Media monitoring: "a certain Bishop Roman of Serpukhovskaya (Gavrilov) is a boring grandfather with a gray face and empty eyes. Vladyka Roman:" You are real soldiers of Christ
After graduating from high school in the city, he entered a vocational school, from which he graduated in 1987.
In July 1987 he was admitted to the subdeacon of Archbishop Anthony (Zavgorodniy, +1989), the ruling bishop of the Stavropol and Baku dioceses.
In December of the same year, he was called up for compulsory military service.
In December 1989, he was admitted to the first class of the Stavropol Diocesan School. St. Ignatiy Bryanchaninov. In 1990 he was transferred to the second class of the reorganized Stavropol Seminary.
Since 1990, he served as subdeacon, Metropolitan of Stavropol and Baku Gedeon (Dokukina, +2003).
On March 20, 1992, while studying in the third year of the Stavropol Theological Seminary, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Roman in honor of St. Roman the Sweet Songwriter.
On April 7, 1992, in the Andreevsky Cathedral of Stavropol, Metropolitan Gedeon of Stavropol and Baku was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. On August 9 of the same year, in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the city of Kislovodsk, he was promoted to the rank of hieromonk.
During the last year of his studies he bore the obedience of the dean of the seminary church and acted as the head of the chancellery of the seminary.
After graduating from the seminary, he was appointed rector of the church of St. Ignatius Stavropolsky (Brianchaninov), acting inspector, as well as a teacher of liturgy and moral theology of the Stavropol Seminary.
Since October 18, 1993 - Executive Secretary, and since May 14, 1994 - Chief Editor of the Pravoslavnoye Slovo newspaper.
In 1995 he entered the full-time department, from which he graduated in 1999 with a PhD in Theology, having defended his thesis on the topic "Ascetic views of Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky)".
Since 1999 - vice-rector for educational work (inspector) of the Stavropol Theological Seminary and rector of the Ignatiev Seminary Church.
From 2009 to 2011 - the listener.
On December 25, 2009, by a resolution of the Holy Synod (), based on the results of the agreement with, as a cleric of the Moscow Diocese in Tbilisi for pastoral service among Russian-speaking believers, with the instruction, if necessary, to represent the position of the Russian Orthodox Church.
On January 4, 2010, with the blessing of the Primate, he began serving in the Tbilisi church of the Apostle John the Theologian.
Bishop on June 18, 2011 at the home church of the Patriarchal Residence in Chisty Pereulok in Moscow. June 19 at the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The divine services were led by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
November 25, 2012, in memory of the celebration of the 380th anniversary of the entry of Yakutia into Russia and the service on this occasion of the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, was awarded by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill a commemorative panagia.
Bishop Roman (Gavrilov Gennady Mikhailovich) was born on February 3, 1957 in an Orthodox family of workers in the city of Kolchugino, Vladimir region.
In 1974 he graduated from the 10th grade of the Berechinskaya secondary school and in the same year he entered the plant named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze as a worker.
1975 to 1977 served in the ranks of the Soviet army. After demobilization from the army, he was sent to work as an inspector in the security department of administrative buildings in the city of Moscow.
1978 to 1980 studied at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys.
An irresistible desire to devote his life to serving God and people in the monastic order prompted to take monastic vows on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6/19, 1980. The tonsure was performed in the Holy Trinity Church with. Low of the Moscow Region by Hieromonk Joseph (Balabanov).
From August 14 to December 17, 1981 he served as a psalmist in the St. Paraskevin Church with. Velikyodvorie Gus-Khrustalny district of the Vladimir region.
December 4/17, 1981 on the day of commemoration of St. great martyr Barbara and st. John Damascene with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Serapion (Fadeev) in the house church of the Bishops' chambers, which is under the Vladimir Diocesan administration, the rector of the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Vladimir, the secretary of the Archbishop of Vladimir and of Suzdal, Archbishop of St. into monasticism with the name Roman, in honor of St. Roman Kirzhachsky, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
On the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the city of Vladimir, Archbishop Serapion of Vladimir and Suzdal was ordained a hierodeacon, and the next day, December 7/20, 1981, by the same Right Reverend Archpastor in the same cathedral, he was ordained a hieromonk and became a cleric of the said council.
