Activities of the Odessa branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (1896-1916): the statistics essay

Astapov Aleksei Anatol'evich ORCID: 0009-0008-0020-7550 Postgraduate student; Department of Universal History and World Culture; Sevastopol State University 33 Universitetskaya str., Sevastopol, 299053, Russia lex_1986@list.ru

Nowadays, in order to correctly determine the prospects for the development of public organizations in Russia, it is necessary to turn to the historical tradition of the creation and functioning of such institutions in the Russian Empire in the late XIX – early XX centuries. I think it is best to do this using the example of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society (hereinafter – IPPO), which continues its activities at the present time, but in other political realities and scales.

The mentioned organization occupies a special place among the public institutions of the Russian Empire. Already in the pre-revolutionary period, the foundations for studying the topic were laid. Almost all publications of this time belonged not to professional historians, but to church and public figures and, as a rule, are contained in annual reports and reports published on the pages of the diocesan gazette, which became the main source base of this study.

The history of the IPPO began on May 8, 1882, when Emperor Alexander III approved the Charter of the Orthodox Palestinian Society (at that time it was called that way) ^{[29, p. 77]}. The main goals of the newly formed organization were "the maintenance of Orthodoxy in the Holy Land" and "a benefit for Russian pilgrims" ^{[4, p. 570]}. The opening of the Society took place on May 21 (according to the Article of Art.), 1882.

Those wishing to join the Orthodox Palestinian Society had to personally or by mail deliver to the Council of the organization a statement on their choice of one of the three branches of the Society: a) maintaining Orthodoxy in the Holy Land; b) manuals for Russian pilgrims; c) educational research and publications. The applicant, indicating his rank, surname, first name, patronymic and postal address, additionally informed about the category of membership he had chosen (honorary, full or member-employee) ^{[30, p. 597]} and attached the corresponding membership fee to his application.

According to the Charter, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society consisted of: 1) honorary members who contributed 5,000 rubles to the cashier of the Society at a time or elected due to their special merits in favor of the Holy Places of the East; 2) full members who made a one-time payment of 500 rubles to the cashier of the Society or paid 25 rubles annually; 3) members-employees who made a one-time payment in the amount of 200 rubles to the Company's cash desk or paid 10 rubles annually ^{[28, p. 89]}.

Full members and staff members of the Company, who made a lump sum payment corresponding to their category of membership, were called lifelong. They, along with honorary members of the Society, received a special highly approved badge of the Society on a blue ribbon for wearing around their necks: honorary members – gold, valid members – silver and staff members - dark bronze. All members of the Society received a diploma corresponding to their membership titles and contributions made. Persons who were not among the honorary or lifelong members of the Society, in case of non-payment of annual membership fees within three years, were subject to exclusion from the lists of members of the Society and were obliged to return the diploma issued to them earlier ^{[28, p. 90]}.

On October 18, 1884, at the general meeting of the Orthodox Palestinian Society, the question was raised about the possibility of opening departments in large cities of the Russian Empire to popularize the ideas of the Society and strengthen its economic potential. On March 2, 1885, additional articles of the organization's Charter on the opening and operation of the Company's departments were approved. Since that time, the Orthodox Palestinian Society (since 1889, the Imperial Society was added to its name) has received the right to "open, as needed, its departments in the cities of the empire" ^{[5, pp. 252, 253]}. The decision to open such departments was made at the discretion of the Board of the Company, with the consent of the local authorities and at least 10 members in the area who expressed a desire to open a department. This measure contributed to an increase in the number of members of the Society who were able to apply for membership in the Society and pay the membership fee directly to the local department ^{[5, pp. 252-253; 28, p. 89]}, and not to the Council of the Society, which was located in St. Petersburg.

