Volkov Alexander Alexandrovich

Religious figure. Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. Head of the Information Commission of the Moscow Diocese. Rector of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo. Head of the press service of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (06/5/2012-09/11/2019).

Alexander Volkov was born on March 13, 1982 in Moscow. Baptized in infancy. He began serving as an altar boy in 1995 in the Church of St. Tatiana at Moscow State University. Since 1999, he has been the senior altar boy and sacristan of the temple.

Later, in 2001, the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, blessed the young minister of the church to wear a cassock. During the years of altar service in the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana, he also performed various parish and church-wide obediences related to the organization and conduct of missionary trips of the church parish to the Kostroma and Barnaul dioceses.

Since 2003, Alexander has been a freelance employee of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church in the position of assistant. In this position, he repeatedly visited theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of inspection groups led by Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee.

In July 2004, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, he took part in the All-Diaspora Congress of Orthodox Youth in the American city of San Francisco, as part of an official group from the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2004, the clergyman graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. During the years of study at the department, he completed a summer internship at the universities of Athens and Cyprus, and also repeatedly visited the borders of Greece and Cyprus for pilgrimage and educational purposes.

From 2004 to 2005, Alexander Volkov served in the ranks of the Russian armed forces. Having been demobilized, in October 2005, Bishop Alexander of Dmitrov ordained him to the rank of deacon and, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, was enrolled in the staff of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Until 2009, 2009 was an employee of the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate. He held the position of editor of the “Orthodox Moscow” section.

In 2009, the clergyman moved to the position of deputy head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' dated June 5, 2012, Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov took over the post of head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. At the end of December 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained him to the rank of priest.

By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated June 7, 2021, Alexander was released from obedience in the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Lomonosov Moscow State University and appointed rector of the Moscow Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Solntsevo district.

On April 23, 2021, in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, Alexander Volkov was awarded the right to wear a pectoral cross.

Priest Alexander Volkov, by order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, was removed from the post of head of the patriarchal press service on September 11, 2019

Former press secretary of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, priest Alexander Volkov, on December 20, 2021, headed the Information Commission of the Moscow Diocese. In his new position, he will coordinate and control temple information resources.

Awards of Alexander Volkov

2014 - Order of St. Sava, III degree (Serbian Orthodox Church)

2016 — Medal “1000th anniversary of the repose of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir”

2019 - Order of the Holy Blessed. book Daniil of Moscow III degree

Family of Alexander Volkov

Wife: Varvara Volkova. Has three children.

24.12.2019

Priest Alexander Volkov: We need to be open and honest towards society

The head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', rector of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo, priest Alexander Volkov, tells readers about the information life of the Russian Orthodox Church (No. 9, 2018). PDF version

— Father Alexander, we are talking with you on the eve of one of the largest Orthodox media forums - the International Festival of Orthodox Media “Faith and Word.” Who do you think should build relationships: the Church with the media or the media with the Church?

— Before answering this question, we need to understand how we view the Church. If as a public institution, then the Church, like any large organization, must establish cooperation with the outside world, including by broadcasting its position through the media. And for this it is important to communicate with journalists, give them explanations and comments, and take care of the quality of the public image. It is also important to understand here that in our time the media is not a tool, but an independent player that defines its own rules for all other participants in the public process. From this point of view, I think everything is clear, the rules are generally accepted, and they should be followed.

But if you look at the Church more deeply, then your question begins to emerge differently. The essence of our mission is the preaching of Christ. And this key component of the Church completely distinguishes it from any other secular, political and religious institutions. This is why, in my opinion, the Church is inherently in a different position. The Church is a community of believers gathered around Christ, around the Eucharist. Introducing people to Christ and including them in the community is the main goal of the Church. And its achievement puts us in a deliberately losing position, since the sermon about Christ cannot be conveyed by the means that the media provokes us to use. I will say even more clearly - preaching Christ in secular media, in my opinion, is impossible. You can use tools to remind you of faith, to answer questions, but real preaching in the media is preaching in context. Is it really possible to preach about Christ on an equal basis with other, perhaps harmless, but different in their semantic status things?

— It turns out that the Church actually doesn’t owe anyone anything? This is precisely the request of journalists: urgently provide information!

