Finding the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov miracle worker Brooklyn - Church.org

Finding the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov miracle worker  Orthodox life On August 1, the Holy Church celebrates the acquisition of the relics of our venerable and God-bearing father Seraphim, the miracle worker of Sarov. In 1903, the acquisition of the relics and the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov, took place 70 years after his death. Рака с мощами преподобного Серафима Саровского чудотворца Cancer with the relics of the prep. Serafima Sarovsky Just on the birthday of the saint on July 19 (August 1 on the new century), his relics were discovered with great triumph and placed in a cooked cancer. Father Seraphim said: “What a great joy will be! In the midst of the summer Easter will be sung, my joy! ”And it was like this: On the evening of July 30, 1991, at the Holy Gates of the Seraphim-Diveevo monastery, they met a procession with St. relics of prep. Seraphim At night, three Liturgies served, and the people who prayed in the temple, repeating after the sisters, sang the Easter Poems: “Easter is Red, Easter is Easter! Easter is every kind of food, Easter will come to us! With each other's joy we hug! Oh Easter! ” The long-awaited event was accompanied by many wonderful healings of the sick, in large numbers arrived in Sarov. Revered very widely during his lifetime, St. Seraphim becomes one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Russian people, as well as St. Sergius of Radonezh. The spiritual path of St. Seraphim is marked by the great modesty inherent in Russian saints. Since childhood, chosen by God, the devotee of Sarov without hesitation and doubt rises from strength to strength in his quest for spiritual perfection. Eight years of obedience works and eight years of church service in the rank of hierodeacon and hieromonk, desert breeding and pillar-making, the shutter and the silence replace each other and are crowned with old age. The exploits far surpassing the natural human possibilities (for example, prayer on a stone for a thousand days and nights) harmoniously and simply enter into the life of the saint. The mystery of living prayerful fellowship determines the spiritual heritage of St. Seraphim, but he left the Church one more wealth - brief, but excellent instructions, written in part by himself, and in part by those that heard them. St. Seraphim of Sarov St. Seraphim of Sarov Shortly before the glorification of the saint, the “ Conversation of St. Seraphim of Sarovsky about the purpose of the Christian life ” was found and published in 1903, which took place at the end of November 1831, a little over a year before his death. This conversation was the ascetic’s most precious contribution to the treasury of Russian patristic teaching. In addition to the doctrine of the essence of the Christian life, it contains a new explanation of many of the most important passages of Holy Scripture. “Fasting, prayer, vigilance and all other Christian matters,” the Rev. taught, “however good in themselves, but not in doing it alone, is the goal of our Christian life, although they serve as the means to achieve it. The true goal of our Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God . ” “The purpose of our life,” said the monk, “is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God . The main remedy for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit is prayer . Every virtue, for Christ’s sake, is for the good of the Holy Spirit, but prayer is the most. ” Once, being in the Spirit of God, the monk saw the whole Russian land, and it was filled and as if covered with the incense of the prayers of believers praying to the Lord. In the descriptions of the life and deeds of Saint Seraphim there are many testimonies of the grace-giving gift of insight, which he used to excite people of repentance of sins and moral correction. “The Lord revealed to me,” he said, “that there will be a time when the bishops of the Russian Land and other clergymen will avoid preserving Orthodoxy in all its purity, and for that the wrath of God will strike them. For three days I stood, asked the Lord to have mercy on them, and asked better to deprive me, poor Seraphim, of the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than punish them. But the Lord did not bow to the request of the wretched Seraphim and said that he would not have mercy on them, for they would teach the teachings and commandments of men, but their hearts would be far from Me. ” Presenting the grace-giving gifts and the power of God to the people, the Monk Seraphim instructed those who came to him how to walk the narrow path of salvation. He commanded obedience to his spiritual children and was faithful to him until the end of his life. обретение мощей Преподобного Серафима Саровского чудотворца Finding the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov the Miracle-worker After spending his whole life in exploits that were beyond the reach of ordinary people, he advised him to go along the patristic "royal (middle) way" and not take upon himself overly difficult acts: "he should not take any higher measure of feats; but to try so that our friend — our flesh — is faithful and capable of creating virtues. ” The monk considered prayer to be the most important feat and means to the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. "Every virtue, for the sake of doing Christ, gives the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but ... prayer brings the Spirit of God more than anything, and it is more convenient for everyone to correct." Rev. Seraphim advised to stand in the temple with eyes closed, then look at an image or a burning candle, and, expressing this idea, offered a perfect comparison of human life with a wax candle. If they complained to the holy elder about the impossibility of fulfilling the rule of prayer, then he advised to pray constantly: both during work, and walking somewhere, and even in bed. And if anyone has time, the Rev. said, let him add other religiously useful prayers and canons, akathists, psalms, the Gospel and the Apostle. He advised the saint to study the order of the Divine service and keep it in memory. Rev. Seraphim considered it unnecessary to have long prayer rules and his rule of Diveevo community gave an easy rule. Our Lady forbade Fr. Seraphim obliging novices to read long akathists, so as not to impose unnecessary burdens on the weak. But at the same time, the saint strictly reminded that the prayer should not be formal: “Those monks who do not connect external prayer with internal prayer are not monks, but black heads!” The Seraphimovo rule became famous for those lay people who, due to life circumstances, cannot read the usual morning and evening prayers: in the morning, before dinner and in the evening three times read “Our Father”, three times - “The Virgin of the Virgin, rejoice,” once “I Believe”; doing the necessary work, from morning to dinner, create the Jesus Prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me sinner” or simply “Lord, have mercy”, and from lunch to evening - “Holy Mother of God, save me sinful” or “Lord, Have mercy on me a sinner, Jesus Christ, the Mother of God. ” St. Seraphim of Sarov “Take care of yourself in prayers,” the ascetic advised, “that is, gather the mind and connect it with the soul. First day, two and more, do this prayer with one mind, separately, listening to each particular word. Then, when the Lord warms your heart with the warmth of His grace and unites it in you into one spirit: then the prayer will flow in you constantly and always will be with you, enjoying and nourishing you ... ”The monk said that, fulfilling this rule with humility, you can to attain Christian perfection in worldly life. “It is necessary to equip the soul with the Word of God. In total, more should be practiced in reading the New Testament and the Psalter. From this there is enlightenment in the mind, which is changed by the change of the Divine, ”the holy ascetic of Sarovskii instructed, himself constantly reading the entire New Testament during the week. Every Sunday and every feast of the Holy Communion, without sacrament, joining the Holy Mysteries, Reverend Seraphim asked how often to proceed with Communion, replied: "The more often, the better." To the priest of the Diveyevo community, Vasily Sadowski, he said: “The grace given to us by Communion is so great that no matter how unworthy and no matter how sinful a person is, but only in a humble tokmo consciousness of his sinfulness he started from the head to the feet of the sores covered with sores, and the grace of Christ will be cleansed, will brighten more and more, will brighten completely and be saved. " “I believe that by the great goodness of God, grace will also be marked on the communion of the communion ...” The saint, however, did not give everyone the same instructions regarding frequent communion. He advised many to go to all four posts and all the Great Feasts. It is necessary to remember his warning about the possibility of joining a condemnation: “Sometimes it happens like this: here on earth they are attached; but with the Lord remain unattached! ” Holy Seraphim: “The Earth Angel is a Heavenly Man” Holy Seraphim: “The Earth Angel is a Heavenly Man” “There is no worse sin and nothing is more terrible and more pernicious than the spirit of despondency,” said Saint Seraphim. He himself glowed with spiritual joy, and with this quiet, peaceful joy, he filled the hearts of those around him in abundance, greeting them with the words: “My joy! Christ is Risen!" Every burden of life became light near the devotee, and a multitude of people grieving and seeking God was constantly crowded around his cell and hermitage, wanting to partake of the grace pouring from the saint of God. In the eyes of all, the truth expressed by the saint himself in the great angelic exhortation was confirmed: "Bind the world, and thousands will be saved around you." This commandment of the acquiring of the world elevates to the doctrine of the acquiring of the Holy Spirit, but in itself is the most important step on the path of spiritual growth. Rev. Seraphim, who experienced the whole of the ancient Orthodox science of the ascetic feat, foresaw what the spiritual work of future generations would be, and taught to search for the peace of the soul and not condemn anyone: “Whoever goes about in a peaceful dispensation, draws spiritual gifts, as it were, to a liar”. "In order to preserve the peace of the soul ... in every way should avoid condemnation of others ... To get rid of condemnation, you should listen to yourself, do not accept extraneous thoughts from anyone and be dead to everything." Elder Seraphim of Sarov Elder Seraphim of Sarov St. Seraphim can rightly be called a disciple of the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin Mary thrice healed him from deadly diseases, repeatedly appeared to him, instructed and strengthened him. Even at the beginning of his journey, he heard the Mother of God, pointing to him, lying on the bed of his illness, said to the Apostle John the Theologian: "This is from our kind." Upon leaving the gate, the monk gave many forces to the dispensation of the girl’s monastic community in Diveyevo and said himself that he did not give any instructions from himself, he did everything according to the will of the Heavenly Queen. St. Seraphim stands at the beginning of the startling rise of Russian Orthodox spirituality. His reminder sounds with great force: “The Lord is looking for a heart filled with love for God and neighbor; here is the throne on which he loves to sit and be in fullness of his neglected glory. “Son, give Mi your heart,” He says, “and I will add all the rest to you,” for the Kingdom of God can fit in the human heart. ” And so, St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833) was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in the face of the saints on July 19 (the day of his birth) of 1903 with active participation and at the insistence of Tsar Nicholas II. On the report of the Holy Synod with the decision to glorify the Emperor wrote: "I read it with a feeling of true joy and deep emotion." All the Russian people, headed by the Sovereign, desired and waited for the glorification of the holy saint of God, and on July 19, 1903 it took place - in the presence of the Royal Family, with a huge crowd of people. About three hundred thousand people gathered at the celebrations in Sarov from all over Russia. It was accompanied by countless miracles and healings. The Sovereign and Grand Dukes, along with the bishops, carried the shrine with the holy relics, and all the people sang Easter during the summer. Vice-Rector of the Pskov Spiritual School, Priest Nikolai Egorov about the event of the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim: Обретение мощей преподобного Серафима Саровского, чудотворца Finding the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a miracle worker “ On August 1, in a new style, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the acquisition of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the day of the glorification of the holy saint of God . In 1903, 70 years after his death, the canonization of the Sarov elder took place. The Russian people gave much to the holy devotees from among themselves, but the Monk stands special, and the glorification of God's saint Seraphim of Sarov became one of the great and joyful events, because his prayer before the Throne of the Most High is strong. Elder Seraphim was revered by the Orthodox people during his lifetime, and Sovereign Nicholas II, now glorified, sharing the popular faith in the sanctity of the elder, raised the question of his canonization, which was not easy: almost all of the Holy Synod of the Church was against. Only at the request of the Emperor considered the issue of canonization of St.. Seraphim of Sarov, and on August 1, the elder Seraphim was glorified. Celebrations of glorification took place in Sarov, in the desert, in which old monk Seraphim performed his monastic feat, while the Imperial family was present at the glorification. Eyewitnesses describe this moment in the following way: “It’s time for the polyeleos, they sang“ Praise the Name of the Lord ”, all those present lit candles, the clergy made triple prostrations, Metropolitan Anthony opened the coffin, and all those who were in the church knelt - the minute of glorification of St. Seraphim came. Triumphant and touching, shaking the soul, sounded greatness: "We appease thee, Rev. Father Seraphim." St. Seraphim of Sarov St. Seraphim of Sarov Later, in connection with the events connected with 1917, it turned out that the relics were opened in accordance with the special provision on the liquidation of holy relics developed in 1920 and taken out of Sarov, their trail was lost. At the triumph of the second finding of the holy relics of Seraphim of Sarov in 1991, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II said that, as it became clear, the relics were closed by someone else's pious hands, and no one was listed in any records, nobody knew about them. The monk predicted that in the middle of the summer they would sing Easter, as it was: when the relics arrived at the Diveyevo monastery in 1991 on July 30, they were greeted with Easter chants, and the sun, as eyewitnesses say, began to play Easter. There was a special solemn joy and experience of the old man returning to his native land. At the time of the first and second acquisition of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, healings took place, and everything was filled with wonderful events. The glorification of the saint is always a testimony to the world that the way of moral ascent from strength to strength is open to each of us, and the Rev. the Elder showed this path. For our time, when there are very few examples in modern life, it is necessary to know more about the life of the saints in order to be equal and inspired. Not only do holy devotees intercede with the Lord for people, but they also need to learn the true life.