From January 20, 1982 to April 15, 1986 - clerk of the Vladimir Diocesan Administration.
In 1983 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary.
On October 18, 1983, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia was awarded the right to wear a pectoral cross.
On April 7, 1985, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen by Archbishop Serapion of Vladimir and Suzdal.
On January 20, 1986, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Pimen was awarded the right to wear a club on the occasion of Holy Easter.
From April 15, 1986 to December 2, 1987 he served as rector of the Holy Dormition Church in the city of Petushki.
On April 20, 1987, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia was awarded the right to wear a cross with decorations.
December 22, 1987 to November 2, 1990, by the definition of the Metropolitan of Chisinau and Moldavian Serapion, was appointed rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Bender.
On January 6, 1988, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Metropolitan Serapion of Kishinev and Moldavia.
In connection with the anniversary of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus in 1988, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen was awarded the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, III degree.
On October 14, 1988, by the definition of the Metropolitan of Chisinau and Moldavian Serapion, he was appointed a member of the Diocesan Council of the Chisinau Diocesan Administration. In the same year he was awarded the Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, III degree, by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Pimen.
In 1989, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Pimen was awarded the right to serve the Divine Liturgy with the opened Royal Doors until the "Our Father".
In 1990 he was elected a member of the Presidium of the Relief Society of the city of Bendery, Moldavian SSR.
On February 18, 1991, he was admitted to the clergy of the Moscow diocese and, by the decree of Metropolitan of Krutitsk and Kolomna, Yuvenaly was appointed rector of the Transfiguration Church in the city of Zheleznodorozhny.
On April 20, 1991, by decree of Metropolitan Yuvenaly, he was appointed Dean of the Churches of the Shchelkovo District.
On November 26, 1992, he was appointed rector of the Borisoglebsk church in the city of Dmitrov, Moscow region, leaving as dean of churches in the Shchelkovo district and rector of the Transfiguration church.
On February 23, 1993 by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, he was approved as the rector of the Borisoglebsk monastery in the city of Dmitrov, Moscow region.
From September 19, 1997 to October 7, 2005, he served as rector of the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Dmitrov, Moscow Region.
On July 28, 2003, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia awarded the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, II degree.
From May 13, 2005 to October 18, 2005, he was rector of the Elisabeth Church in the city of Dmitrov, Moscow Region.
On August 8, 2005, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna was charged with the temporary execution, concurrently, of the duties of the rector of the Ascension David Hermitage in the village of Novy Byt of the Chekhov District of the Moscow Region and the duties of the dean of the churches of the Chekhov District.
On October 7, 2005, by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was appointed rector of the Ascension David Hermitage in the village of Novy Byt, Chekhov District, Moscow Region, and by decree of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsk and Kolomna, he was appointed Dean of the Churches of the Chekhov District.
In 2006 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary. At the Department of Theology, he wrote his thesis on the subject "Basic Theology" on the topic "Critical Analysis of the Worldview Side of the Works of Academician MS Norbekov". In the same year he was enrolled in the first year of external studies at the Moscow Theological Academy (theological department).
On August 10, 2006, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, at the Divine Liturgy in the Smolensk Church of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, led the ordination of Archimandrite Roman to Bishop of Serpukhov, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of October 5-6, 2011 (magazine No. 129), he was appointed abbot of the Vysotsky monastery in Serpukhov, relieved of his duties as rector of the Ascension David Hermitage.
Graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy in 2008.
IA SakhaNews. February 1, 2016 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, the Bishop of Yakutsk and Lensky novel erected by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Cyril to the rank of archbishop. SakhaNews news agency reported this in the press service of the Yakutsk diocese.
Let us remind you that the archbishop is the honorary title of the diocesan bishop, bestowed by the decree of the patriarch.
Head of the city of Yakutsk Aisen Nikolaev and the deputies of the Yakutsk City Duma heartily congratulate Vladyka Roman on his elevation to the rank of archbishop and thank him for his contribution to strengthening the spiritual health of the people, fostering love for the Fatherland, and respect for national shrines.