Subsequently, the mentioned departments were opened in many provinces of the Russian Empire, and their chairmen, as a rule, became the ruling bishops of the local dioceses of the Russian Church. The tasks of the departments included:

"1) to disseminate information about the goals of the Orthodox Palestinian Society;

2) to attract new members to the society;

3) take all measures permitted by the charter of the company to increase the material resources of the company, and

4) to fulfill the tasks assigned to them by the company" ^{[5, p. 253]}.

The Odessa department of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (hereinafter IPPO), opened on December 19, 1893, became the second after the Yakut department (March 21, 1893) ^{[1, p. 3]}. Archbishop Justin (Okhotin), who had been appointed to the Kherson-Odessa department a few months earlier, took the most active part in the opening of the Odessa department. Due to the developed infrastructure, Odessa in the late XIX – early XX centuries served as a key point for sending Orthodox pilgrims to Palestine and Mount Athos. In terms of its size and population, it significantly exceeded other port cities from which Christians of the Russian Empire went on pilgrimage: Sevastopol, Taganrog, Novorossiysk, Batumi ^{[2; 3, p. 637]}.

The annual reports of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, regularly published on the pages of the Kherson diocesan Gazette from 1897 to 1916 or in a separate brochure from 1897 to 1914, allowed us to study the dynamics of changes in its quantitative composition and the ratio by category of membership, to analyze its activities, examining the causes of income growth up to 1901 and their subsequent decline by 1917 G.

It can be stated that there are no sources on the composition, income and expenses of the Odessa department of the IPPO for 1894, 1895 and 1916. Nevertheless, the gap in information for three financial years does not change the representativeness of the general patterns of its development based on the analysis of data for 1896-1916.

With the establishment of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, there was a steady increase in its quantitative composition, which was greatly facilitated by the support of the mayor of Odessa, Lieutenant General Pavel Alekseevich Zeleny and the Odessa mayor, Chamberlain of His Majesty's Court, Privy Councilor Grigory Grigoryevich Marazli. Both were popular among the four hundred thousand people of Odessa and were among the first to join the Odessa department of the IPPO ^{[31, p. 128]}.

According to official data for March 1, 1896 – March 1, 1897. at the beginning of the reporting year, the Odessa department of the IPPO had the following composition: honorary members – 2, valid: lifetime – 6, with an annual contribution – 2, staff members: lifetime - 5, with an annual contribution – 15 ^{[7, p. 365]}. The subsequent dynamics of the quantitative composition and the ratio by category of membership of the Odessa Department of the IPPO are shown in the diagram below (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 "The composition of the Odessa department of the IPPO (1897-1916)" allows us to calculate the average number of members of the department for 21 years of its existence. So, for honorary members of the Society, it will be 1.2, for lifetime full members – 11.2, for full members with an annual contribution – 3.9, for lifetime members of staff – 20.8, for members of staff with an annual contribution - 34.1, in total – 71.1. These data show that two categories of membership were the most numerous: lifetime employee members and employee members with an annual contribution, while the category of lifetime employee members had the greatest resistance to growth, without sharp drops in indicators.

The quantitative composition of the Odessa department of the IPPO reached its peak in 1904 and 1905 and numbered 99 people. By March 1, 1904: honorary – 1; valid: for life – 12, with an annual contribution – 7; staff members: for life – 20, with an annual contribution – 59. By March 1, 1905: honorary – 1; valid: for life – 13, with an annual contribution – 3; staff members: lifetime – 20, with an annual contribution – 57 ^{[16, pp. 179-180]};

The maximum number of honorary members in 1897 was 3 people. In the same year, their number decreased to 1 person (Archbishop Justin) due to the transfer of Lieutenant General P. A. Zeleny to serve in St. Petersburg and the death of Bulgarian scientist, publicist and diplomat K. D. Petkovich (+ October 22, 1897) ^{[9, p. 178]}. The average figures in the number of 2 honorary members were in 1896, 1906-1907 ^{[18, p. 285]}. In the latter case, they were associated with the appointment to the Kherson-Odessa department of Archbishop Dimitri (Kovalnitsky), who after the death of his predecessor Archbishop Justin (+ 25 May 1907) ^{[19, p. 181]} and until his death on February 3, 1913 ^{[24, p. 439]} remained the only honorary member of the Odessa department. On March 28, 1913, the newly appointed Archbishop Nazariy (Kirillov) took his place ^{[25, p. 4]}. Thus, the total number of honorary members from 1894 to 1916 amounted to 5 people, of whom three dropped out due to death and one due to transfer.