— The Church is guided by different principles, and it has a completely different system of values. They motivate our actions. The Church is often accused of a slow reaction, some kind of backwardness, and slowness. This is largely due to the fact that we do not need to earn a reputation, justify our actions, or explain some undeclared goals. The Church preaches Christ. And we will always be different for this world, outcasts, even if we are in the majority, when the bulk of citizens call themselves Orthodox. In relation to the whole world, the Church will always remain a minority. However, in different eras and times, she used the opportunities and tools for the mission of Christ that existed at that time. Now we, too, can use the technologies that the human mind creates in missions. But since modern means and instruments are very ambiguous, I think the Church needs to be careful in choosing these means and not get carried away. In addition, it is important to understand that the more often we use them, the more dependent we become on them. There is always a desire to bring the message of Christ to as many people as possible, and modern technologies make it possible to do this very effectively. But efficiency does not always equal benefit for the Church. We, of course, must be open and willing to dialogue, but it is important to understand that this is not our end in itself. In the sense that this question stands in relation to other social institutions. This makes the Church very different from other participants in the socio-political process.

— More than 10 years ago there was a thesis that we, in principle, need press secretaries and information departments or commissions in dioceses. More than once I had to explain how to work with the press, what a media card and a journalist pool are. Now new opportunities are opening up for all those involved in the information mission of the Church. How do you see them?

— I would not say that now it is completely clear to everyone why there is an information block within the Church. New dioceses are being created, new bishops are being ordained who have not previously encountered information work in their lives. Sometimes, in conversations with new archpastors, I talk in detail about what a press secretary should do and what falls within the competence of the diocese’s information department.

In this regard, the initiatives of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media to conduct advanced training courses for employees of information departments of dioceses are very important. The festival “Faith and Word” is important, an informational direction within the framework of the International Christmas Educational Readings.

However, it is now very important for us within the Church to realize that society is in a qualitatively different situation - it has become more open and demanding towards all members. And we must take into account the public demands that are now being formulated. Openness, transparency, simplicity of dialogue - this is what people expect from the Church today. In the 1990s and 2000s, we were convinced that it was better not to say anything, not to tell anything, otherwise there would be misinterpretations and erroneous comments. This position is also explained by the fact that in those years there were many unfair attacks on the Church and people closed themselves off, became isolated, got scared, and decided that the Church was a “no comments” office. “It is better to say nothing than to say something somehow and then have some negative consequences from it” - this was the logic of the information reality of that time.

We see the consequences of such an attitude now, when people of the Church sometimes try not to tell anyone about anything. Unfortunately, this often leads to sad consequences when we really cannot even say about our own achievements and capabilities. But we also have good examples of the opposite - the press service of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service manages to testify to the #good deeds of the Church (such a hashtag for marking messages on the Internet about social service and church charity was created in the Synodal Department in 2021). And as a result of this work, society has now formed a correct understanding that the Church is a very confident, professional participant in the social process in our country.

The task of the modern diocesan press service is not only to talk about the current activities of the ruling bishop, but to form in people a positive and correct image of the Church in this particular region. This task is much broader than just publishing releases and supporting the diocesan website, chronicling the life of the bishop. Society is interested in learning about church services, and our key task is to tell about Christ and thereby bring people to church. It is important that anyone can go into church and not only light a candle, but also communicate with the priest and ask him questions. So gradually people are drawn into community life. But for this small, private story to happen, a colossal amount of work needs to be done. The mechanisms for carrying out the mission are not very noticeable outwardly, but the information ministry is precisely designed to contribute to the achievement of the highest missionary goals of the Church.

Today a person receives information from a huge number of sources - not only from television, not only from the press, not only from the Internet in its traditional sense. Along with preaching or talking about the life of the Church, it is important for us to understand that it is useless to hide any negative things that arise. The correct reaction to negative situations within the Church allows serious problems to be quickly overcome. We need to be open and honest towards society, which expects this honesty and openness from the Church.

— Is the image of the Church in the public field today real or distorted?

— The public field is very different. In that part of society that has the opportunity to analyze and see some processes quite deeply, and not just be guided by an opinion formed in advance, there is a completely positive and objective assessment of the role of the Church. Among many politicians, businessmen, military men, and public figures, the Church’s initiatives find support. The authorities, as I see it, observing the church-public dialogue, support the Church in the construction of churches and promote the development of diocesan life not for the sake of political bonuses. Businessmen invest their money in missionary projects or the construction of temples also not at all for the sake of orders and praise. People share Christian values and want to serve the Lord in different ways.