Reference:
Archbishop of Yakutsk and Lensky novel, in the world Lukin Alexey Alexandrovich, was born on October 11, 1968, on the day of commemoration of the Cathedral of the Reverend Fathers of the Kiev Caves in the Near Caves of the Resting, in the city of Prokhladny, Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in an Orthodox family.
After graduating from high school in the city, he entered the Vocational School, which he graduated in 1987.
In July 1987, he was admitted to the subdeacon of Archbishop Anthony (Zavgorodny, +1989), the ruling bishop of the Stavropol and Baku dioceses.
In December of the same year, he was called up for compulsory military service.
In December 1989 he was admitted to the 1st grade of the Stavropol Diocesan School named after St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. In 1990 he was transferred to the second class of the reorganized Stavropol Seminary.
Since 1990, he served as subdeacon, Metropolitan of Stavropol and Baku Gedeon (Dokukina, +2003).
On March 20, 1992, while studying in the third year of the Stavropol Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Yevgeny (Reshetnikov) (now Archbishop of Vereysk), tonsured into monasticism with the name Roman, in honor of the Monk Roman the Sweet Singer.
On April 7, 1992, Metropolitan Gedeon of Stavropol and Baku, in St.Andrew's Cathedral in the city of Stavropol, was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. On August 9 of the same year, in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the city of Kislovodsk - to the rank of hieromonk.
During the last year of his studies he bore the obedience of the dean of the seminary church and acted as the head of the chancellery of the seminary.
After graduating from the seminary, he was appointed rector of the church of St. Ignatius Stavropolsky (Brianchaninov), acting inspector, as well as a teacher of liturgy and moral theology of the Stavropol Seminary.
Since October 18, 1993 - Executive Secretary, and since May 14, 1994 - Chief Editor of the Pravoslavnoye Slovo newspaper.
In 1995, for his zealous service to the Church of God on the day of Holy Easter, he was awarded a pectoral cross by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
In the same year he entered the full-time department of the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1999 with a Ph.D. in theology and defended his thesis on the topic: "The ascetic views of Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky)."
Since 1999 - vice-rector for educational work (inspector) of the Stavropol Theological Seminary and rector of the Ignatiev Seminary Church.
In 2000, according to the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen on the day of Holy Easter.
In subsequent years, he was the chairman of the Commission for Religious Education and Catechesis of the Stavropol Deanery District, editor and presenter of the spiritual and educational television program "Stavropol Blagovest".
In 2004 he graduated from the psychological faculty of the Institute of Friendship of the Peoples of the Caucasus in Stavropol.
On April 11, 2004, for his zealous service to the Church of God, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia was awarded a cross with decorations.
Since 2005 - the governor of the Cathedral of St. ap. Andrew the First-Called in Stavropol, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatyana and dean of the theological faculty of the Institute of Friendship of the Peoples of the Caucasus. He made several pastoral trips to the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Ingushetia.
During his service in the Stavropol diocese, he initiated a great social and educational work.
On the day of Holy Easter 2006, He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of October 6, 2008 (journal No. 82), he was elected Bishop of Mikhailovsky, vicar of the Stavropol diocese.
Since 2009 - employee of the Department of External Church Relations.
2009 - 2011 - a student of the Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Sts. Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius.
On December 25, 2009, by a resolution of the Holy Synod, following an agreement with the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, as a cleric of the Moscow Diocese, he was sent to Tbilisi for pastoral ministry among Russian-speaking believers with the instruction, if necessary, to represent the position of the Russian Orthodox Church (journal No. 106) ...
On January 4, 2010, with the blessing of the Primate of the Georgian Church, he began serving in the Tbilisi Church of the Apostle John the Theologian.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 30, 2011 he was elected Bishop of Yakutsk and Lensk (journal No. 42).
On June 18, 2011, Archimandrite Roman was named Bishop of Yakutsk and Lensk at the home church of the patriarchal residence in Chisty Lane in Moscow.