The Primate of the Russian Church met with Russian nuclear scientists in Sarov

The Primate of the Russian Church met with Russian nuclear scientists in Sarov Предстоятель Русской Церкви встретился в Сарове с российскими учеными-ядерщиками print version July 31, 2019 21:54 On July 31, 2019, in the large hall of the House of Scientists of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics (RFNC-VNIIEF), a meeting of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill took place on the theme “Building a New Reality” : advanced technology and spiritual renewal. " The meeting was attended by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky , head of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Astra , Chief Executive Officer of the Serafim Sarovsky Charitable Foundation, Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Georgy , Metropolitan of Saransk and Mordovia, Zinovy , Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Department of Church Relations with Society and the Media V.R. Legoida The event was attended by representatives of government, the scientific community and the public, in particular: Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Volga Federal District I.A. Komarov, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region G.S. Nikitin, Director of RFNC-VNIIEF V.E. Kostyukov, Honorary Scientific Director of RFNC-VNIIEF R.I. Ilkayev, as well as the head of the Federal Treasury R.Ye. Artyukhin, Scientific Director of the Research Institute of System Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences VB Betelin, Director for Communications and International Relations of RFNC-VNIIEF O.S. Vorontsova, Executive Director of the St. Seraphim Sarovsky Charitable Foundation S.V. Gabestro, General Designer for Laser Systems - RFNC-VNIIEF Deputy Director for Laser Physics, Director of the Institute for Laser Physics Research (ILFI), Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.G. Garanin, head of the administration of the city of Sarov A.V. V. Golubev, Director General of Lukoil-Centrnefteprodukt LLC V.P. Dmitriev, Rector of Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after R.Е. Alekseeva ”S.M. Dmitriev, director of the Institute of Nuclear and Radiation Physics (INP) N.V. Zavyalov, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation A.Yu. Ivanov, the rector of the Volga Research Medical University N.N. Karyakin, Deputy Chairman of the State Development Corporation VEB RF, A.N. V. Klepach, Chairman of the Coordination Council of the branches of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in the Volga Federal District V.V. Klochai, head of the FAA Glavgosexpertiza of Russia, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Bar Association I.Ye. Manylov, First Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation T.G. Nesterenko, Development Director of the RPS of Rosatom State Corporation S.A. Obozov, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District I.V. Panshin, Rector of Moscow State University; Lomonosov, academician of RAS, vice-president of RAS V.A. Sadovnichy, First Vice-Rector - Vice-Rector for Economic and Innovative Development, NI Nizhny Novgorod State University Lobachevsky V.V. Saigin, Director of the Research and Production Center for Physics (NPTSF), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.D. Selemir, Director of the Management Company of the Management Company of the Sarov-Diveevo Cluster E.I. Skopenko, President, NI Nizhny Novgorod State University Lobachevsky - Vice-President of the Russian Union of Rectors R.G. Strongin, head of the city of Sarov A.M. Tikhonov, Counselor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Energy, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics and Control Processes of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Scientific Director of the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.E. Fortov, General Director, Varton Group of Companies D.V. Frolov, Deputy Scientific Head of RFNC-VNIIEF for Test Technologies - Head of the Scientific Research Institute of Nuclear Research A.K. Chernyshev, employees of RFNC-VNIIEF, members of the public organization “Sarovsky Spiritual and Scientific Center”, teachers of Nizhny Novgorod universities. The meeting was conducted by the Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Georgy and the honorary supervisor of RFNC-VNIIEF R.I. Ilkaev. In his opening remarks, Metropolitan George, in particular, said: “On the Sarov land, where the Russian Federal Nuclear Center and the Holy Assumption Sarov Hermitage adjoin, in recent years there has been a good tradition of fruitful dialogue and cooperation between representatives of Russian science and the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church. Discussions on issues related to national security, strategic stability, and the spiritual foundations of the modern state of society are regularly organized at the site of the Sarovsky Spiritual and Scientific Center. Here there are venerable scientists, representatives of the clergy, government and church leaders, politicians and young scientists. The rapidly changing world, in which completely new technical capabilities are emerging, increasingly poses public moral responsibility for the consequences of using the latest technologies. With the increasing risks of abuse of the fruits of scientific advances, it becomes necessary to seek remedies for increasing threats directed both at the individual and at the entire state. Appeal to the Orthodox spiritual and moral tradition allows many to find out for themselves the fundamentally important aspects of Christian anthropology, without the knowledge of which it is difficult to establish the correct moral guidelines in the search for solutions to this problem. Three years ago, on August 1, 2016, in connection with the solemn laying of a stone in the foundation of the Assumption Cathedral of the Sarov desert, you, Your Holiness, met here with the participants of our spiritual and scientific center - Nizhny Novgorod scientists. This meeting had a great response. The issues raised on it were discussed later in the student environment, at various discussion platforms of universities. Today, on the day of the consecration of the Assumption Cathedral of the Sarov desert, July 31, 2019, we gathered here to discuss the topic "Building a new reality: advanced technologies and spiritual renewal." Its urgency is undoubted. A conciliar discussion of these issues will indeed serve the good of our Fatherland. ” Then, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill made a keynote speech on the meeting. Then, during the meeting, the following presentations were made: Honorary Scientific Director of RFNC-VNIIEF R.I. Ilkayev, Rector of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, academician of RAS, vice-president of RAS V.A. Sadovnichy, Scientific Director of the Research Institute of System Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences VB Betelin. In his speech, the rector of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosova V.A. Sadovnichy touched those challenges that face humanity today. These are the risks associated with the development of digital technologies, in particular, the danger of the so-called digital dictatorship, the issue of personal data security, globalization, the development of artificial intelligence, environmental problems, and so on. “The theme of our meeting puts a number of advanced technologies and spirituality renewal,” said V.A. The gardener. “To overcome the global crisis of morality, the onset of mass culture, the devastating effects of the“ digital dictatorship, ”a full-fledged humanitarian education is needed.” “The Russian language, the history of our country, cultural, historical, spiritual and moral traditions - all this, in your words, Your Holiness, relates to the humanitarian dimension of life and the individual, society and state. And all this constitutes our national self-consciousness, which must resist the destructive influence of globalization, ”the rector of Moscow State University added. “Your Holiness, the Society of Russian Literature, headed by you, can play a big role in this,” said V.A. Sadovnichy reported that in November, the second congress of the Society of Russian Literature is planned to be held at Moscow State University. Then a discussion took place, during which the adviser of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician-secretary of the Department of Energy, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics and Control Processes of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.E. Forts and cardiovascular surgeon of the City Clinical Hospital No. 5 of Nizhny Novgorod A.V. Nikolsky. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill summed up the meeting in closing remarks. “I would like to sincerely thank all those who spoke. Wonderful performances, I recorded a lot for myself. Let me summarize everything that we talked about exclusively from a religious point of view, ”said His Holiness. “What really worries me in this whole story with a digital civilization? .. What is the ultimate danger of all this? The fact that the current means of communication and not only means of communication, but in general digital civilization is able to limit human freedom as much as possible without creating any discomfort. A person may not even notice that his freedom is limited, ”said the Primate, noting that information about their owners can be collected through many user devices without their knowledge. According to His Holiness, the danger of restriction of freedom in the conditions of digital civilization is greatly increased, and the methods of realizing this threat are greatly simplified, for example, in the case of electronic means of payment. “Having received a bank card, you lose complete freedom, because at any time the card can be blocked - not because there is not enough money, but because someone needs to close your bank card for ideological, political or some other reasons” - added Holy Master. “The more we rely on all these digital technologies, the more we endanger our freedom in the first place. Strictly speaking, the protest of many Orthodox believers is based on this against the introduction of electronic methods, which are now used in collecting statistical data, etc., ”explained the Primate of the Russian Church. “The church is concerned about man, his life and, perhaps, one of the most important dimensions of human life - human freedom,” said His Holiness the Patriarch. “We should not buy into any toys, including digital ones, so that at some point we don’t become slaves to this technological civilization, whose control center will not be our sovereign country.” “May God bless all of us to work in order to strengthen our national self-consciousness. We will work to strengthen the Orthodox faith, ”concluded His Holiness Vladyka, thanking the scientists for the opportunity for dialogue, cooperation and interaction. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill donated his books to the library of the House of Scientists: “Think about the future of mankind” (Moscow, Moscow Patriarchate Publishing House, 2018), “Dialogue with history” (Moscow, 2019) and “Sermons for the Year 2017” (Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2018).