The number of life–long active members of the Odessa department of the IPPO in 1896 was the minimum value – 6 people, the maximum – 15 people - fell in 1906, but by 1916 it had decreased to 8 people. The influx of lifelong full members of the Odessa Department of the IPPO occurred due to the transfer from other diocesan departments, the transfer of lifelong staff members to lifelong full members and (or) making an appropriate one-time contribution to the cash register of the local department, followed by selection at the General Meeting of the Society, if at least half of the votes are available. There were two reasons for the reduction of lifetime full members in the Odessa department of the IPPO:

1. There are only 6 people transferred to the service: former Odessa mayors Major General Count P. P. Shuvalov and Lieutenant General D. G. Arsevyev, future Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Bishop Kirion of Novomirgorod (Sadzaglishvili), moved to the Orel diocese on April 23, 1904, former Odessa mayor, acting state Councilor D. B. Neidgart, Bishop of Novomirgorod Dimitri (Sperovsky), who was moved to the Sukhumi diocese on January 25, 1907, and Bishop Anatoly (Kamensky) of Elisavetgrad, who was moved to the Tomsk Diocese on July 30, 1914;

2. Death – only 10 people: Archpriest M. F. Chemena (+ January 8, 1903), Bishop Tikhon of Elisavetgrad (Moroshkin, + March 27, 1903), Bishop Memnon of Elisavetgrad (Vishnevsky, + November 5, 1903) ^{[15, p. 182]}, P. P. Rozanov, Lieutenant Colonel V. I. Polushinsky (+ 11/13/1910), P. S. Rally (+ 02/16/1911), A. N. Yurenev (+ 06/14/1911), Archpriest A. V. Yanovsky (+ January 20, 1913), Archpriest M. M. Gastev and priest N. M. Cheredeev (+ January 4, 1913).

Throughout the entire existence of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, the number of full members with an annual contribution was insignificant. It varied from 2 people in 1896 to 1 person in 1916. An analysis of the annual reports of the Odessa department of the IPPO allows us to calculate the total number of full members with an annual contribution who left the local department from 1897 to 1916 (there were 13 people), and identify six reasons for their departure from the Society:

1. Relocation or transfer in the service – only 2 people: S. I. Polushkin – due to departure to St. Petersburg ^{[9, p. 178]}, Bishop Feodosiy of Elisavetgrad (Oltarzhevsky), moved to the Poltava diocese ^{[17, p. 254]};

2. Refusal of the title of member and payment of the membership fee for the previous time – only 2 people: E. F. Antsyferov ^{[15, p. 182]}, Archpriest S. S. Kozachinsky ^{[23, p. 4]};

3. Non–payment of membership fees for three years - only 2 people: S. M. Tertus and T. E. Nikitin ^{[20, p. 257]};

4. Unknown reasons – only 2 people: K. A. Lishin and priest A. L. Belikov ^{[25, p. 4]};

5. Death – only 2 people: S. I. Rally (+ August 28, 1902) ^{[14, p. 156]}, Archpriest A. Shenevsky, (+ July 10, 1904) ^{[16, p. 180]};

6. Election by the Board of the Company to the number of full life members – only 3 people: priest N. M. Cheredeev ^{[11, p. 335]}, priest I. A. Pravdolyubov ^{[17, p. 254]}, priest G. A. Rybalchenko ^{[22, p. 396]}.