On June 19, 2011, on the 1st Week after the Pentecost of All Saints, at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was ordained Bishop of Yakutsk and Lensk. The consecration was performed by: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna Yuvenaly (Poyarkov), Metropolitan of Saransk and Mordovia Barsanuphius (Sudakov), Metropolitan of Borjomi and Bakurian Seraphim (Jojua) (Georgian Orthodox Church) and Bishop O. , Archbishop Arseny of Istra (Epifanov), Archbishop Evgeny (Reshetnikov) of Vereysk, Archbishop of Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust Feofan (Ashurkov), Archbishop of Sergiev Posad Feognost (Guzikov), Bishop of Zaraysk, Episcopal Mercury (Ivanov Pyatigorsk and Circassian Theophylact (Kuryanov), Bishop of Solnechnogorsk Sergius (Chashin).
On November 25, 2012, in memory of the celebration of the 380th anniversary of the entry of Yakutia into Russia and the service on this occasion of the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, he was awarded a memorable panagia by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
On October 23, 2014, by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (Journal No. 91), he was elected a member of the Inter-Council Presence Commission on the organization of the Church Mission.
Church:
2002 - Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, III degree (Russian Orthodox Church);
2012 - Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of Victory in the Patriotic War of 1812" (Russian Orthodox Church);
2013 - medal "Kalozhskaga Kryzh" III degree (Belarusian Exarchate);
2013 - Order of St. Cyril of Turov, 1st degree (Belarusian Exarchate);
2013 - Order of the Holy Blessed Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise (Ukrainian Orthodox Church);
2013 - Order of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles, III degree (Polish Orthodox Church);
2013 - Diploma of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in memory of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus;
2014 - Patriarchal badge "700th anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh";
2015 - Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of the Repose of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir".
Secular:
2005 - medal "10 years to the Institute of Friendship of the Peoples of the Caucasus";
2008 - Medal "For Services to the Stavropol Territory";
Medal "Patriot of Russia";
2012 - jubilee sign "380 years of Yakutia with Russia";
2012 - Medal of the Ussuriysk Military Cossack Society "Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky";
2012 - jubilee sign "380th anniversary of the founding of the city of Yakutsk";
2013 - jubilee sign “370 years of Srednekolymsk”;
2013 - honorary badge "For contribution to the development of the Vilyui ulus";
2013 - jubilee sign of the Office of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia);
2013 - gratitude of the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) No. 859RP.
2015 - Silver medal of the Federal Penitentiary Service "For Contribution to the Development of the Penitentiary System in Russia";
2015 - an honorary badge of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) "For strengthening peace and friendship of peoples"
This month the Yakutsk and Lena diocese celebrates the 20th anniversary of the revival of the department. What has been done during this time? What are the challenges facing missionaries and catechists today? What are the unique features of serving in the Yakutsk land? Who are they, the heroes of the harsh North, bringing the Word of God to people? I told about this and many other things "Thomas" Bishop of Yakutsk and Lensk Roman.
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The first very significant and shocking discovery in Yakutia was huge distances. I taught geography at school, I know the map, but to feel it through the wheels of a car and through my legs in the absence of roads was a real shock. The first trip, fourteen hours, was to Vilyuisk, and this is the central city of Yakutia, not a suburb. Yakutsk and Vilyuisk are two central cities of the republic. Feeling this road with every cell physically - that's what opened up to me the true scale of the territory. They were very frightened by the long winter period, but somehow I did not notice the frost. Probably because he fussed a lot and traveled a lot. The first winter did not leave any noticeable imprint on my memory. Although temperatures are below minus 60 and are now scary.
I realized that my first step should be towards the flock. Not to wait for me to be invited, but to go myself. Then I read from many church historians that the mission of Orthodoxy in Yakutia differed precisely in such a peculiarity: the priest did not wait for people to come to serve him in the rebuilt church, but he himself went to the people, went to the nomadic camps of indigenous peoples and was the first to offer communication , and then a community was created around this and faith in Christ was born. And so it happened that during these two years I was guided by the desire to get to know people, not even curiosity and the need to know the whole of Yakutia, but precisely through these meetings and conversations to affirm the faith of Christ.
