Prayer of St. Matrona mp

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the holy blessed old Matrona of Moscow. The relics of the old man are in the Pokrovsky Stauropegial Convent of Moscow. The abbess Feofaniya (Miskin) told about the relics of the saint, how the monastery was restored, and the abbot of the Moscow Patriarchate was told about the modern life of the monastery (see LMP, 2018, No. 3 ). - Back in the early 1990s, few people in Moscow heard of the blessed Matron of Moscow. Tell us, please, how did you find out about the old man yourself? - I learned about the fact that there is such an ascetic as early as in 1982. I just graduated from high school and faced the choice of my future life. The spiritual director of our family, Archimandrite Polycarp, was just transferred from the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery to the St. Daniel Monastery, which was the first of all Moscow monasteries to be transferred to the Church back in the Soviet era. In the monastery, where I went to confess to the priest, there was complete devastation, the restoration work on the preparations for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus had just started. Someone told me that an old lady was buried at Danilovsky Cemetery, which helps in different needs. It was difficult to find the grave - none of the visitors knew where it was. Only the beggars at the entrance to the temple and the flower sellers told me where Matron was buried. The grave was not completely abandoned, someone was courting her. I do not remember exactly what I was asking for, but even then the Matrona began to help me: she led me to many spiritually elderly people who solved my doubts. Soon I went to the monastery. - Tell us, how did it happen that it was in the Intercession Monastery that the relics of the old man settled down? - The monastery was revived as a female abode by the decision of the Holy Synod on November 24, 1994, and the decree about my appointment as abbess was signed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II on February 22, 1995. When I came from Diveevo to Moscow, I went to the grave to Matrona before the meeting with the Patriarch. After receiving from the Patriarch I was given documents and the Charter of the new monastery, not yet agreed with the Ministry of Justice. It was difficult to start everything from scratch - to prepare and coordinate our demands on the buildings and land of the former monastery. She hated the rapids of the archives, ordered certificates, so that there was a basis for settling in the monastery, because there were so many tenants there! And of course, she again went to Danilovskoe cemetery, prayed to Matrona that she would help manage all the affairs. Monastic premises then occupied a wide variety of organizations and companies, including the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, Posyltorg, construction organizations and banks. Tenants were over 40. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was worried about how I manage there, so sometimes I came in personally to check. Once he visited the monastery in early January 1998. Winter, on the territory of no one - the service has long since ended, the gates are all closed. His Holiness was alone, only with a subdeacon and a driver. They wanted to go through one gate, into others - everything is closed. We were still only preparing for the consecration of the Intercession Church, and the floors there were not yet fully laid. Two sisters were in the temple, closed there and read the rule. The Patriarch knocks at the window, and the sisters say: the temple is closed for cleaning, sorry. Did not recognize the Holy One! And how to know - they never saw him! At this time, I just returned from the Danilovsky cemetery, from Matrona. I did not know that the Primate in the monastery, went to her cell. After all, there were no mobile phones yet, I come - and I get a call from the city: "You have a patriarch in the territory, and where do you go?" I ran to the temple, my sisters say: "Take the blessing, this is the Patriarch in front of you!" And fell to the Holy One on his feet: "Forgive me, Your Holiness!" And he asks: "Where do you go on the weekends?" I immediately said, that was in the cemetery at Matrona, there goes so many people! And at us today only two people prayed, no one goes to the temple. I immediately began to tell how we watch the sisters and the grave, we are on duty, we feed people with tea and pies. The Patriarch then inspected the entire territory of the monastery, which we had already been given by that time, looked into every room vacated by tenants - everywhere not a soul, as if not Moscow at all. And about Matron Patriarch Alexy did not know anything, therefore I decided immediately, without delay, personally to go to the cemetery, to serve lithium. I took a censer, he had a homophore with him, and drove off. The Holy One served lithium, and we sang with a subdeacon. There were quite a lot of people in the cemetery, and at first people did not even understand that this Patriarch had come. After the liturgy, His Holiness continued to talk with the people for a long time, asking how the old man helped them. The Patriarch was very inspired by this trip. And I asked His Holiness, if possible, the remains of Matronushka to be transferred to our monastery, reburied. And immediately I submitted a petition, which was prepared in advance, personally into the hands of the Patriarch. After that, my sisters and I prayed to Matrona every night to bring her remains to our monastery. - And why the acquisition of relics was scheduled for March 8? - Such a decision and blessing was given personally by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. In early March, a