The number of the most growth-resistant category of lifelong members-employees of the Society by the third year of the Odessa Department of the IPPO was 5 people, the maximum number of 32 people fell in 1912 and by 1916 it had decreased to 30 people. From 1897 to 1916, only 6 people dropped out of this membership category. Based on the same reports from the Odessa Department of the IPPO, we can only indicate two reasons for them, as in the case of lifelong full members:

1. Relocation or transfer by service – 1 person: A. I. Skorodinsky ^{[12, p. 158]};

2. Death – 5 people: priest A. A. Zhukovsky and N. F. Zhmailovich ^{[18, p. 285]}, Privy councilor G. G. Marazli (+ May 1, 1907) ^{[19, p. 182]}, Priest S. Vasyutinsky (+ 1910) ^{[22, p. 396]}, A.P. Aushev ^{[24, pp. 439-440]}.

The largest, but at the same time very unstable category of membership in the Odessa department of the IPPO were staff members with an annual fee. Starting from 15 people in 1896, their number reached its peak in 1904 and amounted to 59 people, the number of which by 1916 had decreased to 17 people. A total of 88 people dropped out of this membership category between 1897 and 1916 for eight reasons:

1. Election by the Council of the Society to full members for life – 2 people: Bishop Tikhon of Elisavetgrad (Moroshkin) ^{[7, p. 366]}, Bishop Anatoly of Elisavetgrad (Kamensky) ^{[22, p. 396]};

2. Refusal of the title of an employee member due to lack of funds - 3 people: I. D. Rokityanskaya and E. A. Dmitrenkova ^{[12, p. 158]}, M. T. Khudik ^{[13, p. 285]};

3. Transfer to full members with an annual fee – 4 people: priest N. M. Cheredeev ^{[10, p. 139]}, i.e. Nikitin ^{[15, p. 182]}, Bishop Feodosiy of Elisavetgrad (Oltarzhevsky), priest Iliodor Pravdolyubov ^{[16, p. 180]};

4. Unknown location, relocation or transfer – 6 people: D. V. Plakhotin and F. G. Kutsy ^{[12, p. 158]}, S. G. Chernoruk and G. Shcherbina ^{[13, p. 285]}, retired Major General Ya. I. Bunin ^{[14, p. 157]}, E. S. Zemlyanoi ^{[15, p. 182]};

5. Refusal of the title of a member-employee – 6 people: K. K. Tripolitov ^{[7, p. 366]}, L. V. Mikhailov ^{[11, p. 335]}, psalmist A.V. Stepanenko ^{[15, p. 182]}, P. Ya. Boyko and P. P. Karas ^{[16, p. 180]}, F. Chernov ^{[19, p. 181]};

6. Election to life members-employees – 8 people: Priest I. P. Korchinsky and E. I. Fesenko ^{[11, p. 335]}, V. A. Zuikov ^{[12, p. 158]}, priest A. A. Zhukovsky ^{[14, p. 156-157]}, priest V. I. Babura ^{[17, p. 254]}, Archpriest P. G. Torsky, Archpriest P. P. Kolosov and priest N. V. Kovalevsky ^{[19, p. 181]};

7. Death – 20 people: N. K. Panago (+ January 25, 1898) ^{[9, pp. 178-179]}, N. F. Krasnoseltsev (+ September 11, 1898), M. R. Shvedova (+ October 20, 1898) ^{[10, p. 139]}, A.M. Osinsky (+ December 1899) ^{[11, p. 335]}, D. D. Sanzharovsky (+ July 5, 1901) and A. A. Serikova (+ August 19, 1901) ^{[13, p. 285]}, S. S. Dyba (+ October 22, 1903) ^{[15, p. 182]}, K. M. Petrokokino (+ December 28, 1904) ^{[16, 180]}, Cathedral Archpriest E. K. Arnoldov, priests M. Ya. Kaminsky and A. Kostetsky, A. A. Uarov, A.M. Shamie ^{[17, p. 254]}, Bishop of Elisavetgrad Chrysanthus (Shchetkovsky), I. E. Biryukov, A. A. Kovalikova, D. G. Mikhailenkova ^{[18, p. 285]}, priest A. F. Dobrovolsky (+ 1908) ^{[20, p. 257]}, I. A. Tkachev ^{[25, p. 3]}, priest K. A. Kozlovsky ^{[26, p. 385]};