The biggest discovery for me in Yakutia turned out to be people. Saint Innocent of Moscow said that Yakutia is a whole world, variegated, diverse. This is exactly what I saw: each region has its own way of life, its inner content, local cultural traditions. In the Arctic uluses, the people are especially distinguished by their sedateness, calmness and thoughtfulness. One of my last trips, to Srednekolymsk, gave me a meeting with amazing people - people with a very deep and sensitive perception of faith and a desire to hear the Word of God. They build the church themselves, log by log. The distance from Yakutsk is great, it is rather closer to Magadan, but the priest is not there. This central Kolyma territory suffered greatly during the persecution. About ten priests alone from this ulus were shot for their faith.
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The great joy during these endless off-road movements is what opens up to the left and right of the track - incredible landscapes. The virgin beauty of nature, which has not yet been spoiled by human intervention, always uplifts the mood and in a special way encourages. Looking through the road dust at this beauty, you even forget about the difficulties of movement. We have unique animals - very beautiful Yakut horses, they are more wild than domestic ones. They graze themselves both in summer and in winter, visiting a person only at the time of the appearance of offspring. In winter, they pick the snow with their hooves and get to the frozen grass.
In one of the interviews with Vladyka Zosima * I read that in Yakutia in winter people gaze intently at each other, in the eyes and at the face, and not at all out of curiosity or with impudence, but for the sake of preventing frostbite. In 50-degree frost it is very easy not to notice how you freeze your nose, cheeks, ears - they begin to turn white, and a person often does not feel it. Therefore, people look at each other with such care and empathy. These harsh conditions have influenced the relationship between people, they are always helpful and considerate. I did not know these features, but on any trip people, even complete strangers, asked me if I had worn good shoes and warm clothes. From such care it was pleasant and warm in my soul, after all, this is not only about health, it concerns the whole life in general.
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Natural conditions, of course, are very harsh, difficult and leave an imprint on the plans, on the construction of movements. People introduced them to their homeland, suggested how to properly take into account the specifics of natural conditions. Until now, they advise me not to plan events one after another, you need to have a supply of several days, because it may rain and the runway will get wet. There are about fifteen airports in Yakutia with unpaved runways - you can get stuck for several days in a remote village. Thank God, until the Lord punished me with such sorrows. It happened that flights were postponed for several hours, the biggest - five hours at the airport waiting for boarding, but for several days - so far. With such exceptional climatic difficulties, it is very important that everyone helps each other.
For a long time I could not get used to the local cuisine. It is simple and very dignified, but it has a lot of meat and fish, a lot of foal and venison. Now even favorite dishes have appeared. Salamat is a hot appetizer that is served before all meals, basically fried flour with cream or sour cream. Here they cook very tasty carp, removing only bile from them, leaving all the insides, the fish turns out juicy, unlike Central Russia, where carp is something fried to a crust and crispy. In Yakutia, crucian carp is a cult dish in culinary terms.
In the absence of roads, the high cost of flights was a very unpleasant surprise. A flight within the republic is three times more expensive than a ticket from Yakutsk to Moscow. To visit Tiksi or Chokurdakh, you need 25 thousand rubles one way. To perform the episcopal service, I take at least one more person with me, more often two assistants are needed. Here is such a very difficult situation - and immediately hits the pocket, and humbles. For the most part I am accompanied on trips by Hierodeacon Father Simeon, such a man-orchestra: he takes photographs, serves, dresses, writes news and texts, carries heavy suitcases with literature, loves and regents. All regions, all 32 ulus of the republic, can be reached only from Yakutsk. It is simply impossible to drive through the neighboring uluses, you need to return to the capital. For example, residents of distant regions, perhaps, have never been to Yakutsk itself, not to mention other uluses. To travel from Olenok to Yakutsk or from Yakutsk to Srednekolymsk, you only need to pay more than 50 thousand rubles one way and spend two days on it. Due to such distances, territories have historically evolved in different ways. There are many-sided regions with different ethnic composition of the population. The sad sight of the abandoned northern territories. It is very difficult to observe this picture. So I want to help somehow, to do something.