week before the acquisition of the relics, I was informed that by March 8 it was necessary to prepare a cemetery, a commission would come to obtain relics. I did not say anything to anyone, not even to my sisters, and I went. With the administration of the cemetery, we agreed in advance that it should be closed at 5 pm. From 17 to 19 hours we all removed from the grave. The cross, which stood there, is now in our monastery, in the right side-chapel of the Intercession Church. The incoming commission included: Archbishop (now Metropolitan) of Istra Arseny , Archbishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky Alexy , then he was the governor of Novospassky Monastery , Archimandrite Alexy , the governor of Danilovsky Monastery , Archpriest Alexander Abramov , Archdeacon Roman and archaeologists. When they began to dig the earth, the archdeacon began to sing "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us." And the singing was picked up by the people, they sang without stopping, not hurrying up, quietly and reverently, until they found relics. I do not even know where so many people came from, because the cemetery was closed! There was such a grace! All the people stood with reverence, no one spoke. There was a feeling that everyone was waiting for some miracle. While we were digging, all the time it was snowing, very large, but there was no coldness at all-some warmth and joy was poured in the air. The next day the remains were transported to the Danilov Monastery. Archaeologists continued their work with them, and every day we served a funeral service ... It coincided that that year on March 8 was the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy - the first Sunday of Lent. Everything is God's business. Today thousands of people come to Matronushka, even very far from the Church. At first, sometimes, they simply ask for help in their everyday needs, and in the end it turns out that the Matron of all leads to the Orthodox faith, to the Church of Christ. Helps to establish family life, work, study. We have many such examples. - How did the canonization process go? Were there any difficulties? After all, the relics of the holy old man found in 1998, and canonized it in 1999? - When the remains of the blessed Matrona were brought to our monastery on May 1, 1998 at 12.30, the question naturally arose about including it as a saint. The descriptions of miracles that were necessary for a positive decision of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints were lacking. We began to collect stories about the help provided by the blessed Matrona, about the healing that happened on her prayers, recorded names and addresses. There were difficulties, but with God's help they passed all these tests. Patriarch Alexy II in April 1999 reported that the canonization of the blessed Matrona is scheduled for May 2 of the same year. It was such a joy that you just can not describe in words. On the day of canonization, so many people gathered, that the whole territory was filled with people, although nowhere did they give any announcements. It's been almost 20 years, but it seems to me that everything was just yesterday ... - For all these 20 years, as you have already mentioned, many people have experienced the efficacy of prayers to a blessed old man ... - Since the age of seven or eight, Matronushka has been given the gift of predicting and healing the sick. And from that time on, Matrona began her hard way of praying before God about people. And at the age of 17 her legs were cut off, she became completely disabled. How many sorrows had to be borne by her in her lifetime - only God knows. She was completely helpless, and her own brothers, who became Communists and told the Matrona: "You're in our way, because of you we can have problems," subsequently refused it. She lived by strangers. And then the good people helped her to go to Moscow. Of course, by the Providence of God all this was for Matrona - she could only rely on God and therefore pray very warmly. But the griefs of other people were close to her and understandable to her. And the Lord gave her spiritual vision, the gift of foresight and healing ... In life, up to 40 people a day came to her, with each one had to talk, comfort, and reassure. After the blessed death, the Lord granted the Matron a greater boldness. Today, look, thousands of people come to her relics, and she helps everyone. After all, there are young and old, with children, with babies. In all diseases, sorrows and disasters, and in families, in work, in court cases, before operations people come. And how many children were born by prayer to the righteous Matrona! - It is well known about the huge queues of those wishing to apply themselves to the relics of Saint Matrona, especially on holidays. Advise our readers when it is better to come to Pokrovsky Monastery. Are they available for prayer worship every day? "Matrona receives up to three thousand or more people every day, 8-10 thousand on Saturdays and Sundays, and even more in the days of Matrona's memory." On holidays we organize a charity meal for all parishioners: a field kitchen, tea with a bun. The monastery is open every day from 7 am to 8 pm, and on Sundays from 6 am. In the morning on Saturdays and Sundays there are especially many buses from the regions, people from 4 in the morning take turns. And so - from early spring to late autumn. Therefore, it takes a long time to stand, and, if possible, it is better to come on another day. For example, on weekdays in the evening, after 18-19 hours. At 20.00 we close the gates to the entrance, and those who are already on the territory, necessarily attach to the relics, even if the turn is still great. Happens, the last pilgrims leave in 22-23 hours. If