8. Non–payment of membership fees for three or more years - 39 people: G. G. Moskvich, M. V. Sobolev, L. L. Oprits, deacon K. G. Vasilkovskaya, priest S. Orlovsky, priest E. I. Ivanitsky and V. P. Maksimovich ^{[13, p. 285]}, A. I. Postarnakevich and V. I. Postarnakevich ^{[14, p. 157]}, V. V. Anisimov, M. M. Bondarenko, S. S. Miroshnichenko, I. S. Shkolny, P. I. Kirichenko, P. D. Davidenko, N. P. Serbin, A. K. Revva, K. S. Zaikin ^{[17, p. 254]}, I. P. Manuylenko and D. A. Akimenko ^{[18, p. 285]}, T. G. Shkolny, V. I. Chebotar, A.M. Gordovoy, priest F. A. Milyanovsky ^{[20, p. 257]}, priest M. Lebedev, priest D. Trekhbratsky, I. M. Bazarenko, I. E. Kaluzhsky and M. A. Vasyuk ^{[23, p. 4]}, Archimandrite A. G. Pefani, priest V. I. Korchinsky, priest D. Lubinsky, priest I. E. Zagardan, priest M. D. Duditsky, priest I. E. Timkovsky, A. I. Izyumova, A. N. Lazarev and S. S. Osipov ^{[24, p. 440]}, priest A. I. Artyushenko ^{[25, p. 3]}.

The study of the diagram and the reasons for the retirement of the members of the Odessa Department of the IPPO shows that the reduction in their number was primarily due to death and non-payment of membership fees for three or more years.

An interesting feature of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, despite the importance of Odessa in organizing pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Mount Athos, was a relatively small number of staff members with an annual fee. For example, the number of the same category of members in the Don department of the IPPO was 24 times higher at the beginning of the department's existence and 3 times by 1915. At the same time, the quantitative indicators of other categories of membership of the Odessa and Don departments did not have such a big difference and were approximately the same ^{[32, p. 78]}.

The analysis of the annual reports of the Odessa department of the IPPO allows us to study the financial side of its activities (Fig. 2). With approximately the same indicators of income and expenditure of the department, the annual balance of the amount that transferred to the balance of the next year at different times ranged from 5.94 rubles to 344.22 rubles. The maximum amount of income fell in 1901 and amounted to 7501.53 rubles, the second peak fell in 1903 – 7231.18 rubles. After the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and up to 1915, there was a decrease in the profitability of the Odessa department of the IPPO, against this background, a slight and short–term increase in indicators was observed only in 1907 – 5734.23 rubles, in 1910 – 4315.79 rubles and 1914 – 2985.33 rubles). The minimum value of the arrival of the Odessa department of the IPPO in 1915 was 2568.79 rubles.

The reasons for the decrease in profitability of the Odessa department of the IPPO are revealed by the analysis of the complex of sources of its arrival: 1) palm collection, 2) donations on receipts (including from various persons), 3) donations on collection sheets, 4) membership fees, 5) mug collection in favor of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, 6) mug collection during readings, 7) mug collection in favor of the Society, 8) sale of publications of the Society, 9) donations for shipment to the Holy Land and Mount Athos, 10) other donations, 11) transferable amounts.