The most convenient road is in winter. They joke here: the best pavers are snow and frost. As soon as the snow falls, the road is already obtained, especially when it is then laid along the river - an ideal route. Many settlements are generally only accessible during the winter season. However, there is also a very high risk in winter. Almost all cars since October have double glazing, even the coolest SUVs. If the only car you are driving stalls, then there is only one or two hours left: the car is immediately set on fire, and while it burns, there is a hope not to freeze and wait for someone to pass by. There is no telephone connection between the villages for tens of kilometers. Therefore, it is imperative to drive with several cars, but even then it is still a risk.
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During our stay in Yakutia, we tried all means of transportation, including a dog sled ride (we drove 70 kilometers in one day). It was an expedition dedicated to the memory of missionaries of the past - we tried to get closer to the conditions in which the enlighteners of the 18th and 19th centuries lived. Having felt with every cell of your body all the complexity and heaviness of the then ministry of St. Innocent and other ascetics, you begin to understand more deeply the responsibility that lies with us - in our conditions, with modern conveniences. I gained even more respect for those who in former times worked on this land, traveled, educated people.
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One of the brightest and most significant researchers of Christianity in Yakutia, Inna Igorevna Yurganova, writes that until 1916 there were about 300 churches and chapels in Yakutia, in which more than 200 priests served. Moreover, it should be noted that half of them were Yakuts. By 1993, almost nothing remained of the temples. Now, when this year we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the revival of the Yakut diocese, we have 65 churches and 60 priests. But the number of settlements that would like to have a priest and regular services is twice as large. With our transport specifics, not everyone can go to the locality where there is a church and a community with a priest.
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Raising a priest is much harder and more difficult than building temples. This is a longer and more painstaking process, which is why so much attention is paid to the seminary, and significant funds are allocated for its maintenance. Our student's training costs several times more than the same training in Moscow or St. Petersburg. But we deliberately do this, because we need to cultivate pastors from the indigenous people for whom this climate is familiar, and this specificity of life in all its diversity, cultural and climatic, is all native and our own.
The priests serving here, on the one hand, arrived with the first bishop of the revived Yakut diocese, now Metropolitan German. Of these, I would single out Archpriest Sergiy Klintsov, rector of our Transfiguration Cathedral. A man who has been pursuing asceticism in Yakutia for 12 years is a very famous missionary, even, perhaps, an example of a missionary. The fact that he is also a good photographer testifies to the brightness and giftedness of his personality. The second group - those who were ordained already under Vladyka Herman, were brought up by him. These are the rector of the Nikolsky Church, Archpriest Alexei Zarubin and the rector of the Archangel Church, Archpriest Mikhail Pavlov. Another part of the priests came with me, at my invitation, to support church life, these are my seminary students, and they deeply believe in what they are doing. We arrived because the heroes. True, I will not tell them this, they are still young - they can become proud.
For me personally, it is a great joy that in two years we have ordained two Yakut priests. Now we have three of them in our diocese. The cleric of the Nikolsky Church, Father Pavel Sleptsov, was ordained four years ago, after graduating from the Moscow Theological Seminary. He is a very energetic person and the first translator of liturgical texts into the Yakut language. Father Alexander Borisov, ordained by me, was born and raised in Yakutia, our student, now he serves in the Suntarsky district.
An interesting story with Father Mikhail Innokentiev, who was first called to serve and ordained, and now he is studying at our Yakut seminary in absentia. He is a father of many children - four children, works as an accountant in the Federal Treasury. On one of my visits to Verkhnevilyuisk, I saw him during a divine service in the parish community. The parishioners spoke very well of him, and I invited him to become a priest. It was difficult for him to make a decision right away, he needed time for reflection in order to consult with his wife. Two weeks later, he called and gave his consent, but at the same time he had to keep his old, secular, job - and this was agreed.
Is it possible to cite some statistics, to estimate the number of Orthodox people? The figures are very different and contradictory. I am not a supporter of such calculations at all. But three times a year - at Christmas, Easter and Epiphany - our churches are overcrowded. And during off-service hours, a very large number of people come to these churches all year round with various questions and needs. Therefore, I think that there are really a lot of Orthodox Christians in Yakutia. Spiritual life and questions of faith are far from being in the last place among the Yakut people. Another thing is that due to the specifics of the North, this return to faith is taking place more slowly than we would like. In face-to-face communication, at meetings in schools or in factories, people slowly open up. Recently, my advisor took me to the window in the church and showed me how many people were standing behind the fence, looking at the cathedral with deep respect and interest and not leaving, waiting for the end of the service. Our task is to reach out to them and help them so that these sprouts of faith and spiritual requests are realized.