Celebrations on the occasion of the 365th anniversary of the death of the Reverend Leonid Ustnedumsky took place in the Diocese of Yaran

Celebrations on the occasion of the 365th anniversary of the death of the Reverend Leonid Ustnedumsky took place in the Diocese of Yaran В Яранской епархии прошли торжества по случаю 365-летия преставления преподобного Леонида Устьнедумского print version July 31, 2019 13:40 On July 30, 2019, on the Day of Remembrance of St. Leonid of Ustnedumsky (1654), the Church of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos of the village of Ozero, Luzsky District, Kirov Region, was held on the occasion of the 365th anniversary of the repose of the saint. Divine liturgy was led by the Bishop of Iran and Luz Paisius . His Grace was served by the dean of the Northern District of the Iranian Diocese , the rector of the Vvedensky Church, Archimandrite Vladimir (Dyachenko), hieromonk David (Siver), the clergy of the Northern Deanery and guests from other dioceses in holy orders. A representative of the governor of the Kirov region, the head of the ethno-confessional relations department of the Ministry of internal and information policy of the Kirov region A.Yu. attended the service. Berezin. Residents of Luza, as well as pilgrims from Kirov, Vologda, Nizhny Novgorod and other regions of Russia, gathered to commemorate the memory of the saint and worship his relics, found on March 17, 2018. At the small entrance, Bishop Paisy awarded priest Maxim Sherstkov and cleric of Vvedensky church in the village of Lake Priest Mikhail Voitsheshko to the abbot of the church of the faithful prince Alexander Nevsky of the village of Oparino, Kirov region. The sermon before communion was delivered by priest Maxim Sherstkov, who spoke about the tradition of honoring the holy relics of God's saints. At the end of the Liturgy, Vladyka Paisii celebrated Reverend Leonid, then congratulated the clergy and laity on the day of the memory of Ustnedumi wonderworker and, in particular, said: we can attach ourselves to this shrine. The Monk Leonid, at the behest of the Mother of God, came to this deaf and wild region, consecrated it with his exploits and founded a monastery here. He put a lot of effort to drain the swamps that repeatedly flooded the monastery. The monastery has not survived to the present day, but until now everyone can see the river Nedum dug out by the monk’s hands. Let us remember that we are the spiritual heirs of the monk and must continue his work, testifying of faith in Christ by the life of the gospel. ” In memory of the discovery of the relics of St. Leonid, Bishop Paisius presented a church with an altar cross. Then the bishop handed the bishop diplomas and letters of thanks to the philanthropists and parishioners of the church who take an active part in the life of the parish. The believers were also congratulated by A.Yu. Berezin and the head of the Luzsky District, D.V. Orlov. Archimandrite Vladimir thanked Vladyka Paisiy for the joy of joint prayer and presented Panagia as a gift to His Eminence as a gift to the memory of the congregational divine service. At the end of the celebrations, a festive meal was organized for all participants in the church service.

In St. Petersburg, the first day of the round table “Worship and prayer as the focus of life of monastic brotherhood” ended

In St. Petersburg, the first day of the round table “Worship and prayer as the focus of life of monastic brotherhood” ended В Санкт-Петербурге завершился первый день работы круглого стола «Богослужение и молитва как средоточие жизни монашеского братства» print version July 25, 2019 12:03 July 24, 2019 in the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent of St. Petersburg began the work of the round table "Worship and prayer as the center of the life of monastic brotherhood." With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, monastic dioceses located in the North-West Federal District, as well as members of the board of the Synodal Department of Monasteries and Monasticism, take part in the event. The organizers of the round table were the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, the Commission of the Inter-Council Assembly on the organization of the life of monasteries and monasticism, the Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery of St. Petersburg. Before the start of the forum, the Divine Liturgy was held at the Resurrection Cathedral of the Novodevichy Monastery, which was headed by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofy . The Presidium of the meeting attended: Bishop of Tikhvin and Mordovia ; of the monastery of St. Petersburg, secretary of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence on the organization of the life of the monasteries and monastics Abbess of Sofia ( Ileana), prioress of St. Alexander Nevsky Novo-Tikhvin monastery of Yekaterinburg Abbess Domnica (Korobeinikova). The opening speech of Metropolitan Varsonofy was announced by the bishop of Peterhof of Silvan. In his address to the monastics, the head of the St. Petersburg Metropolis recalled the importance of prayer for those who chose the monastic way, noting that church and cell prayer, as well as obedience assigned to each monastery inhabitant, should be sufficient for both time and effort. monastic feat. The prayer rule of the monk is a liturgical continuation of the church service, but it must correspond to the spiritual dispensation of man and intensify as he grows as a monk. In conclusion, the bishop wished the participants of the round table fruitful work. Then the Bishop of Peterhof Silouan presented the report "Divine services of the diurnal circle as the main" environment-forming "factor of monastic life." Vladyka recalled the history of the establishment of the rule on the performance of monastic prayers, dating back to the statute of St. Pachomius the Great (IV century). The life of the monastics was already fully regulated and ordered, first of all, by the divine services of the diurnal circle, moreover, that at about the same time there was a mandatory cell rule. “The gradual formation of the rites of the services of the daily circle found an ever more vivid and detailed display in the monastic statutes,” said the speaker. Participation in worship was closely associated with a certain obedience of the monks: for example, according to the statute of the Monk Theodore the Studite, the Psalter in the service did not participate in those who still had to study this holy book. It is characteristic that for the ancient Russian monastic hostel monasteries the obligatory participation of monastics in the services of the daily circle was so self-evident that it was not even necessary to specifically reflect this in the statute. In the XIX century, the implementation of labor, economic obedience already allows the brethren, with the blessing, to skip part of the services. “Participation in worship disciplines and strengthens the monastic brotherhood, the harmonious distribution of time between obedience and prayer at the services of the daily circle saves the monk's life from dangerous extremes,” Bishop Silouan summed up his speech. Metropolitan of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogorsky Daniel continued the theme of the significance of worship in the development and improvement of the life of monastic communities in the report “On the internal preparation for worship”. The report of Vladyka was read by Hegumen Varlaam (Dulsky), the head of the department for monasteries and monasticism of the Archangel Diocese. Vladyka Daniel drew the attention of the round table participants to two main groups of problems related to the preparation of the priest-in-law for worship. The first problem is “too everyday, automatic administration of worship”. Monastic services should serve as a model for all. In order to achieve this, the brethren of monasteries undergoing formation must have the opportunity to visit other monasteries, where there is a tradition, and to participate in exemplary services, where, in fact, "the spiritualization of the divine service is proceeding with a Christian spirit." “The service must be“ internally warmed ”- this allows the brethren to feel their unity in Christ,” the lord emphasized. Thanks to the efforts that the Synodal department of monasteries and monasticism makes, the situation of the closure of monasteries begins to change gradually. But having no such live communion, in monasteries they practically do not know what the Orthodox monasticism lives in the world, and even in other dioceses. It is very important that bishops, hegumen and abbess will invite people with significant spiritual experience to the monastery who, in conversations with the inhabitants, could “warm the heat and desire to participate in the service,” said Metropolitan Daniel. The second problem is internal disorders that prevent the monk from treating service as the central business of his life. Vladyka called among them the neglect of psychological compatibility in establishing the liturgical sequence and the appointment of co-workers; inattention to the physical condition of the cleric, sometimes overloaded with heavy obedience on the days of the services and not having the opportunity to internally prepare. The preparation itself must necessarily include an immersion in the spiritual sense of what is happening, as well as a competently set up confession, since it is no secret that many religious people in holy orders do not confess for years. This is connected with the formation in the monastic community of a climate of trust in each other. The last thing Vladyka Daniel dwelt on was the importance for the unservice brethren to take communion with the daily circle as often as possible for the Liturgies. Abbot Peter (Mazhetov), ​​rector of the Kosminsky desert of the Serov diocese, devoted his speech “On the upbringing of liturgical culture or on increasing knowledge of the Liturgy as the Sacrament of the Kingdom” to reflect that the Liturgy is a manifestation of Christ. Praying enter into fellowship with Him and are not spectators, but participants in the Sacrament. For the monks, the Liturgy is the prayer-opening of the Sacrament. In private, a monk sacrifices himself to Christ in order to grasp the heart of the sacrifice that the Savior made for man. Father Peter drew the attention of the audience to aspects relating to the sacrifice of the monks, which are consonant with the Beatitudes. By his monastic ministry - obedience, by cutting off the will - a monk in the course of the day in fact pretends to himself the right to sacrifice himself in Christ (blessed are the poor in spirit ... weeping and meek). But it is not enough to have the right, one must also desire to be sacrificed (blessed are those who hunger and thirst for truth). However, a person is almost always satiated with something — the joys of monastic life or work — and is rarely hungry, but that is why he has no strength for prayer. According to the thought of Father Peter, it is very important for a monk to leave the heart to those who are hungry for God-communion, not to let him get fed up with the worries and joys of the day. After all, if a person is not thirsty, he does not have the ability to strain for the sake of attentive prayer or bowing. Desire begets ability, and one must be able to thirst for Divine truth, to desire Christ Himself in prayer. The next aspect, considered by the speaker, is connected with the understanding of what sacrifice in prayer is. The Holy Fathers said a lot about attentive prayer. The ability to pray without thoughts, dreams and fantasies helps a person to feel that he is pardoned after asking "Lord, have mercy." Thoughts drift away, and the heart experiences a state of bliss - blissful are the pure in heart. Another important point in comprehending the interpenetration of the Sacrifice of Christ in the Liturgy and the sacrifice of a monk is determination. The Lord asked each of the monastics in his time: “Will you drink the cup that I drink?” And the one who became a monk answered it in the affirmative. This determination inevitably elevates a person to the top of the Commandments of Bliss, and he begins to understand what peacemakers are blissful about, comprehending the world within and around themselves. Having experienced a feeling of closeness with God, one experiences an internal readiness to be expelled for truth or to go through reproach from one’s neighbors. All this allows the monk to discover for himself the Mystery of the Eucharist, but often he cannot reciprocate Christ because his heart is cold and his mind is distracted. He cannot confess his love of God in the same way as God confesses his love to man. Christ waits for man every day, but man comes to Him once a week and often only to ask for something. Summarizing what was said, the abbot of the Kosminsky desert emphasized the main idea that the monastics should live differently. According to the speaker, the monks are the closest relatives of Christ, and if you create proper living conditions in the monastery, the soul of each inhabitant will be able to fulfill the commandments of bliss in due time and enjoy the communion with God. This is what should be promoted by monastic life, private rule and the Divine Liturgy. After the presentations, the roundtable participants asked questions to the speakers. In the afternoon, the discussion of questions of monastic life continued in the format of a discussion on the topic "Features of monastic worship: practical aspects." The Presidium was attended by the Bishop of Solnechnogorsky Alexy, the chief of the Smolensk monastery of the Holy Cross. Abbess Antony (Minin) of the monastery , the abbess of Polotsk Savior-Euphrosinievsky Stavropegic Convent abjects Evdokia (Levshuk). In their reports, the speakers examined issues relating to the modern practice of committing the daily liturgical circle and the Liturgy, special liturgical offices and their place in the life of the monasteries, told about the peculiarities of the charters of their monasteries and the traditions that were monitored by the participants of the round table today. During the discussion, the participants shared the positive experience of the formation of monastic communities and made a number of proposals concerning the development of modern monastic life. At the end of the meeting, Bishop Alexy headed the litia at the grave of the founder of the St. Vladimir School, the chief procurator of the Holy Synod (1880-1905), K.P. Pobedonostsev. On the first day of the forum, its participants also made a pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity Sergius Primorskaya male deserts, widely known for the fact that for twenty-four years, its prior was St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). The inhabitant of the monastery, hieromonk Filaret (Konoplev), conducted a tour of the territory of the monastery and introduced pilgrims to its history. Then they visited the Trinity Cathedral - the first basilica in Russia, built by the successor of St. Ignatius, Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev; † May 29, 1897). The participants of the round table were received by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Nikolai (Paramonov). On July 25, the round table “Worship and prayer as the center of life of the monastic brotherhood” continued its work.