the weather is good, people spend the whole day on the territory of the monastery - we have shops everywhere, there is a monastery refectory, a children's playground. In addition, for Matronushka holidays we are open all night: from 7 to 8 March, from 1 to 2 May, from 21 to 22 November, as well as to the main patronal feast - the Protection of the Blessed Virgin, from 13 to 14 October we do not close the gates of the monastery . Pilgrims can attach themselves to the relics, take communion in the early Liturgy, which is served at night, at 00.00. And the Liturgy is usually headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill or one of his vicars. Then for our parishioners - a double celebration. After all, the Patriarchal service is broadcast to the whole monastic territory, the Primate, going to the temple, blesses all pilgrims, speaks edifying and spiritual sermons. We are very grateful to His Holiness for the care and care of the Intercession monastery, for the fact that he always tries to choose time and pray together with all our parishioners. - You said that many pilgrims come from the regions. How to solve the issue of their placement? - By the numerous requests of the pilgrims, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, we began the restoration of the monastery hotel and the chapel with the prayer house. These buildings historically belonged to the complex of the monastery, but were demolished during the persecution of the Church. Since 2005 the documentation has been coordinated, and only at the end of 2012 we started construction work. July 23, 2015 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consecrated the new building of the monastery hotel, recreated by historical photographs. Thank God, now residents of other cities and countries wishing to worship the honest relics of the blessed old Matrona will be able to find a decent refuge in the new hotel. We created all the conditions, continuing the tradition of monastic hospitality. - Mother, please tell us about how the Pokrovskaya monastery lives today? Is everything restored? What other activities does the monastery have, except for the reception of pilgrims? - You can thank the Lord that for these years the monastery has been completely restored. In addition to the hotel, in a complex with the church of Peter and Fevronia, where the baptism and the wedding takes place, we have restored two churches, a belfry, hulls, walls and towers. Service in the monastery is done every day, morning and evening. Every day we receive a large number of correspondence, we answer all letters, many letters come from prisons. Every day the sisters conduct charity excursions for different groups. In our children's shelter, 40 children from disadvantaged families live and study. And the history of the orphanage is also connected with the blessed Matrona. At that time, we constantly prayed that Matrona "come" to us, that is, that her relics be moved to our monastery. Soon the first pupils began to be brought to the monastery, and I began to go to other orphanages, to see how to register a children's shelter legally. In 2004 we have issued all the documents. In addition, we have a large subsidiary farm in the village of Markovo, Ramensky district, a metochion in Moscow (a small temple of the Blessed Matrona at the Annino subway station) and a compound in the Trinity Lykov where the two churches are the Assumption of the Mother of God and the Life-Giving Trinity. An Orthodox gymnasium for 100 children has been opened in Troitsa-Lykiv. The economy, of course, is very large. It is necessary to be an abbess of the monastery, and the director of the gymnasium, and the builder, and the agronomist. But most importantly - to restore the souls of men, sisters and children, to receive the numerous pilgrims who come to the ¬monaster to apply themselves to the relics of the blessed Matrona. - How do you and the sisters of the monastery manage to combine obedience and prayer in the center of a huge city, with so many people? - All according to the prayers of the blessed Matrona, we love her so much! After all, she devoted her whole life to people, praying to God for our people. And strengthens us in monastic life. When there was still no relics, the monastery with great difficulty was just being restored, I prayed to her that she "came" to us with her holy relics. Then I did not even imagine what difficulties and problems I would have to face, only now, 20 years later, looking back at the past years, I began to understand. So we carry our obediences among the worldly vanity. Before the revolution, the monastery was missionary, here preachers were prepared for distant corners of the country. And today Matrona is our main missionary, and within the walls of the monastery there is a great miracle of finding the faith of Christ for thousands and thousands of people. Now more than 50 sisters perform a variety of obediences in the monastery. Our most important obedience is to receive people coming to the relics of the blessed. And people are all different, with their problems, their sorrows, all need to be comforted, a kind word to say. When you see how a person becomes easier in a temple, that he discovers a new world for himself - bright, tall, it is very joyful. People come to God, and we help them a little "get used" in the temple. Old scribes and nuns in our country are reading a sleepless Psalter - and this is also an uneasy obedience. "Praying for people is the blood of shedding," as the Monk Silouan of Athos said. We also try to serve our Lord with our feeble prayers, we ask for the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. And Matrona strengthens us, because she herself lived as a monk and has great boldness with the Lord.