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Relations with the authorities have been and are being built quite difficult. Apparently because I'm a new person they should have looked at me. I will say that all the issues that I identified - the transfer of the land of the Spassky Monastery, the return of the Trinity Cathedral, the erection of three more churches in the city and the allocation of land for their construction - I received consent and approval for everything. However, my wishes for the priests to be included in public life were not immediately positively received, but now we are invited to a number of significant events and socially important events.
There is a problem with the "Foundations of Orthodox Culture" in schools, there is a problem of relations with the Ministry of Education, in which one feels tension and even a certain chill, a fear of meeting us halfway. Here today is perhaps the biggest problem, as evidenced by the resolution of His Holiness the Patriarch to our annual report. Patriarch Kirill indicated that we have a low percentage of those who chose this subject, that this direction should be the subject of constant concern for the next two or three years. This is a significant and big problem. Although I will say that we have done a lot to meet the Ministry of Education halfway. Moreover, for two years during each trip, I always visit all schools and meet with students and teachers, so far I have not received a single refusal to meet. However, on an ongoing basis, on a regular and closer basis, mutual cooperation has not yet worked out. This is my biggest concern.
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Here's a final example. I was invited to the August republican meeting at the Ministry, but it is scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning on August 19 - the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Great Twelve Feast, and we also have this feast day. What should I do? How do I decide whether to stay with the flock or go to the teachers who are holding an important meeting? It's complicated. Sometimes it seems that everything that the Ministry of Education does is built on such a junction of tension. But, I hope, they hear me, both in relation to teachers, and in general to the Ministry of Education, the Lord will help melt some distrust and remove this wall.
The most revealing positive example of our relationship with the secular authorities will be that in October, when we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revival of the diocese, a package of documents will be prepared for the transfer and return of the Trinity Cathedral. Moreover, with the help of the secular authorities, we will restore it.
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Another of the problems that I voiced at the meeting of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Viktor Ishaev: it would be nice to somehow help us in moving around the republic. The success of educational activities, the success of the work of priests in the field of spiritual and moral education depends on the frequency of travel, because we do not yet have permanent priests in many places. The small number of priests who are eager and able to travel, have the necessary knowledge and experience, but often do not have the opportunity to make such trips due to the high cost of flights. Yes, we were told that the state allocates funds to compensate for flights, but where to get this compensation, how to join this program?
Our missionary priest is more than just a performer of worship, although this is the main thing. he performs the functions of an educator and educator. If we consider its usefulness from the point of view of the whole society - it is an educator in the most sublime sense of the word, it is a psychologist, it is a spiritual doctor who hears and prompts, this is a person who will help solve many social and topical problems. It is no secret that the problem of suicide is very significant for Yakutia. To solve all problems together and together, help us get to those in need in those distant arctic uluses. We simply cannot do this often because our diocesan budget is very modest. A significant part of the priests, due to the weakness of the parishes, receive our salaries here, in the cathedral. Thus, the city of Yakutsk contains all our priests. This is the prose of the day.
Over the course of two years, we have regularly broadcast two television programs *. When I visit the uluses, meet with residents, I see what response these programs find. They are watched with attention, remembered, and then at our meetings they raise the topics that were touched upon in them. In Yakutia, a large number of people are baptized, who want to get answers to their questions about faith. Of course, these are indirect signs, indirect. But that such an awakening is taking place is a fact. You can't rush, you can't push, you have to wait. The seeds were sown before us, under the lords Herman and Zosima, we must help them germinate, grow stronger and begin their life in the church fence.
I have faith from birth, but I will not say that this is unambiguously good, because faith absorbed with mother's milk is not subjected to critical analysis. For the first time, I began to defend faith from the standpoint of knowledge and substantiate it with the help of the intellect, and not the heart and soul, when I was already in the army. I turned out to be unprepared for the questions of my colleagues, for I myself did not go through the search in which they were. This was a period not of a crisis of faith, but of an intellectual substantiation of the commandments. This was my first test - to defend my faith and my beliefs.