Many young people, as well as accomplished people, treat the Church with understanding and interest. The parishes are supported by talented, successful laity, completely self-sufficient, but at the same time sharing the Orthodox worldview, placing God at the center of their lives.

However, another part of society, especially in the regions, forms a biased and false idea about the Church. In many ways, it consists of the stream of garbage that falls on people on social networks. In general, the modern young generation, not only in Russia, are people who grew up in a completely different coordinate system. In Eastern Europe and Greece, young people often have no interest in Orthodoxy either. I'm not sure that this circumstance can be dealt with somehow. But we must try to conduct a dialogue, to testify about Christ.

— How do you see church officialdom today and what is missing from it?

— The officialdom itself is an already established format, it is our given, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to change it significantly. But it is worth looking for new formats for presenting information.

— How do you assess whether the Patriarchal Press Service is innovative? Do you have innovative projects? Or is it rather static in its activities?

“We are trying to move forward and develop, to use new means of broadcasting the church word. However, you don't always have to just change something just because it seems fashionable or modern. There are a lot of nuances in our activities. In the near future we will introduce new options for visualization, videography, and photography. At the same time, it is important to adhere to constants, in particular the established procedure for submitting information on the official resource “Patriarchia.ru”. A large number of Internet users are accustomed to a certain recording of events. Chronicle writing is an integral part of our work.

Similar processes can be observed in the media. Many traditional media outlets are diversifying while maintaining their established form. For example, despite the improvement of the Internet versions of news agency websites, they still have news feeds one way or another. They are on the Internet, in the teletype, in the mail - the tape is always the same. Over the past 15 years, we have created a certain standard for presenting information on a daily basis on the Internet. There is no need to change anything significantly about it.

A very important component of our activities is archiving and recording the history of the ministry of the Patriarchs. We are the owners of a unique amount of information - photos and videos about the life of our entire Church - reflecting, first of all, the ministry of the Primates of the Russian Orthodox Church in recent decades. We are collecting and cataloging this array. Within the Church there is a problem of preserving and preserving all the visual heritage that has been collected over decades. And this topic needs to be developed somehow; we can hardly handle this alone. Colleagues from the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate and other structures are thinking about this with us. It would be important to create a unified archive of the Russian Orthodox Church.

— Is the photo section, opened in 2021 as an independent web resource, part of a larger archival history?

“This is one of those facets that can become part of an archival project.” But still, the photo site can be attributed to a greater extent to our visual preaching, to photographic evidence of the life of the Russian Church. We present an opportunity to see the Church from a historical perspective. From the present time until the appearance of photographs. The resource foto.patriarchia.ru presents photographs of the first Patriarch of the 20th century, St. Tikhon, and the historical Council of 1917-1918.

In addition, we show the life of the Church at the present stage in a wide range: from the ministry of the Patriarch and the activities of synodal structures and further to the life of all dioceses in Russia and abroad. And we invite dioceses and all those who are inclined to implement this direction.

In the current century, visual information is becoming almost the main topic to which people turn. He counts on her first and foremost. Now we are thinking about how to connect a video project in a similar format to the photo site. We also work on social networks in our area of visibility. This is a slightly different topic. And although I think we should be careful with them, we are present on all social networks.

We will come to the 10th anniversary of the Local Council in 2009 with some results and updates of our activities. This will be a very important milestone for the entire Church, and we will not stand aside. Each of us will need to look back and look at all that has already been done. And a lot has been done.

— There are a lot of lay people working in the field of church media. But at the same time, you can often hear that the Church is a hierarchical institution, so it is difficult for the laity to work in it. Is the presence or absence of rank an obstacle to fruitful work in the Church?

— Recently, in one conversation, the Patriarch shared his thoughts on what the Divine Liturgy is. In his opinion, the Liturgy is performed not by the Patriarch, nor by the bishop, nor by the priest. The Liturgy is celebrated by the entire community of believers, led by their primate - a bishop or priest. The role of each person in the community is important, and one cannot say that there is some kind of exclusive supremacy of the hierarchy. There is no Church without a bishop and hierarchy, but at the same time there is no Church without a community of believers. It is the community in its entirety that constitutes the Church.

