TASHKENT (UCAN) -- A Russian Orthodox priest who does youth formation work says the Church must offer today's young people an alternative to popular culture, not just lecture against it.

"If we decry some trends in modern youth culture, its deviations and immorality, we should offer them something instead," Father Aleksey Nazarov told UCA News as he stood in the sanctuary of Holy Assumption Cathedral.

Father Nazarov, 46, heads the Sunday school at the golden-domed cathedral in the heart of Uzbekistan's capital. It is the main church for the Orthodox Eparchy of Tashkent and Central Asia.

The priest admits that young people's self-centered and irresponsible ways are a "global problem." But he offers them an alternative at the cathedral, something more fulfilling than the night clubs, drinking, drugs, Internet surfing, computer games and violent movies in which they typically indulge.

Amid today's great transition in Uzbek society, the Russian Orthodox Church does not want self-centered modern culture to fill the vacuum that emerged as communist atheism collapsed with end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Insisting faith should fill the void, Father Nazarov tries to make Sunday school something that helps young people keep their faith alive. As the regular weekly attendance of 70-80 youths shows, he is having some success.

Sunday school classes have been conducted for 18 years at the diocesan center in the cathedral compound. At first, everyone from small children to the elderly sat in one classroom to learn basics of Orthodox faith and history. After Metropolitan Vladimir in 1990 became head of the eparchy, similar to a Catholic diocese, different age groups were taught separately.

Father Nazarov pointed out that "only the young, not adult parishioners, study some subjects," such as Church singing, Church art, Church-Slavonic language, and the history of the Old and New Testaments.

Before becoming a priest, Father Nazarov taught at a special school for difficult children in Tashkent, but now he teaches all age groups at the Sunday school. The other Sunday school teachers are priests and seminarians, as well as a laywoman who leads Church singing and Church art lessons.

Nastya, 15, told UCA News her favorite subject is Biblical history, but she also likes to meet "good company" at the school, partly because they share her Orthodox background in this Muslim-majority country. Her friend Maria agrees. Noting that most students in the 15-25 age group are girls, Maria said that "we have common interests and values, and this unites us."

When 15-year-old Peter was asked why he has been coming to Sunday school for 10 years, he shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I just feel good here."

Yuliya Ivanova, 18, was more at ease to explain why she has been attending classes for the past three years: "I have received Orthodox education here because my parents are always busy. These classes are necessary for Orthodox young people, to help them communicate with each other, share the same views."

Oleg Fomin, an Orthodox seminarian, teaches catechism to those aged 15-25, who comprise about 60 percent of the Sunday school. Echoing Father Nazarov's view, he told UCA News: "Young people can learn what is good and what is bad from two sources, mass media and the Church. It is better if it is Church."

According to the seminarian, faith education should start as early as possible, before one makes too many mistakes in life. The Sunday school atmosphere has a "good impact on the young souls," Fomin added, because it helps them to become less proud, more serious and more responsible.

Members of the Russian Orthodox Church form the second-largest religious community in Uzbekistan, representing 9 percent of the country's 27 million people. Muslims form 88 percent, while practicing Catholics number about 500.

The Russian Orthodox Church came to Central Asia in the 19th century, when the Russian Empire took over the region, then called Turkistan. The Eparchy of Tashkent and Central Asia, established in 1871, now comprises 46 parishes in Kyrgyzstan, 15 in Turkmenistan, six in Tajikistan and 34 in Uzbekistan.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)