At first it was difficult for me in the army, because I was not ready for extreme conditions, but I got used to it quickly. And the fact that they knew about me that I was a church man, a believer, even kept me from getting involved in any conflicts, helped me myself. When I tried to cheat somewhere, they said to me: “How so? You are the future pop! You can't. " They looked for answers to difficult questions from me, consulted with me, shared their emotional experiences: someone quarreled with a girl in a letter, someone had difficulties in the family. This was my first counseling experience. For example, they wake up at night and say what the commander is calling. I come. He sits me down at the table in the "red corner" and says that he had a quarrel with his wife, does not know what to do, and begins to pour out his soul to a soldier who is twice his age. But the commander realizes that in front of him is almost a priest. By that time, I was fond of the spiritual heritage of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, and this helped me a lot, since it was his advice that I gave to those who needed them (I could not give my advice: where would I get them - without experience and at such a young age ).
We have a parish in Tiksi, where the Synodal Missionary Department sends priests for certain periods to help - in this case, Father Agafangel (Belykh), he is coming for the second time - and students of the Belgorod Seminary. An agreement on this was concluded with the head of the department, Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Staraya Oskol, even during the time of the ever-memorable Bishop Zosima, and was later confirmed by me. This is such a missionary camp, which is supported by the attention and care of the Synodal Missionary Department.
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It is supposed to pay similar attention to one more distant parish. In Yakutia there is the Allaikhovsky ulus, which is located on the same parallel as Tiksi, and there is the old village of Russkoye Ustye. In the 17th century, it was founded by immigrants from Veliky Novgorod, and until now the inhabitants of this village, numbering one hundred and fifty people, have preserved in a kind of folklore version of the songs of two hundred or three hundred years ago, the dialect and traditions of Veliky Novgorod. When Metropolitan of Novgorod and Starorusskiy Lev learned about this story, he proposed to create a program of assistance and support for the Russian Ustye. Thanks to the administration of Veliky Novgorod and Novgorod entrepreneurs, a wooden church was cut down; now it floats to the Russian Ustye in a disassembled state. Vladyka Leo took care not only of the construction of the church, but also of its complete interior decoration and maintenance, moreover, he promised that a priest would also come from Veliky Novgorod.
Photo by Yulia Makoveichuk and Archpriest Sergiy Klintsov
23 new churches in four years! Another 25 are laid or on the way ... 28 priests, ordained during this time to the priesthood. Many of them have already gone to their place of service - to the most distant parishes of Yakutia, to most of which "you can only fly by plane."
If we comprehend these data, the conclusion follows: the pace of restoration of the Yakut diocese in recent years can probably be called rapid. What helps to restore the Yakut diocese, which will celebrate its 145th anniversary in 2015? What problems are waiting to be solved? We talked about this with Bishop Roman of Yakutsk and Lena.
Each temple has its own story
Vladyka, when you arrived in Yakutia in 2011, in one of the first interviews with you, I remember asking: is it possible to restore the destroyed economy of the diocese in its pre-revolutionary form? You answered: hardly. But since then, every year new churches appear in the republic: in 2012 - 9, in 2013 - 4, in 2014 - 6. It turns out that in a good sense you are refuting your own words. And if it goes like this ...
Well, in fairness, I must say that the history of the construction of many of them began long before my arrival here. I just picked up what my predecessors had started, continued and brought it to the end.
It is difficult to restore what once was, and it is unlikely that it will be possible in the same volume. After all, before the revolution, the Orthodox Church was officially supported by the state. Today, all support is donations from parishioners. Everything we do: our educational projects, educational work, seminary, and social activities - everything is based exclusively on them.
However, in a sense, this is even good! Because we are independent of the budgets of different levels and do not chase after them. Yes, what we have today is clearly not enough, but all this is honest, transparent and noble.
- And, nevertheless, new temples - every year ...
Yes, they open up! And each has its own unique story. Indeed, in one case, some large company suddenly decides to take on all construction costs. And that's one story.
The Church of St. George the Victorious in Neryungri is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory. This is a "people's building", which is very symbolic