The temples of the Pskov school of architecture are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List

The temples of the Pskov school of architecture are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List Храмы ​псковской архитектурной школы включены в список Всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО print version July 9, 2019 13:07 The temples of the Pskov school of architecture were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 43rd session of the Committee in Baku, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the press service of the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage. D.S. Likhachev. New objects were included in the list according to the IV criterion, which is formulated as follows: "The object is an outstanding example of a structure, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape, which illustrate a significant period of human history." “Churches and cathedrals are integrated into the environment through gardens located along the perimeter of walls and fences. Inspired by the Byzantine and Novgorod traditions, the Pskov school of architecture reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries and was one of the foremost schools in the country. It influenced the evolution of Russian architecture over the course of five centuries, ”the description of the monuments of the Pskov architectural school presented on the UNESCO website says . The UNESCO list includes 12 sites located in Pskov: The Pokrovskaya Tower of the Okolny town of the Pskov Fortress (built by the Pskov masons in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, was repeatedly renovated in the 17th century); The rattle tower of the Okolniy town (Pskov’s highest stone tower); the ensemble of the Pskov Kremlin - Trinity Cathedral with a bell tower; the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral; Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery (XII century); the Church of the Archangel Michael with a bell tower (XIV century); the Church of the Intercession and Nativity of the Virgin from Prolom (the Intercession of Prolom, the Intercession in the Corner, 15th-16th centuries); church of sv. George from the Importation (1494); the Church of the Epiphany with a bell tower (1489); the church of Nikola with Usohi (XVI century); Old Ascension Church (XV century); Basil's Church on the Hill (Church of St. Basil the Great, 15th century). Another architectural object that added to the World Heritage list, although included in the group of monuments of the Pskov architectural school, is geographically located far from Pskov. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in s. Behovo, Zaoksky district, Tula region was built in 1904-1906. by sketches by Russian artist V.D. Polenova, embodied in his project an ideal model of the Pskov architecture. The artist managed to combine ancient principles with modern architectural elements. "The inclusion of the serial cultural heritage site" Temples of the Pskov Architectural School "on the UNESCO World Heritage List is an important milestone in the activities of the Heritage Institute, as this is the first nomination prepared by the Heritage Institute included in the prestigious international list," the press service noted. Work on the concept of nomination has been conducted since 2015, the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects of the Pskov Region and, later, the Likhachev Russian Cultural and Natural Heritage Research Institute participated in it. At the moment, the institute continues to work on nomination documentation for cultural heritage sites, in particular, for the objects “Kenozerye Commandment”, “Petroglyphs of Lake Onego and the White Sea”, as well as “Monuments of Chukotka's marine Arctic hunters”.

Meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with President of the Evangelical Association Billy Graham

Meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with President of the Evangelical Association Billy Graham March 5, 2019 On March 5, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with President of the Evangelical Association Billy Graham William Franklin Graham at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow. The meeting was attended by the Vice-President of the Evangelical Association of Billy Graham Victor Gamm. From the side of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, DECR Chairman Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk and Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the DECR, participated in the meeting. Welcoming the guest, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church mentioned the previous meeting held in October 2015. “The world has changed a lot during this time, it’s impossible to say that it is for the better,” Patriarch Kirill stated with regret. “I think the more difficult the relations, including between our countries, become, the more responsibility lies with Christians to change the world for the better.” Christians have such potential and it should be realized especially when it becomes difficult. ” His Holiness Vladyka also noted that the father of Franklin Graham, the founder of the Evangelical Association Billy Graham, came to Russia in Soviet times, when the relations between the USSR and the USA experienced a difficult period. “Dr. Billy Graham was a friend of the Russian Orthodox Church. We keep a very good memory of him. We once again express our condolences to you on his death, ”said His Holiness, addressing his son. “Yesterday you visited our General Church Graduate School , where a round table was held on the peacekeeping role of Christians in today's global and regional conflicts,” continued His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, reiterating that the more complex the political context, the more responsibility believers must assume taking an active position, participating in the life of society and seeking change for the better. “Once again I want to recall the difficult years of the Cold War, when it was possible to reverse the situation, including with the active participation of the Christians of the East and the West — the Soviet Union and the United States. Therefore, I believe that now is the right time to unite our efforts in the field of peacemaking, ”said His Holiness. In the course of the conversation, His Holiness Patriarch touched upon the problem of spiritual and moral values ​​of modern society, which cannot but disturb Christians. According to his testimony, in the 20th century, during the years of the “cold war,” it was “concern for the moral state of society” that was one of the important factors that contributed to the establishment of good relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Western Christian world. “The commitment to a Christian understanding of marriage, family, and the sacred life of a person from the moment of conception is such a principled and consistent position, shared by the Evangelical Billy Graham Association and you personally, evokes the unwavering support of the Russian Orthodox Church,” said the Primate. The moral component must always lie at the basis of human existence, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expressed confidence. According to His Holiness, the struggle for the integrity of the human person is now a strong challenge for Christians. “But, unfortunately, Christians are divided on these issues. Therefore, it is so important to those Christians who have a principled agreement in understanding how these problems should be solved, create a system of cooperation and interaction, ”said His Holiness. His Holiness Patriarch also noted with regret that one of the main problems of the Russian society, which the Russian Orthodox Church is now actively engaged in, is the problem of abortions. “In 2016, we initiated the collection of signatures with the requirement to remove abortions from the compulsory health insurance system. It turns out that people who disagree with abortions, of which there are a lot of them, support the payment of these procedures with their taxes. This petition was signed by more than a million people in our country, ”said His Holiness. According to the Primate, the Russian Orthodox Church today actively supports all measures to reduce the number of abortions in our country: “Representatives of our Church act as counselors in those institutions where women turn to have abortions. And where possible, our counselors (in most cases, women) meet with women who want an abortion before they make the final decision. ” The Primate of the Russian Church also noted that one of the most frequent reasons pushing many young women to an abortion is the lack of support, and not only financial, but primarily moral, when, for example, parents insist on abortion if conception occurred. out of wedlock “Therefore, I call upon the episcopate of our Church not only to fight abortion verbally, but also to help improve the living conditions for women who, under the influence of our services, refuse to have abortions,” said His Holiness. - I suggested to our bishops to organize in the dioceses shelters for women who literally have nowhere to go after they have given birth to a child, or they have a place to go, but they run the risk of being strongly criticized by their relatives. For this category of women, we open church shelters so that they can live with us for as long as they want - a week, two, three, a month or even more. Then we try to help them find a job and get the opportunity to support themselves and their child financially. Most of our dioceses already have such shelters. ” Patriarch Kirill gratefully referred to the joint work of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Association Billy Graham to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees from Ukraine: “In 2015, we carried out a joint project to deliver humanitarian aid to people affected by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Then a large number of humanitarian kits were received, which we distributed to the needy. ” The head of the Russian Orthodox Church also thanked Franklin Graham for organizing the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians, held in 2017 in Washington. “Like my meeting with Pope Francis in February 2016, the Summit attracted world attention to the problem of persecution of Christians,” said His Holiness. Patriarch Kirill spoke about the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria: “In April 2017, by my blessing, the Inter-religious working group was established to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, which included both Christians and Muslims in our country. Help is distributed in churches and mosques jointly by Christians and Muslims of Syria and Russia. ” “Our Church also launched an initiative to help children affected by the hostilities in Syria. An expert group of Russian doctors visited refugee camps in Lebanon, examined children and a large number of children from Syrian families, especially orphans, were taken for treatment in Russia, ”the Holy Lord noted. According to His Holiness, during the time that the Russian Orthodox Church works in the Syrian sector, it has accumulated a unique experience of trusting relations with all representatives of the Syrian state and the Russian military in Syria, which allows for the most targeted and effective humanitarian activities. Patriarch Kirill also expressed confidence that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Association Billy Graham, who has vast experience in helping Christians in different regions of the world, could later unite efforts and start implementing joint projects in the Middle East. “There are many places in the world where people suffer. This is a challenge to our Christian conscience. And where necessary, we should unite our efforts in order to bring people peace and tranquility, to render assistance to those who suffer, ”concluded the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In turn, U.F. Graham thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for the opportunity to meet and congratulated His Holiness on the 10th anniversary of the enthronement. W.F. Graham supported the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on abortions, calling abortion "one of the great sins" of the modern world. “Your idea to make shelters for women with children is wonderful. Some organizations in the United States have also successfully organized something similar. And they have saved many lives, ”said Billy Graham, President of the Evangelical Association. Speaking about the different areas of inter-Christian cooperation, Graham, in particular, mentioned the need for joint efforts to assist refugees from Syria. “Yesterday we had a discussion with Metropolitan Hilarion. We discussed how we can work together, how we can help children affected by the war in Syria. We have experience in these matters. We understand what needs to be done, ”said Franklin Graham. The president of the Evangelical Association, Billy Graham, also made a proposal to hold the next Summit in defense of persecuted Christians in Moscow. “The summit in defense of persecuted Christians, held in 2017 in Washington, was very successful. But we need to continue, since the topic of persecution of Christians is still on the agenda, ”stressed William Franklin Graham.

DECR secretary for interfaith relations took part in the ceremony of conferring the degree of doctor honoris causa to the general secretary of the World Islamic League

DECR secretary for interfaith relations took part in the ceremony of conferring the degree of doctor honoris causa to the general secretary of the World Islamic League Секретарь ОВЦС по межрелигиозным отношениям принял участие в церемонии присвоения степени доктора honoris causa генеральному секретарю Всемирной исламской лиги print version July 23, 2019 11:14 On July 22, 2019, a solemn ceremony was held to present Sheikh Muhammad Abdelkarim Al-Issa, who arrived in Russia at the invitation of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Doctor of Honor Honoris Causa Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The ceremony was headed by the scientific director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.V. Naumkin. In his speech, he pointed out that the World Islamic League is one of the leading world Muslim organizations, and the degree awarded is evidence of the recognition of the great role of the Secretary General of the World Islamic League at the international level. From the Russian Orthodox Church, with the blessing of the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the DECR secretary for interfaith relations, the executive secretary of the Interreligious Council of Russia, priest Dmitry Safonov, took part in the ceremony. Also among the invitees was the chairman of the Expert Council under the Patriarch on interaction with Muslims, Hieromonk Gregory (Matrusow). The event was attended by the head of the Department for Relations with Religious Organizations of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation on Domestic Policy Ye.V. Eremin, his deputy A.R. Faizullin, representatives of the Federation Council, the State Duma, Muslim organizations, in particular, the mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia A. Krganov, the mufti of Tatarstan K. Samigullin, representatives of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, as well as scholars of Islamic studies. After the presentation of the mantle and the diploma to the General Secretary of the World Islamic League, a solemn reception was held.