In any community there is an organic, natural and appropriate place for everyone. Yes, a layman cannot stand at the throne and perform the Divine Liturgy. But the laity has a lot of other tasks: Liturgy cannot happen without singing, reading, without cleaning the church, without icon painting. Also in our administrative life, the laity are an organic, natural part of the Church. And a person has talents not because the Church lays the hands of the bishop on a person, but because the Lord gives a person talents. And not only clergy, but also laity can serve the Church. The point is not what hierarchical status you have, but how much you are ready to serve the Church, how much you want to sacrifice yourself, your time in order to organize church life.

Lay people today lead synodal institutions, large and small church projects, including media projects, thereby revealing their talents in the Church. Patriarch Kirill is not afraid to delegate powers, including to the laity. It is important for him to see the burning in the eyes and in the heart, it is important to see reasoning and readiness to serve.

— The head of the Patriarchal Press Service is the rector of a large Moscow parish, the father of a large family... How do you manage to combine everything?

— Probably, if you look at everything in separate directions, then in each of them you can find vacuums that could be filled if I were doing just one thing. But the variety of activities seems to reveal a different understanding of processes and a wealth of possibilities. I can only thank God that he gives me the strength to combine all this. In my opinion, it is important to be able to connect different areas of activity. In addition, any leader needs to look for people who can be relied on and to whom they can delegate authority. It is important to surround yourself with like-minded people who can support you.

People need to be trusted - at work, in the parish, at home. If you think that without you everything will collapse now and you have to keep track of everything every second, then this is a false, vain position. It won't lead to anything good, but it will stall a lot. If you learn to trust people and motivate them with your support, praise them, then they will actually work well and responsibly.

I look at some of our bishops who simultaneously perform several very complex obediences in the Church: they lead large administrations, manage dioceses and metropolises and a huge number of parishes - it’s even difficult to imagine this economy. Compared to them, I don't have many responsibilities. Probably, lack of time has finally become an inevitable component of our lives. There is never enough of it, even if you are completely immersed in only one area of activity. Sometimes I have relatively free weeks at work, when I completely immerse myself in parish life. Then I’m still in the temple from morning to night and my wife calls me and asks: “When will you come home?”

I am sure that it is important for any person to master the ability to plan their time in order to competently distribute their tasks and clearly structure them. Sometimes we spend more time on a significant number of things than they deserve. If you approach wisely the time that the Lord allows, then much will become possible for a believer who is ready to work for the benefit of the Church.

Priest Alexander Volkov. In 2004 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. On October 18, 2005, he was ordained to the rank of deacon and enrolled in the staff of the Church of St. mts. Tatiana at Moscow State University. In 2005-2009 - employee of the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate, editor of the “Orthodox Moscow” section. By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated June 5, 2012, he was appointed head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. In 2015 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary. On December 27, 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained him to the rank of priest. On June 7, 2021, he was appointed rector of the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo.

Interviewed by Evgenia Zhukovskaya

"Church Messenger"

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Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology in Moscow. January 7, 2021

Priest Alexander Volkov says:

When preparing any events, the route of movement is thought out in advance, and the places where the Patriarch will go are agreed upon. But this Christmas, when His Holiness was visiting a children's cancer center, the route was unexpectedly changed.

At a meeting with children and parents, a tearful mother approached the Patriarch and asked him to go up two floors to her child, who was lying in intensive care. The Patriarch, of course, agreed and came to little Vanya. It’s very difficult for him, all the doctors abandoned him, and only in the Blokhin center they are trying to help the baby.

Photo by Oleg Varov

Temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo, Moscow

Date of birth: March 13, 1982, Moscow Date of consecration: December 27, 2015

He began serving as an altar boy in 1994 at the Zaikonospassky Monastery. He stayed there for several months, and in January 1995 he moved to the community of the revived Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University. From February of the same year he became an altar boy at the Tatyana Church.

In 1999, he entered the full-time department of the Philological Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Philology.

