hikes were observed at specific monasteries. A convent in Kaluga experienced a staggering 345% increase in donation levels, the largest leap within the sample.

At the Epiphany Monastery in the Perm region, suggested contributions more than doubled.

Similarly, donations surged by 192% at the Svyato-Pokrovsky Convent, which dates back to the 17th century and is among the oldest monastic communities in the Urals.

Seven churches that previously did not provide donation guidelines before the conflict have now issued them.

The services that are most sought after have seen the most rapid increases.

The average recommended donation for baptisms rose by about 50%, wedding ceremonies saw a twofold increase, and funeral services grew by 71%.

Suggested fees for one-time ceremonies like prayer services, memorials, or submitting names for remembrance climbed by nearly 56%.

Contributions for the thesorokoust, which involves 40 daily liturgies in honor of the deceased, increased by 47%.

The highest individual fee recorded was a donation of 50,000 rubles ($640) for “eternal commemoration” at the Umyleniye Convent in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district.

This specific rite was not listed in the pre-war year of 2021, though comparable services averaged around 10,000 rubles ($128) before the conflict.

Andrei Kordochkin, a priest and former cleric from the Russian Orthodox Church’s Spanish-Portuguese diocese, noted that pricing is often influenced by diocesan policies rather than local clergy.

According to him, churches are required to remit a portion of their revenue to the diocese, and these financial obligations frequently rise.

“If someone declines to participate in this system or claims they cannot afford it, they risk losing their parish,” he explained. “As costs increase, many priests feel they have no choice but to elevate their earnings.”

Kordochkin further stated that broader economic conditions also play a role.

Factors such as inflation and escalating utility costs, which churches must handle like any other entity, have contributed to the rising prices.

Data from the state statistics agency Rosstat indicates that cumulative inflation since 2022 has surpassed 30%.

Residents in the Chelyabinsk region city of Kopeysk reported in October that the prices for candles, services, and baptisms had almost doubled within a year.

According to one Kopeysk local, the fee for submitting a single name for prayer over the year jumped from 100 to 5,000 rubles ($1.20 to $64).

The local priest indicated that these prices are determined at the diocesan level and remain consistent throughout the region.

The Chelyabinsk diocese stated that churches depend on donations to cover basic operational costs and maintain their facilities.

While some dioceses alert parishioners in advance about impending price hikes, complaints regarding increasing church costs frequently appear on social media platforms.

In September, a priest in Irkutsk suggested replacing individual service fees with a mandatory tithe, but senior Church officials swiftly dismissed the proposal, emphasizing that the priest was not authorized to represent the Russian Orthodox Church.