Bishop Alexiy of Solnechnogorsk: Spirituality is primarily obedience

Bishop Alexiy of Solnechnogorsk: Spirituality is primarily obedience Епископ Солнечногорский Алексий: Духовничество — это прежде всего послушание print version July 24, 2019 15:08 Danilov Monastery became the first monastery in Russia. Having passed through the years of hard times in the 20th century and having risen from non-existence, he again opened the doors of his temples for those who come here in search of God, prayer and spiritual support. About those who managed to preserve the spiritual continuity between the generations of the Danilovsky monks, what is spiritualism - talent or vocation, for which the modern monk needs a gadget and how confession helps spiritual growth, the Bishop Alexey of the monastery told the monastery. Interview published in No. 7, 2019 ( PDF version ). Candle to Reverend Daniel - Your Grace, the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, congratulates you on the episcopal ordination and wishes the spiritual forces and the grace of God in your new ministry. Recently, the Danilov Monastery celebrated its 35th anniversary of the start of the revival. In his book “It was a miracle of God,” Metropolitan Eulogius (Smirnov) spoke about the restoration of the monastery. And what, in your opinion, the important events for the monastery occurred after you became the prior? - For me, this is a consecration on Tula Square of the monument to the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow (September 1997), and a year later the restoration of the chapel in his honor, destroyed during the Soviet era. This and the return from Harvard to the monastery of its belfry (18 bells), the creation of four monastic courtyards. And of course, the many thousands religious procession from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin to the Danilov Monastery, which took place on September 6, 2003 and was dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the repose of the holy blessed Prince Daniil of Moscow. This prayer procession with a large icon of St. Prince Daniel in full height (now this icon is near the holy prince's shrine in the Church of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils) on special stretchers was accompanied by a bell ringing in all the temples past which the procession went. At the same time, another procession came out of the Danilov monastery towards Danilovskaya Square - with an ark with particles of the relics of St. Prince Daniel. You probably know that all attempts to find the relics of a saint who once lived in our monastery are still unsuccessful [2]. But, fortunately, at different times, different people handed over to the monastery the particles of the holy relics of Prince Daniel. - You did not have to meet those who were parishioners of the monastery temples before its closure in 1930? - From the previous “Danilov’s” we closely communicated with Schemamonk Mikhail (Karelin, 1911-2003). Father Michael was an inhabitant of the Danilov Monastery and came here as a young man. He became a witness of how the cloister gradually closed down - one after another, the temples ceased to work, the worship services were reduced. He said that his first cell was in the Pokrovsky temple: he slept there on the bench, and in the morning he woke up by knocking wooden soles of women's shoes on the pavement. Later, Father Mikhail was imprisoned in the Ivanovo prison, and then he was sent to Kolyma. He arrived in Moscow only in the late 1950s. When the monastery began to revive, it again returned to her inhabitant, told about how the brothers lived before. He was an example of the love of God. By the way, Father Michael (Karelin) also conveyed to the monastery a particle of the holy relics of Prince Daniel. He said that she came to him from two secret nuns - the spiritual children of a famous confessor - Archimandrite Seraphim (Klimkova; 1896-1970). In the 1930s, the monks distributed particles of the relics of Prince Daniel to faithful children, so that they could be saved. Today, one can attach oneself to the relics of Prince Daniel of Moscow in the church of the Holy Fathers of the seven Ecumenical Councils. The service there is daily - in the morning and in the evening. In the same place every day at 6 am a fraternal prayer service is held There is a small reliquary with particles of the holy relics of the prince in our Holy Trinity Cathedral, but it is open for worship only on holidays and Sundays. Another of the “Danilovs” is Archimandrite Daniel (in the world, Ivan Sergeevich Sarychev; 1912-2006), one of those “quiet” ascetics of the spirit, who, even in the most severe years of persecution, did not deplete the Russian land. He came to the monastery when he was ten years old, in the early 1920s. Here, fate brought him to the remarkable bishops and monks, ascetics of the Russian Orthodox Church, who found shelter in the monastery at that time. Of course, this could not but reflect on the further fate of Father Daniel. He left interesting memories of the Danilov Convent of the 1920s and 30s and its inhabitants. The brethren of the new Danilov, listening to his stories, scooped information about their abode from the original source. Thus, by the grace of God, spiritual continuity between the generations of the Danilo monks was realized. The current "Danilov" do not remain in debt - one of the brothers of our monastery dedicated his thesis at the Moscow Theological Academy to Archimandrite Daniel. Many interesting things not only about our monastery, but also about the life of Orthodox Moscow can be read in the book The Secret Memory of the Soul of one of the oldest parishioners of our monastery, Mikhail Ivanovich Makarov (1906-2004). She was published in our publishing house in 2007. I also knew several parishioners of the Danilov Monastery, who prayed in his churches on the verge of closing in the 1930s. From their stories I remember such a case. In one of the places of detention where the convicts were serving sentences, one of the released ones said that he would go to Moscow. Believers began to say: let's raise funds for a candle to deliver to Prince Daniel in Moscow. Some responded, others did not, but it turned out this way: they put this candle in prayer and received an “answer” - those who donated to it or, even without such an opportunity, mentally turned to the saint for help, were released early, and those who did not want - served a full term. - It is known that after the closure of the monastery, the detective center of the NKVD for children “enemies of the people” was located here. Were there any meetings in your life with those who as a child lived in this “children's prison”? “I have never met such people, but I read the memories of life in this detective house of the famous journalist Valery Agranovsky. He got there with his brother after his parents were arrested in 1937. I remembered how children were led by the system, how they ate, how they studied. In the house of the governor was a punishment cell for girls. And there was heavy silence everywhere. You can not stand at the window, you can not put your legs on your feet, you can not ask anything. There was no entertainment, no circles, no sports sections. For violation of the regime, children were placed in a punishment cell for a period of three to five days for bread and water. It was impossible to escape, the guard station was well guarded, and the walls were high. Another inhabitant of the receiver, Aleksey Eroshkin, left a description of how dinners were held in the dining room, where the law of the jungle practically reigned - there was little food, and who was stronger and more agile, tried to grab a part of the ration of a friend. Verkhovili recidivist thieves who have been in the receiver more than once. In 1960, orders began to soften, school teaching was introduced, a club, a red corner, a gymnasium appeared. Work and prayer - You mentioned that at the Danilov Monastery four farmsteads were organized. What is their significance for the monastery? - Each of them has its own direction, but everywhere there are churches and regular services are held. So, at the compound in the Ryazan region, where we have about 20 people, we send new brothers who have just come to the monastery and have the intention to get acquainted with monastic life. The first years of their stay in the monastery they are in the position of workers, they bear various obediences, gradually turning into the monastic rhythm, trying to answer for themselves the question of how close and useful is monastic life, whether they fit into the monastic family. The brethren, too, see whether a person is prone to monasticism, whether he can be a brother, a novice, how much further his spiritual growth is possible. After all, the priority for everyone in the monastery should not be economic affairs, but prayer, worship, reading the Holy Scriptures. At the Ryazan farmstead there is a temple of the Archangel Michael, where services constantly go, the brethren read the Psalter there, praying for health and for the repose of those whose relatives submit notes to the Danilov monastery. The length of stay in the Ryazan compound is different for everyone. But to be an employee need at least a year. In the ryasofor - we usually cut it not earlier than in three years. If not ready, the duration of the work is increased. And the next stage is the monastic tonsure (mantle). If we talk about priestly or deaconial ministry, then this is discussed with the Priesthood, the blessing of the Patriarch is taken, and then a decision is made. Transfiguration Compound is located near Serpukhov. There is a strict charter, modeled on the Athos monastery of St. Paul. Entrance to women in the yard is prohibited. Its inhabitants translate the works of the holy fathers, devotees of the Greek Church. There is a small apiary, vegetable gardens. At the Dolmatovo farm we have a dairy farm that supplies dairy products to the monastery. And finally, a farmstead near Ruza, in a picturesque place on the shore of the Ruza reservoir, in the village of Novovolkovo. There, in the Church of the All-Merciful Savior, there is a list with the venerated icon of the Mother of God “The All-Daughter”, written several years ago on Mount Athos, in the Vatopedi monastery. As is well known, people turn to this icon in prayer with cancer. And in the temple of the monastery prayers are constantly served in front of this image. In addition, twice a week, brothers from the Ruzsky monastery come to us at the Danilov Monastery and serve the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos in front of a copy of the All-Daughter ”icon in the temple of St. Seraphim of Sarov. There are cases when people actually received healing through their prayers. If someone wants the brethren to pray for their sick relatives in the temple of the All-Merciful Savior, you can submit notes with the names of the sick in the temple of the Holy Fathers of the seven Ecumenical Councils. New saint - What were your impressions when you came to the monastery for the first time? - In 1986, when I was a inhabitant of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra , I was ordered to live in the Danilov monastery for three months - to participate in the revival of prayer life. The first impression is a continuous construction, ditches and pits everywhere. Collapsing monastery walls, which are not even everywhere preserved. But the work was in full swing. A lot of people participated in the restoration: not only workers and specialists-restorers, but also volunteers - people of all ages, including the elderly. It was so touching! Everyone did the work that was feasible for him, mainly in garbage collection. Everyone considered it a great honor to help. The brethren, of course, spent most of their time praying and worshiping, but in the evening they worked together with volunteers. At the same time, archaeological works were conducted on the territory of the monastery, there is a book with a description of all the finds [3]. In 1992, Patriarch Alexy II appointed me already the vicar of the monastery. At that time there were 35 brethren living here. From all over the country, the inhabitants gathered, not only the monks of the Trinity Sergius Lavra. At this time the monastery was already put in order. Living conditions were normal, they lived mostly in separate cells. - Becoming the governor, you changed something in the schedule, obedience, prayer life? - I saved all the way I was introduced, only some services were added. Thus, in 2000, the former monk of the monastery, the Rev. Confessor George (Lavrov), was glorified. He labored here in the 1930s, after his arrest he was sent into exile in Kazakhstan. After his release in 1932, he settled in Nizhny Novgorod, as he was forbidden to live in Moscow according to the instructions “minus 12” [4], which prohibited former convicts from living in some cities. There he died from a serious illness. He was counted among the saints, glorified at the Bishops' Council of 2000. The remains of Georgy (Lavrov) were transferred to the Danilov Monastery. He was drafted a service that we perform every first Sunday of the month, with the exception of Lent and public holidays, together with the Akathist to Rev. Georgy Danilovsky. Also on Fridays in the Trinity Cathedral, we resumed the reading of the Three-armed Akathist to the Mother of God, whose icon has always been honored in our monastery. Monk Gadget - At many monastic conferences it is often said about the problem of using mobile devices by the inhabitants of monasteries. How relevant is it for your monastery? Are you allowed, including young people, to use them? - We do not have a strict ban on using gadgets and mobile phones. But there is a wish that man first of all live with God. We provide this question for him to decide for himself how useful the use of mobile devices is for his life in Christ. At the same time, many brethren in our country receive correspondence courses in Moscow theological schools and other seminaries. Mobile phones and devices, they need a computer for study, work. - Are there brethren who came out of your monastery and founded new monasteries or which you recommended for the organization of monastic life in other monasteries? - Yes, but I am afraid that there is not enough space to list them all. I will name only two. This is the Bishop of Yakut and Lensky Zosima (in the world Igor Vasilyevich Davydov; 1963-2010). In the early 1980s, he participated in the restoration of the monastery, took monastic vows, and in 1992, Hierodeacon Zosima moved to the Danilov Monastery. In 2004 he was ordained bishop and appointed to the Yakutsk department, but he never forgot the Danilov monastery. Visiting Moscow, always came here. He wrote a book about Archimandrite Theodore (Pozdeevsky) - the last abbot of the Danilov monastery before closing. A few years ago, the inhabitant of our monastery, Hieromonk Dionysius (in the world, Pavel Sergeevich Shumilin) ​​was appointed and. about. Abbot of Serafimo-Sarovsky diocesan monastery of the village Novomakarovo, Gribanovsky district of the Voronezh region. The monastery conducts catechizing and pastoral activities in military units, takes care of hospitals and correctional institutions. The monastery brethren are frequent guests in the Northern Fleet, on the Daniel of Moscow nuclear submarine. Our catechists teach in higher education institutions, including the Military University. "Everyone should do their own thing" - Vladyka, you have many spiritual children. Often people turn to you for spiritual advice. Is spiritualism a vocation, talent or can it be cultivated in yourself? “I think first of all this is obedience.” The confessor in our understanding here, in Russia, is a person in holy orders. He has the right to allow from sins, to give advice, but he himself must possess spiritual and life experience, must grow and know the path of spiritual struggle. - Take, for example, such well-known confessors like Father Kirill (Pavlov), Father Nikolai (Guryanov), now living father Eli (Nozdrin). Could they become so popular and loved by the people, if they did not have a special talent? - They were famous above all for their spiritual life, for this they had and have a special talent. But there are spiritual fathers and not with such big names, but who perform their ministry, also fulfill their obedience. Maybe the time will come and their names will also sound. And now, as Father Kirill used to say: "Everyone must do his own thing." God, if he wants, will educate and make any person his assistant. Saul persecuted Christ, and then became Paul, the great apostle. Its time has come. God wanted him to be such a preacher, He corrected him, gave him such grace. So is spiritualism. Obedience is given, a person confesses and remembers not that he is great, but that God acts through him. For this, you only need humility, obedience, and then God can through this father say what the person who appeals to him needs. But the spiritual father himself must constantly work on his spiritual growth. No one is born an old man. For example, the Rev. confessor George (Lavrov). Born in a simple family. His mother once wanted to choose the monastic way, but her parents insisted that she marry. She had children. And when she asked them: “Who among you will go to the monastery?”, Little Egor, the future elder George, said: “Well, I will go.” Mother waved his hand at him: "You are not serious." And when he and his mother went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Yegor heard the voice of St. Sergius at the shrine: "Go to Optina , your place is there." For many years he lived in Optina, then became the prior of St. George Monastery in the town of Meshchovsk, Kaluga province. When the monastery was closed, Father George went through prison, exile. Being imprisoned, he received the blessing of Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan for spiritualism. Through all the trials, he carried the love of God and people, keeping his heart pure and open to compassion for others. So, in a nutshell, the old man was brought up. And if we talk about some kind of talent, it is only a talent of love. - What dangers, temptations can lay in wait today for a confessor in his ministry? - Probably one of the most serious temptations is the sin of pride. St. John of the Ladder says: "If you see your sins multiplied like the sand of the sea, then you can say that you are on the right path and go to God." And if a person evaluates his life as the life of a great ascetic, then, most likely, his spiritual growth has stopped. If rumor awards him with fame beyond work, and he says in his heart: “Yes, I really am as people say about me,” then it will be difficult for him to fight himself to regain humility. - Does the spiritual growth of a person influence the fact that he confesses with different priests and does not have his own confessor? - A sick person has a permanent doctor, the one who masters the skill has a mentor. So it is in the spiritual life. If there is an opportunity to have a spiritual father who constantly looks after us, brings up, helps, gives on time wise advice, warns, what could be better? This is not a prerequisite that we will not be saved without it. After all, you can go through life with the spiritual father and not build up your salvation. Our deeds are needed, not just words. There is such a parable: a monk came to the elder, repented, left, and his sins remained with him. And then it was revealed to the elder that he confessed, but does not change anything in himself, that the elder advised him. Similarly, with the spiritual father: either we go up, or we are marking time, or even degrading, if we do not work on ourselves. Our pastor will not do our work for us. His goal is to see what prevents a person from growing spiritually, what a person does not see, and tell about it, using his experience, the experience of the holy fathers and the experience of the Church. - What spiritual problems, perplexities do you need to contact a confessor? - This is primarily your spiritual state. For example, I have some flaw, I feel that it bothers me. But I reconcile with this, I do not want to work on myself. But how can I move on in my spiritual growth, if I do not begin to eradicate it in myself? Then you need to have the courage and strength to fix it. Suppose I have a distracted, inattentive pray. How to be? The Holy Fathers advise that before proceeding to prayer, you need to calm down. Find an appropriate inner spirit: now I will communicate with God. Leaving our everyday cares behind and giving this brief moment one thought - Christ and I. There is a book by Sergey Bolshakov, “On the heights of the spirit”. These are his notes on meetings with various people, both monastics and laymen, who sought to preserve Christ in their hearts and their prayerful attitude. And for this you need the skill of frequent repetition of prayer and a focused state. But each has its own situation. One person, for example, is so burdened with affairs that he leaves prayer for the end of the day. But at the end of the working day he gets so tired that he has no strength for prayer, neither spiritual nor physical. Maybe then you need to change your life rhythm in order to pray early, and then return to your business - sometimes it is easier. The other can have such a big rule that it does not move him to Heaven, but is so tiring that he cannot give his best feelings and strength to prayer. And instead of the joy of communicating with God, he experiences only a difficult, unpleasant state. Then, perhaps, after consulting with the spiritual father, you need to either reduce the rule, or divide it into parts, to make it easier to fulfill it. But do not leave these appeals to God. Then the forces will remain, and the prayer will not be interrupted.