In the same year he became the senior altar boy and sacristan of the same church. As he himself recalled: “We did not have a solemn elevation to the rank of senior altar boy at the Small Entrance during the Divine Liturgy, everything happened by itself. I realized that church service is where I see myself. <…> The memory of joint work will remain in my heart for the rest of my life. After all, at the time when we were altar servers, we had real brotherhood! We did a huge number of things related to hard physical labor (cleaning, washing, polishing - after all, there were constant repairs in the temple!), and not just putting on a white shirt and going out with a candle, which in itself is also not easy - we ourselves have been doing this for a long time studied and taught others.”

In 2001, the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Sergius (Fomin) of Solnechnogorsk, was blessed to wear a cassock.

During the years of altar service in the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana, he also performed various parish and church-wide obediences related to the organization and conduct of missionary trips of the parish of the temple, church-wide events within the walls of the temple - Congresses of Orthodox Youth, Conferences through the Educational Committee.

During the years of study at the department, he completed a summer internship at the universities of Athens (2000), Cyprus (2001), and also repeatedly visited Greece and Cyprus for pilgrimage and educational purposes.

In 2001-2002, he took part in the translation from Greek of the works of Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis), abbot of the Simonopetra monastery on Mount Athos, which were published as a separate book in the publishing house of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University - “Archimandrite Emilian. Knowledge of God, Worship. God-thinking. M. 2002."

In 2002, he married Varvara Andreevna Butneva. The wedding took place in the Tatyana Church on November 20.

In 2003, he became a freelance employee of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church as an assistant. In this position, he repeatedly visited theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of inspection groups led by Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, deputy chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 2004 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology and defended his diploma on the topic “Treatise of Patriarch Photius “On the Holy Spirit” translation and philological commentary.”

In July 2004, he took part in the All-Diaspora Congress of Orthodox Youth in San Francisco (ROCOR) as part of an official group from the Russian Orthodox Church led by Archpriest Maxim Kozlov.

In the same year he was drafted into the army, served in units of the Space Forces, military unit 26179.

On October 18, 2005, in the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Cherkizovo, Bishop Alexander (Agrikov) of Dmitrov was ordained to the rank of deacon, after which he underwent a preparatory course in the Church of the Great Ascension for a month. By decree of Patriarch Alexy II he was enrolled in the staff of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University in Moscow.

Since 2005, he worked in the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate, which in 2009 was transformed into the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. He was the editor of the “Orthodox Moscow” section on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate “Patriarchia.ru”.

Since 2009 - Deputy Head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On May 10, 2010, in the evening on Michurinsky Prospekt in Moscow, a car in which Deacon Alexander was with his wife and children collided with a car that unexpectedly drove out of the oncoming lane. Alexander was taken to a Moscow hospital with fractures and a concussion. But everything worked out.

On April 20, 2011, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was awarded the right to wear a double orarion.

On June 5, 2012, he was appointed head of the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On December 27, 2015, in the Moscow Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Yasenevo, Patriarch Kirill ordained him to the priesthood.

On June 8, 2021, by Decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo.

Raises five children.

Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. September 3, 2014

Priest Alexander Volkov says:

In this photo, the girl Mila is sitting next to the Patriarch. About a year earlier, she, at that moment a pupil of the St. Demetrius orphanage, wrote a letter to His Holiness. She asked the Patriarch to pray that she would have parents. Soon the Patriarch invited Mila and her friends from the orphanage to the Christmas tree in the Kremlin. That Christmas of 2014, His Holiness addressed all adults from the stage of the Kremlin Palace with an appeal not to be afraid to adopt children. And within a few months Mila... had parents! No, they didn’t hear this story about the letter and about the Kremlin Christmas tree - they just decided to take a child from the orphanage into the family. And in September 2014, during a pastoral visit to the Pskov Metropolis, Patriarch Kirill met with Mila, now his beloved daughter in the Fomin family.

Photo by priest Igor Palkin

Russian Orthodox Church

Since 1995 - altar boy of the Church of St. mts. Tatiana at Moscow State University, since 1999 - senior altar boy and sacristan of the temple.

In 2001, the head of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, blessed the wearing of a cassock.

During the years of altar service in the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana, he also performed various parish and church-wide obediences related to the organization and conduct of missionary trips of the parish of the temple to the Kostroma and Barnaul dioceses, general church events within the walls of the temple - Congresses of Orthodox Youth, conferences of the Educational Committee.

Since 2003 - freelance employee of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church in the position of assistant. In this position, he repeatedly visited theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of inspection groups led by Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee.