Throughout the existence of the Odessa Department of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, the main source of its parish, as well as the whole Society, was the so–called palm fee - a monetary fee that was made in favor of the Orthodox natives of Palestine and worshippers (pilgrims) to the Holy Sepulchre "once a year in all churches of Russia, for all divine services on the great holiday, on the day of the Solemn entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)" ^{[6, p. 98]} (Fig. 3). The minimum percentage of the palm fee from the total amount of the parish in 1901 was 53.5% and did not exceed 89.8% in 1915. The maximum indicators of the palm fee known to us in relation to the parish (from 87.6 to 70.8%) were typical for the initial period of activity of the Odessa department of the IPPO, from 1896 to 1900 and the last years of the department's existence – from 1909 to 1915 (from 68.1 to 89.8%). Unfortunately, we know practically nothing about the state of affairs with the palm collection in the Kherson-Odessa diocese before 1898, except for the information that "comparing the amounts of collection by deaneries over the past 3-4 years, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that almost the same figures appear for each deanery annually, with very small differences from one year to another, and only two or three deaneries significantly and noticeably progress in increasing the collection annually" ^{[8, p. 144]}.

The diagram "Income of the Odessa department of the IPPO from the Palm harvest and other sources" (Fig. 3) clearly demonstrates that the growth and decline of the parish of the Odessa department of the IPPO were almost always associated with the same dynamics of the palm harvest, the decline of which with sporadic years of growth we can observe from 1896 to 1915.

In the official report for 1896, "various accidents" independent of the Department's activities were named as the reason for the reduction of this fee, the influence of which was beyond the power of competent persons ^{[8, p. 142]}. Indeed, the income from the palm collection made in 1899 exceeded similar fees over the past three years, which, according to official sources of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, "was facilitated by the arrangement of readings willingly attended by people who got acquainted with the goals and activities of the Society" ^{[11, p. 337]}. Subsequent events have shown the naivety of this point of view. Despite the increase in the number of readings, the figures for the palm collection continued to fall from year to year. The reasons for this were quite serious. For example, in 1900, "the population of the Kherson province experienced, on the occasion of the crop failure of the last three years, a blatant hopeless need that required extensive assistance not only from the Government, the Zemstvo, the Red Cross Society, but also from private benefactors who set up food points in various places to feed starving peasants..." ^{[12, p. 159]}.

They tried to compensate for the drop in income of the Odessa department of the IPPO, including the amount from the palm fee, by introducing a new circle fee in the churches of the Kherson diocese in November 1903 in favor of the Orthodox of Jerusalem and the Holy Land ^{[15, p. 183]}. The diagram "Other sources of income of the Odessa IPPO department" (Fig. 4) shows that from 1903 to 1911 this type of collection could bring at least 207.11 rubles to the department's cash desk, and at best – 814 rubles. However, as evidenced by the cumulative indicators of the revenue items of the department (Fig. 2), even this measure could not contain their decline. In 1904, "the shortage of bread experienced by the whole of Russia in general and the residents of the Kherson diocese in particular, and in some places even a complete crop failure, as well as the difficult time of the war with Japan, which caused a lot of fees for the needs of the war, under various names" ^{[16, p. 181]} led to another decrease in income. To stabilize the situation, an attempt was made in 1905 to organize a collection of 200 temporary subscription lists of a new sample, but despite the fact that he brought an additional 905 rubles 87 kopecks to the cash desk of the Odessa department of the IPPO ^{[17, pp. 257-258]}, radical changes for the better did not occur.

In 1906, the crop failure in the Volga provinces and the famine of the population of these provinces attracted the attention of the entire population of the empire, "putting aside all other fees for various national and local needs, which, in connection with the political and economic state experienced by the whole of Russia, including the Kherson diocese, on the occasion of strikes, agrarian unrest and riots" ^{[18, p. 286]} led to another decrease in the arrival of the Odessa department of the IPPO.

The widespread reduction of the plate collection on Palm Sunday caused the Council of the Society to issue circular proposal No. 2378 dated February 28, 1908, which recommended that all diocesan departments of the Society take measures to increase this collection. Their essence consisted in explaining in advance to Orthodox Christians the purposes and purpose of the palm gathering, delivering appropriate sermons on the eve of the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and on the day of the feast itself. This circular was communicated for information and guidance to the offices of the Episcopal houses in Odessa and Kherson, to the abbots and abbesses of monasteries, to the deans of the churches of the diocese, but in practice it never found application ^{[20, p. 260]}.