In all the parishes of the Amur diocese pray for the repose of those killed in the fire in the children's camp

In all the parishes of the Amur diocese pray for the repose of those killed in the fire in the children's camp Во всех приходах Амурской епархии молятся об упокоении погибших при пожаре в детском лагере print version July 23, 2019 21:36 On the night of July 23, 2019, a fire occurred in a tent camp at the Holdomi recreation center in the Solnechny Municipal District in the Khabarovsk Territory. 20 tents out of 26 were burnt down. There were 189 children in the tent camp. According to the latest data, four children died. Another eight people were injured, three of them children. They receive medical care. In the hospital where the victims were hospitalized, the priest Yaroslav Savitsky stayed all day. He provided spiritual support to parents of affected children. “I arrived at the hospital as soon as I learned about the tragedy. The department had parents and close relatives of the children. They were in dire condition, but we talked a little bit. Together with some of the relatives of the children in the prayer room, we served a prayer for health, I gave them the icons that I brought with me, and they stood with them in their hands, ”said Priest Yaroslav Savitsky. - After we left the hospital, our older sister called us and said that one of the girls had died. While we were returning to somehow support the people we already knew, the fourth child, a boy, died in the hospital. It is difficult to describe how terrible their parents were. ” According to the priest, tomorrow, July 24, the priests of the Solar Deanery of the Amur Diocese will perform a memorial service for the dead children at the site of the tragedy. Since July 24, the region declared mourning for the dead, which will last three days. With the blessing of the Bishop of Amur and Chegdomynsky Nicholas, in the temples of the Amur diocese they pray for the repose of those who died in the fire.

The word of Archimandrite Ignatius (Golinchenko) when he was named bishop of the Yenisei and Lesosibirsk Слово архимандрита Игнатия (Голинченко) при наречении во епископа Енисейского и Лесосибирского print version

The word of Archimandrite Ignatius (Golinchenko) when he was named bishop of the Yenisei and Lesosibirsk Слово архимандрита Игнатия (Голинченко) при наречении во епископа Енисейского и Лесосибирского print version July 17, 2019 21:04 On July 17, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia headed the order of the nomination of Archimandrite Ignatius (Golinchenko) as Bishop of Yenisei and Lesosibirsk. When naming, Archimandrite Ignatius addressed the Primate of the Russian Church and the hierarchs who had served His Holiness with a proclaimed word. Your Holiness, Holy Lord and merciful father! Your Eminences, Eminences, God-wise and God-loving archpastors! By the Providence of God, in fulfillment of the definition of His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod, I stand in your excitement and trembling before you, preparing to accept the gracious service that exceeds the measure of human forces. I find encouragement only in the hope of God's infinite mercy and your holy prayers. I believe that, according to the word of the apostle, "no one by himself accepts this honor, but is called upon by God" (Heb. 5: 4). I would like with a grateful heart to remember my mentors, through whom the Lord prepared me for service and richly poured out His mercy. First of all, these are my dear parents and grandmother, who raised me in Cossack traditions and customs. I showed my example that the core of the Cossack life, the main treasure of my valiant ancestors was and is the Orthodox faith and loyalty to the Holy Church. Son, I thank Archpriest Vasily Sobolev, at whose hands I received holy Baptism. It was he who discovered for me the grace and saving life of the priest of the Bloodless Sacrifice, the priest, by showing by personal example that the meaning of the life and ministry of the priest lies in unceasing care for the parishioners and in the care of his flock, even if it is not numerous. I am grateful to God that He linked my life with His Grace, Metropolitan of Krasnoyarsk and Achinsk Panteleimon , whom I consider to be my mentor and teacher. Vladyka from his youth brought up, instructed and strengthened me in my desire to serve God and His Holy Church. I am glad that it was through his hands that the Lord honored me first with the priesthood, and then with monasticism. Through his ministry, Vladyka showed me an example of a true archpastor who serves the cause of preaching the word of God. Incomprehensible Providence of the Lord, I was chosen to continue the highest work of the apostles. I prayerfully ask for their help in solving the most important tasks of the episcopal service on the Yenisei land. This is a sermon among young people and teenagers, for whom the temple should become an island of salvation and a refuge in difficult life circumstances. This is the development of social activities in cities and in remote rural parishes. I also see the important task of caring for the indigenous small peoples of the Evenk region. Your Holiness, I thank the Lord that my ministry will be performed under your High Priestly Omphorum, thank you for trusting me who are unworthy. And therefore, with trepidation, I dare to ask you, Your Holiness, not to leave me in my prayers, so that the Lord will strengthen me in the upcoming episcopal ministry. I ask, God-wise archpastors, and your holy prayers for me a sinner. In these great and holy moments of my life, I inspire myself with the words of the martyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereya: “May the Lord have mercy and accept my soul, this little contribution to the treasury of the Church for use for the common good. The will of the Lord be done ”(from his speech at the naming).