In July 2004, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, he took part in the All-Diaspora Congress of Orthodox Youth in San Francisco (ROCOR) as part of the official group from the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 2004 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. During the years of study at the department, he completed a summer internship at the universities of Athens (2000), Cyprus (2001), and also repeatedly visited Greece and Cyprus for pilgrimage and educational purposes.

In 2001-2002 took part in the translation from Greek of the works of Archimandrite Emilian, abbot of the Simonopetra monastery on Mount Athos, which were published as a separate book by the publishing house of the Church of St. mts. Tatiana at Moscow State University (Archimandrite Emilian. Knowledge of God, Divine service. Thought on God. M. 2002).

In 2004 he was drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

On October 18, 2005, Bishop Alexander of Dmitrov ordained him to the rank of deacon and, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, was enrolled in the staff of the Church of St. mts. Tatiana at Moscow State University.

In 2005-2009 - employee of the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate, editor of the “Orthodox Moscow” section.

Since 2009 - Deputy Head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On April 20, 2011, he was awarded the right to wear a double orarion.

By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' dated June 5, 2012, he was appointed head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On December 27, 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained him to the rank of priest.

By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of June 7, 2021, he was exempted from obedience in the Church of St. mts. Tatiana at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov and appointed rector of the temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo, Moscow.

Since 2021 - member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated September 11, 2021, he was relieved of his post as head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

At the Diocesan Assembly of Moscow on December 20, 2021, he was appointed chairman of the Information Commission of the Moscow City Diocese.

On November 28, 2021, he was appointed executive editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Strogino

In January 1919, on the second day of the Nativity of Christ, on the feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by order of the authorities of the Estonian Labor Commune in Narva, two priests were shot: Archpriest Dimitri Chistoserdov and Priest Alexander Volkov. Both shepherds, who accepted their death shoulder to shoulder, carried out their service together, had similar milestones in their biographies. They served in neighboring churches in the city of Narva on the Ivangorod side. Father Alexander is in the Assumption Church in the fortress, and Father Dimitri is in the Znamenskaya Church near the Petersburg tract.

Hieromartyr ALEXANDER (Volkov)

Priest Alexander Volkov was born in Narva in 1873, into the family of a priest. His father, Pavlin Alekseevich Volkov, was the archpriest and rector of the Narva Ivangorod Assumption Church. He served in the parish of the Assumption Church for almost half a century (47 years). The author of the obituary wrote about Father Pavlin: “he enjoyed the rare love of his parishioners, among whom were not only residents of Narva, but also the surrounding villages.” Having raised his son, the Ivangorod abbot sent him to the St. Petersburg Seminary, from which Alexander graduated in 1893 with the first class.

After completing the seminary course, twenty-year-old Alexander Volkov was sent as a teacher to the Merrekul parochial school. Merrekul is a dacha area in the vicinity of the famous summer resort of Ust-Narova, lying on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The Narva seaside was popular among Narvians and St. Petersburg residents, and in the 1890s a wooden church was erected here in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which served mainly in the summer for summer residents who came here.

Three years later, the young teacher applies for a transfer to the Alexander Nevsky Theological School, where he will work for 10 years, until his departure to Narva. Here he held several positions, and this varied activity was his further preparation for pastoral ministry. At the school, he performed the duties of a supervisor of students, a teacher of the Russian language and sacred history, as well as the duties of a housekeeper. On November 6, 1901, Bishop of Gdov Konstantin (Bulychev) ordained Alexander Volkov to the rank of deacon.

Colleagues at the school note that in all positions, Deacon Alexander Pavlinovich Volkov was distinguished by accuracy, diligence, hard work and diligence, his activities were always accompanied by success. In 1904, for his diligent service, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, III degree.

On November 6, 1904, Father Alexander was ordained a priest by His Grace Kirill (Smirnov), Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the St. Petersburg Metropolitan.

Father Alexander has been serving in St. Petersburg for three years. He teaches at the Alexander Nevsky Theological School and serves as a priest in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Gromovsky orphanage.