In 1909, in addition to the ordinary reasons for the reduction of fees in the form of undergrowth and crop failure, extraordinary ones were also mentioned: initiated by various underground agitators, "the defeat of not only rich landowner economies, but also large peasant farms, unrest among the peasant population that did not stop until recently, the closure of many factories and factories in cities, which deprived many thousands of people of daily earnings and turning them into the unemployed and extremely needy had a strong impact on the economic well-being of the population of the Kherson province, raising the prices of vital necessities incredibly increasing almost every day" ^{[20, p. 260]}. The decrease in palm fees was undoubtedly influenced by other numerous fees held at that time in all churches of Russia both for national needs and for the benefit of various private charitable institutions.

After 1910, in addition to reducing the amount of the palm fee, receipts for other items of the parish of the Odessa department of the IPPO also decreased significantly, as evidenced by the data from the diagram "Other sources of income of the Odessa Department of the IPPO" (Fig. 4). As noted in the report of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, at the same time in the Kherson diocese, as in some In other dioceses of the Russian Empire, with enormous success, unauthorized collections of funds were carried out for the needs of the Holy Land or poor monasteries and individuals who were going to renew an ancient destroyed monastery or temple, or build a new one. Such collections were made through numerous appeals from monasteries and individual clergy of the Holy Land and Mount Athos on illiterate printed and lithographed letters delivered to Russia in significant numbers by steamships from Jerusalem and Mount Athos. They were often accompanied by ready-made envelopes indicating the recipient in need. Often, self-appointed collectors were engaged in such collections under the guise of clergy of the Holy Land and Mount Athos ^{[21, p. 432]}.

In 1911, a decrease in income, by analogy with previous years, was associated with crop failures in recent years and people's lack of funds. The rectors of the churches of the Kherson diocese did not dare to hold meetings for the needs of Society during readings on the Holy Land, so as not to alienate the poor people from visiting them ^{[23, p. 5]}. According to official data, the further reduction of fees was facilitated by: a) the poverty of many parishes; b) continuous rains that did not allow harvesting from the fields in time; c) the burden of church parishes with various collections of donations in favor of other various Societies and institutions, to which was added a collection for the needs of the Balkan Allied armies. As in the previous year, the rectors of the churches of the Kherson diocese did not dare "to make collections for the needs of the Society during the readings on the Holy Land and limited themselves only to inviting feasible donations to the needs of the Society in the week of Communion" ^{[24, pp. 441-442]}.

In 1915, insignificant receipts to the Department of various amounts were explained by hard times and numerous fees for various needs of the war, a decrease in membership fees due to the impossibility for many members of the annual contribution of 10 rubles, as well as due to the withdrawal from circulation of the former collection sheets for the so-called "good donations", not replaced by the Society ^{[27, p. 335]}.

After reviewing the annual reports of the Odessa Department of the IPPO, the author of the publication came to the following conclusions:

1. The highest numerical strength of the department was achieved thanks to the support and popularity of its first members by 1905, after which its steady decline was observed. The following circumstances contributed to the latter: firstly, the banal non-payment of membership fees for more than three years – 41 people, and secondly, the passing away of representatives of the first generation of IOPS, during whose lifetime there was an active formation of Society, - 40 people. From 1897 to 1916, the total number of members of the Odessa department of the IPPO was 184 people.

2. The maximum economic viability at the regional level was achieved by 1901. From the beginning of the last century until the revolutionary upheavals that ended with the Bolsheviks coming to power, there was a gradual decline in the department's income. Russian Russian Federation's grain-growing regions, as well as domestic and foreign policy factors, such as the Russo-Japanese War, the First Russian Revolution, the Balkan Wars, the First World War, the Great Russian Revolution of 1917, became the main reason for such a negative scenario of economic development, according to official documents.