On the ministry and church tradition in Western Belarus О служении и церковной традиции в Западной Беларуси

On the ministry and church tradition in Western Belarus О служении и церковной традиции в Западной Беларуси print version July 19, 2019 18:21 For more than two decades, the Grodno diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church is headed by the Archbishop of Grodno and Volkovysk Artemy . In an interview with the correspondent of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, Vladyka shared his memories of the difficult times for the revival of church life, about the experience of serving in the Belarusian language, about how the International Festival of Orthodox Singing “Kolozhsky Blagovest” appeared, which became well-known far beyond Belarus, and also told why an environmental department was created in his diocese The interview was published on No. 5, 2019 ( PDF version ). - Your Eminence, which took place in February of the XVIII International Festival of Orthodox Songs “Kolozhsky Evangelism”, you awarded with the epithet “Spiritual Spring in Grodno”. Since the mid-1990s, this forum has managed to go a tremendous way from a modest diocesan review of choir choirs to a prestigious international event. How did you manage to do this? - When in 1996 I occupied the Grodno department, here, as, indeed, in Minsk, the backbone of the parish intelligentsia was composed of singers from the philharmonic society, from the conservatory, from the music school. Clergymen with music education were also part of some choir choirs. My friends from among them offered to try to make a festival. At that time, of course, no one thought about international status: we wanted to raise the level of parish singing. Still, our dioceses are in the West of Belarus, the old church potential is not completely lost here. The Bolsheviks got here late, and after the war they didn’t fake so much. For comparison: by 1939, in Eastern Belarus, all Orthodox churches were destroyed, most of the clergy were killed. Only a third of the temples that fundamentally did not succumb to Polonization were closed here. Christianity as such had no persecution before the war: the seminary worked, the monastery operated. And at the end of the 1990s, it was still possible to see grandmothers on rural kliros, who, from the Polish hour, carried the baton of church singing. But, of course, it was necessary to prepare new personnel. To understand what we have, we decided to listen to all our church choirs - from each parish, with no exceptions. Not everyone on the ground understood at once why this was needed, some even resisted. I had to ask each priest to participate with his chorus in the festival at the level of deeds. This step alone greatly and literally immediately raised the level of singing in the parishes. But the festival grew. Over time, serious singing groups began to appear in the district centers, children's choirs appeared around them. The participants had already ceased to be located in the houses of culture: a large hall was needed. And a large audience and requests where more exacting. We began to invite teams from all over the country - the rumor went around the near abroad. Poles and Lithuanians began to visit us. This is already a big deal - for an Orthodox choir from a Catholic country to perform at an international choral forum (and if you also bring a prize home - so generally a resounding victory). - This year, a diocesan hotel was opened as part of a complex of historic buildings of the bishop's monastery on Gorky Street, one of the best architectural ensembles of the city. Please tell us about the history of this memorable place. How do you see his prospects? - At one time it was a pansky palace, the owner of which, the vice-administrator of Grodno Valitsky, lost and was forced to sell the buildings of the Church in the person of the Spiritual Consistory of the Vilna diocese . Just then, in the middle of the nineteenth century, the ancient Boris and Gleb temple on Kolozhya collapsed, and the monastery located there needed to be relocated urgently somewhere. For this purpose, the consistory and decided to temporarily use the newly acquired manor. On the second floor of the former manor house a temple was arranged. In the late 1990s, I still found clerics who, as a child, prayed and served there. When I was appointed here as a bishop, the department of anatomy and the vivarium of the medical institute were located in this building. The residence of the ruling bishop was equipped in one of the wings of the building. The impressions were heavy: they constantly smelled of formalin, the experimental animals after operations with stopping anesthesia howled and whined ... This went on year after year, while at the meeting of the bishops with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko I didn’t draw his attention to the fact that the Grodno diocese is the only one in a country that does not have a historic building. The issue was resolved within 24 hours. From the ruined state of our own, we raised the structure of the coach wing. Now here, in the outbuildings, the Nikolskaya Church is consecrated, premises for the Sunday school and office apartments for the clergy of the diocese are equipped. In the manor house the equipment of our hotel rooms is being completed. In the central staircase on the second floor, where the temple was once located, an ancient fresco was found during restoration, which still pleases the eyes of believers, it was left in its original place and restored. - Being in the Nikolsky Church, I heard that the Liturgy was served in Slavonic, but the Apostle and Gospel were read in Belarusian ... And how common is the service of the liturgy entirely in Belarusian in your diocese? - As the ruling bishop, I do not oppose the appeals of believers with such requests - provided, of course, that such a desire is really present. Basically in Belarusian serve in city parishes. The degree of discussion of this issue stirs our national intelligentsia, but often from scratch. Here, before putting the bishop inn into operation, we repaired the heating main. The students came up and began to resent that the workers were “digging in the cultural layer.” I talked to them. Claim: “Why don't you serve in Belarusian ?! I wanted to christen the newborn in Belarusian, so I didn’t find anyone here - I had to go to Vilnius! ”Obviously, these claims are not the right thing to say. After all, in Lithuania, Orthodox priests do not make demands in the Belarusian language! In contrast, by the way, from our country, where the Synod approved the Requiem with the texts of rituals in Belarusian and the prayer book in the Belarusian language; The specialized commission for the translation of the divine service, convened by the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeev), is working. Do you want to serve in Belarusian in your parish, - no problem, write a petition! Today the Divine Liturgy in the Belarusian language is performed mainly in the regional center (usually on Saturdays). But during each week at a particular parish in the schedule there is a similar service. So, any believer in Grodno can calmly pray in Belarusian. - For a long time you have read the basic course of Orthodoxy at the theological faculty at the European Humanities University. How could you characterize modern Belarusian students as a whole? - At first, there were very interesting guys. Recently, the general level of training began to decline markedly. However, I would like to note that, in teaching at the university, I probably learned more myself than I taught someone. - Your diocese, perhaps, was the first in the Church to practice compulsory catechism of those who are baptized and crowned. Now publicity talks are everywhere an indispensable attribute of preparation for these sacraments, but you have had a similar experience for a couple of decades. “In Minsk, where I served as a priest, I had to face the psychology of the old clergy: if a person came to the temple, he is already an ascetic. But during my youth, Orthodoxy was already becoming “fashionable,” and it was wrong to baptize without publicity talks. And a hundred people came to be baptized a day! At that time, I often recalled the teachings of the current Holiness Patriarch Kirill, who headed the Leningrad Theological Academy in the years of my studies there. The initiatives of the Primate were clear to me, and when I took the Grodno department, I simply began to implement what Vladyka Rector taught us. Some clergymen at the age did not immediately accept the order of obligatory publicity conversations. And the youth liked it! - The Grodno eparchy, the only one in the Church, has an environmental department. The Council of Bishops adopted the document “The Position of the Russian Orthodox Church on Actual Problems of Ecology” in February 2013, but you still have no direct followers. Please tell us what this unit does. “To slander nature is a sin, to mercilessly use God's creation for selfish purposes, without looking at the consequences, it is an even greater sin. Our department is focused on concrete actions: cleaning the territories, attracting lay people to one-time and multi-stage actions, environmental education of the population. All this is done by specially created at parishes eco-team. I think this is the most important area of ​​environmental work. One may take away garbage and struggle with environmental pollution, but it is better to educate people who simply will not litter and selfishly exploit God's creation. Only in this way the situation can change dramatically. The largest event of the department is the annual environmental gathering. About a hundred and fifty young people are gathering to work out a joint program of action for the next year. This activity is also close to me from the experience of my Minsk ministry. There I served in the cemetery parish, and regularly had to organize believers to clean up the surrounding area. Our developments, in fact, formed the basis of the document adopted first by the Inter-Council Presence , and then by the Bishops' Council. - Several new temples in your diocese are being built according to the designs of the Polish architect Jerzy Ustinovich - at first glance, to be honest, not quite traditional ... “I cannot agree with this assessment, since absolutely in all the temples designed by Professor Ustinovich there is a modern perception of the architectural canons of both Old Russian and Byzantine church-building. That is why one of his projects won in Moscow in the competition of architects, conducted with the support of the Financial and Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate. I must also say that this Polish architect provides us with his drawings completely free of charge, for which we are very grateful. In general, we consider the primordial appearance of the Borisoglebsk Kalozhskaya Church to be fundamental. No one really knows how it looked entirely, since the view of its dome is unknown to us. But it is obvious: this temple of the XII century was built in the best traditions of Byzantine architecture. Bearing in mind the appearance of our churches, we would like to gain a foothold in the image of Kolozhi, especially as its architectural elements are included in the diocesan heraldry. And here, for example, a church in honor of the Cathedral of All Belarusian Saints is built in this way, as the author of his project imagined one of the possible variants of the original form of the Kalozhskaya Church.

Hegumeness Juliana (Kaleda): We all need the advice of experienced people Игумения Иулиания (Каледа): Все мы нуждаемся в совете опытных людей

Hegumeness Juliana (Kaleda): We all need the advice of experienced people Игумения Иулиания (Каледа): Все мы нуждаемся в совете опытных людей print version December 31, 2015 14:11 Conversation with the vice-chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism , Mother Superior of the Zachatievsky Stavropegic Convent of Moscow, Abbess Julia (Kaleda) . - Mother, third year. You are performing obedience to the vice-chairman of the Synodal department for monasteries and monasticism. Today, many of the activities of the Department are judged by the monastic forums, the work of the members of the College, who more and more often go to monasteries to solve important issues of monastic life, printed publications addressed to the monastics. Tell us what else the Synodal department of monasteries and monasticism does. For what purpose was it established? - The Department (initially the Commission on Monasteries and Monastic Affairs) was established by a decision of the Holy Synod to assist reviving monasteries in organizing monastic life in accordance with the canonical provisions of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1990, the Synodal Commission on Monasteries was formed, which in different years was headed by Bishop Eulogius of Vladimir and Suzdal (now Metropolitan of Vladimir and Suzdal), now Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky Alexy (later Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich) and Archbishop Sergiev -yo-o-Zoevsky-Aleksey (later Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich) and Archbishop Sergiev -yo-o-Zoevsky-Aleksei (later Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich) and Archbishop Sergiev -yo-o-Aleksey By the decision of the Holy Synod of March 15, 2012, the Synodal Commission was transformed into the Synodal department for monasteries and monasticism. In its practical activities, the Department interacts most closely with Stavropegic monasteries. With the blessing of the Patriarch, the Chairman of the Department, the vicar of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, Archbishop Sergiev Posad Theognost, together with the members of the College, conducts interviews with the candidates before admission to the monastery, ordination of the clergy, before monastic, monastic and schimnic shifts. Vladyka regularly serves in Stavropegic monasteries, tries to keep abreast of monastic problems, and to one degree or another helps to solve these problems. As is well known, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is the ruling bishop and Holy Archimandrite of the Stavropegic Monasteries. The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism regularly acquaints His Holiness with the latest events in the life of the monasteries and provides information about them. The Synodal Department also interacts with the diocesan monasteries, diocesan bishops and, if necessary, with the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate. For example, in order to open a new monastery in the diocese, the ruling bishop in writing asks for the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch. The petition goes to the Synodal department, after which the members of the Board of the Department leave for the site to familiarize themselves with the situation, to see the life of the community, to see if there are conditions for monastic life. The presence of a community is the main condition for creating a monastery. Sometimes, thank God, rarely, but it happens that there are temples, buildings, and there is no community as such. Often, of course, it happens the other way around: there is a dilapidated monastery, albeit not very good, but still living conditions, and there is a community. Even a small community in which people gathered in the name of Christ to work together for their salvation, fight with passions and find the way to God, is a prerequisite for the beginning of monastic life. The external living conditions of the future monastery must also meet certain requirements of the state system (the presence of a registered right to property, to a land plot). To help the newly emerging monasteries in 2011, the Commission on Monasteries and Monasticism developed proposals on the main criteria for opening new monasteries, which were included in the Holy Synod Recommendations to diocesan bishops regarding the opening of monasteries. - Does the College ever come to close the monastery? - We have no such thing - to close the monastery: there is a concept to abolish the monastery. There have been cases when the bishops received requests for the abolition of the monastery. Say, the monastery is in the very center of the city, and the community is deprived of proper living conditions. Then the bishop decides to create a bishop's residence or a parish church at this place, and transfer the community to where there are more suitable conditions for the life of monastics. Sometimes the bishop decides to abolish the monastery due to the small number of inhabitants, but community life continues. “Mother, you said that the Synodal Section helps monasteries solve problems. How exactly does the department get a call for help? - The Department receives a signal from the diocesan monasteries, as a rule, comes from the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate. It is there that letters from diocesan bishops and monasteries come. The manager sends them to us with the appropriate resolution from the hierarchy, so that we understand the situation. - Is the manager the first instance where monasteries can turn for help? - Monastic life is multifaceted: some issues are under the jurisdiction of the ruling bishop of the diocese, for others it is necessary to contact the Manager. In practice, we are often called by abbess and abbess to consult on how to act in one or another situation of everyday monastic life, and we always try to help in solving practical issues related to the office, business activities, restoration, relations with state bodies or concerning internal life cloisters. It should be noted that, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, the diocesan monasteries every year cooperate more closely with the Synodal department for monasteries and monasticism. So, in December of this year, within the framework of the regional stage of the XXIV International Christmas Educational Readings, the first meeting of the leaders of the diocesan structures responsible for the monasteries was held, the participants of which had the opportunity to discuss issues of monastic life in the regions, legal and economic issues, and to get acquainted with the main activities COMM. 130 people became participants of this meeting, including representatives of such remote dioceses as the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kuril, Chita, and Korsun ones. - Is the Department’s Commission in the monasteries well received when she arrives in the diocese on a signal for help? - As a rule, very good. Of course, we, like any bosses from Moscow, are awaited "with fear and trembling." We, in turn, always try to come to help in a brotherly or sisterly way. All members of the College themselves are the abbess and abbess of the monasteries and know the monastic life from the inside. They are familiar with all the problems and temptations of monasticism, and therefore we do not come at all to find and punish the guilty, but to help cope with this or that situation. Therefore, as a rule, in the process of communication, good, and sometimes even friendly relations with the monasteries to which we come are formed. - Another area of ​​activity of the Department is the monastic forums and conferences that have become traditional. Materials of the conferences are published by the Department on the official website, later they are published in printed form. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to attend conferences and other forums. Tell us what is the purpose of these meetings. - We need such meetings, first of all, for communication. The Lord says: "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them." Although we are abbess or abbess of the monasteries, we all need the advice of experienced people, because perfection, as we know, there is no limit. When we received the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch to hold conferences, we began to think about how exactly this should be done. We all have one goal: the quest for Christ, the building up of the Kingdom of Heaven within our hearts, the struggle against passions, and this is the patristic way of fulfilling the Gospel commandments. "Christ is the same yesterday and this day forever," and the monastic tradition remains unchanged. And although we, weak and weak, people of the XXI century, we cannot bear the feats that were carried by Christians of the first centuries, but we are obligated to fulfill the Commandments, to fight passions, to purify our hearts so that the grace of the Holy Spirit can live in it. That is why the direction was chosen to cover the monastic traditions and experiences of the Fathers, as these traditions follow. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, we study the experience of the Local Churches, invite monastics from the Holy Mount Athos, from the monasteries of other Local Churches to the forums. But, which is very important, we do not strive to adopt the features of this or that Church, we are not going to change the traditions that have developed in us, but are only trying to join the rich patristic experience that has been accumulated over two thousand years of the history of Christianity. At the first conference, which was held in 2013 at the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol, who had labored on Mount Athos for 22 years, was invited to the monastery as abbot, and now nourishes several male and female monasteries on the island of Cyprus. Vladyka expressed a very important idea that when we get together, we talk about the experience of the holy Fathers and about the tradition that they passed to each other - from teacher to student. In this case, it is a question of the spiritual foundations of the monastic work, and external forms, such as the diversity of the monastic vestment, do not have any meaning for our salvation. When we meet, we talk about the essence of monasticism, about how to connect with Christ. During our meetings, the hegumen and abbess of the monasteries share their reflections based on the patristic teachings and their own experiences, both positive and negative, in order to help each other avoid mistakes and benefit from the organization of monastic life. - At the last conference, which took place on September 23-24, 2015 in the Pokrovsky Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow, the abbess and the superior thought discussed a number of issues in round tables. And the issues of the monastic life of the women's and men's monasteries were discussed separately - the abbess and the abbess gathered at round tables in different buildings. Please share your impressions of the past event. It seems that the discussion at the round table for the abbess took place quite lively? - This is the first experience of holding such a round table. We did not specifically prepare in advance the topics of the messages, but decided to simply discuss the issues of internal guidance of the sisters, share our thoughts and experiences with each other. And, in general, the discussion really turned out to be alive. Perhaps not everyone was ready for it, but we are quite pleased with this first experience. The abbess talked about whether the monastic community can become a family, how to build good relations in the sisterhood based on the mutual trust of the sisters, both on the abbess and among themselves. This is a very important point in the inner life of the monastery: after all, one can arrange everything correctly from an administrative point of view, but not have a full-fledged monastic community, and then the monastery will not be a family where people love and respect each other. They also talked about the fact that it is very important for the abbess, fulfilling administrative obedience, to remain a mother for the sisters, to attend worship services together, at a common meal, to communicate with the sisters. After all, the example of abbess inspires and organizes. If mother and sisters pray in the service, then the Lord Himself begins to act between them. In the monastery, as in the family, it is impossible all the time just to do the work, only to do obedience. Everyone needs moments of rest when people just meet, talk to each other. On the example of my monastery, I see how the sisters need it. We try to find an opportunity to get together: discuss monastic issues, read the Holy Fathers or the Patriarch's sermons, comprehend what was read, and go on pilgrimages together. All this helps to overcome the alienation and unites the monastic community. It is very important when we are not afraid to say something to each other, when the sisters express their opinions, their vision of a particular issue. Of course, the last word always remains with the abbess, but it is very important for the monastic community, when all its members have the opportunity to speak. Indeed, according to the word of the apostle, in the first Christian community there was one heart and one soul — so it should be with us. To do this, you need to hear each other and come to a common opinion. Indeed, after we find a common solution, we begin to act and it is very important that our actions reflect our unanimity. All these issues were discussed at the round table. - You said that it is very important for the abbess, in fulfilling administrative obedience, to remain a mother. But the mother, no matter how affectionate she is, is forced from time to time to be strict. Does the abbess often have to be strict with the sisters? What is the severity of the abbot cross? - It is always easier to kindly negotiate with a person, but when it does not work, you have to use power, as they say. It is very difficult for me, I am a person of a gentle nature and then I myself experience almost more than those to whom I was strict. The sisters have different characters, and it is very important in each particular case to find such a method of influence that will bring the greatest spiritual benefit to the sister. In a monastery as in a family: if the mother does not protect her child from danger, the child can be crippled. Although sometimes the mother allows some negative experience to be, if the child does not understand in an amicable way, for his own good. Hegumenia is responsible for the souls of the sisters. A special prayer is recited during her being ordained, where the Lord entrusts her with the souls of the sisters, whom she must bring to Christ and for whom she will answer on the Day of Judgment. This is the whole burden of the cross of the Abbess - to answer not only for himself, but also for the entrusted souls. After all, in fact, none of us can say anything in his defense. If such righteous people as Rev. Sisoy the Great, before their death, said they did not know whether repentance had begun and whether their works were pleasing to the Lord, then what could sinners tell us about themselves? This responsibility only plunges us to the feet of the Savior and the Mother of God with the plea for help to fulfill obedience, because it is impossible for human forces. Abbess Sergius, the abbess of the Diveevo monastery, the largest convent in Russia, when she was asked at one of our meetings to share the experience of building the monastery and asked what helps her in the hegumen's ministry, answered that, above all, of course, prayers to the Lord and awareness its weakness. Mother then said: “I understand that I myself cannot control my sisters, therefore I always pray for them and put all the trust in the Lord, on the Lady of Heaven, on St. Seraphim.” - Mother, you are a member of the Presidium of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. This year, the Presence Commission on the organization of monasteries and monasticism was headed by Metropolitan George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. The draft "Regulations on monasteries and monastics" when discussing the network gathered a very large number of comments. What is the current state of the document and why, do you think, not only monastics, but also laymen showed such an interest in it? - The draft “Regulations on Monasteries and Monastics” was prepared by the Commission on the Organization of Monasteries and Monasticism and submitted to the Secretariat of the Presence for consideration at the Bishops' Council. Currently, the Commission, chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Georgy is developing a sample of the Charter of the inner life of the monastery. These are important documents that help us organize both external and internal monastic life. With regard to the interest of the laity to these documents, that is, the amazing words of St. John Climacus: "The light to the monks is angels, and the light of the laity is monks." Monasteries have always been for the laity a kind of beacon among the stormy life of the sea and attracted people not only from those who decided to devote themselves to God, but in general all believers. Looking at these beacons, Christians find their way to salvation. Recall how settlements were built up earlier, how Sergiev Posad, for example, came into being. St. Sergius retired from the world to save his soul. But around his cell in the deep forest the brethren began to settle, then ordinary people, and so the whole settlement arose. It is known that suburban settlements were formed around many monasteries, and then cities. It has always been this way, and we hope that this will happen. And nowadays we often find out that when somewhere in the outback a monastery or a courtyard is reborn, life changes around: people come to faith, nearby villages rise from the ruins, the earth begins to bear fruit, the birth rate rises ... Therefore, I think interest in monastic life has always been and remains with the laity today.