In 1907, serious changes took place in the life of Father Alexander. On September 27, at the age of 71, his father, Archpriest Pavlin Alekseevich Volkov, retired. In connection with leaving his father's staff, Priest Alexander in 1907 was assigned to a vacancy at the Assumption Narva Ivangorod Church. This temple was built in 1507-1509, rebuilt several times, but has now been restored to its original form. Once upon a time, this church was part of the so-called Big Boyar City, located behind the strong walls of the Ivangorod fortress. In post-Petrine times, it turned into the parish church of Narva. For more than half a century - 59 years - the priestly family of the Volkovs performed their service to God and people in one of the oldest parishes of the St. Petersburg diocese.

The Ivangorod rector devoted his free time from service to teaching the Law of God. In those years, pastors did not limit their activities to worship and fulfillment of demands. Most of the time was spent on the catechetical and missionary service of the Church. Therefore, the skills acquired at the Theological School were very useful to Father Alexander in his new place of ministry. In Narva at the beginning of the twentieth century there was no shortage of educational institutions. Despite the existence of several parishes in the city and a considerable number of pastors-teachers, Father Alexander was a teacher of law in three educational institutions at once: he taught at the First Narva Women's School, at the school at the Narva House of Diligence and at the Narva Commercial School. Thus, the teaching activity of Father Alexander had a wide range and covered children of the most diverse segments of the population of the city of Narva.

Hieromartyr DEMITRY (Chistoserdov)

The life of another Narva pastor, Father Dimitri Chistoserdov, who served next door to Father Alexander Volkov, was the same—full of work for the good of the Church. He served in the parish of the Znamensky Ivangorod Church, built in 1750 and having three chapels: the icon of Our Lady of the Sign, St. Prophet Elijah and Holy Cross. Archpriest Dimitri was a native of the St. Petersburg province; he was born on October 14, 1861 in the family of a deacon. Having graduated from the St. Petersburg Seminary with the first class in 1882, graduate Dimitri Chistoserdov, like Father Alexander, first worked at the Alexander Nevsky School as a room overseer. In 1889, on February 3, he was identified and ordained as a priest to the Znamenskaya Church of Ivangorod, in which he served as rector for 30 years, until his martyrdom. Father Dimitri held many leadership positions in the church life of the diocese. He was the dean of two districts at the same time: the churches of the city of Narva and the 1st district of Yamburg district. In addition, Archpriest Dimitri was the chairman of the Yamburg branch of the diocesan school council and the district overseer of parochial schools. Despite his workload, he did not give up school work, teaching the Law of God in three schools: at the school at his parish, at the Narva Men's School and at the Narva Orphanage of P. Orlov. The respect of others for Father Dimitri can be judged by the heartfelt words spoken by Archpriest John Kochurov on the day of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Father Dimitri’s ministry, in which Father John described the hero of the day as a zealous, tireless shepherd of the Church and a dispenser of education among the population of the Prinarovsky region. His authority was so great that even in 1917, when the population and many parishioners were revolutionized and when the clergy everywhere were removed from the management of parishes and brotherhoods, at a general meeting of the city’s parishes he was elected a member of the council of the Narva branch of the Brotherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not a single priest of Narva and Ivangorod, with the exception of Archpriest Dimitry Chistoserdov, joined the Brotherhood’s council.

The October Revolution of 1917 eventually made itself felt in Narva. In November, the German military power that had established itself in Estonia during the First World War was replaced by the Bolshevik dictatorship. Having made a violent seizure of power and declared Estonia a Labor Commune, representatives of the new regime first set about cleansing the country of the “religious dope.” On December 10, 1918, the Council of the Estonian Labor Commune issued a decree on the eviction from the country of all clergymen as disseminators of false teachings. Two days later a new decree was issued prohibiting religious services. And on December 30, the Department of Internal Affairs transferred all religious buildings to the disposal of local executive committees. In fact, these decrees pursued the goal of the complete destruction of the Church within Estonia. Based on these decrees, all Narva clergy were arrested. The priests were given orders to leave the country within 24 hours. Only three of them were not deported: Father Alexander Volkov, Father Dimitry Chistoserdov - they were shot - and Father Vladimir Bezhanitsky, a priest of the Narva Krenholm Resurrection Church, who was subjected to abuse.

No investigation was carried out into the cases of those expelled and executed; lists were compiled in advance. The resolution of the chairman of the Narva Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution Oskar Ellek was enough for the person to be shot.

Priest Alexander Volkov and Archpriest Dimitry Chistoserdov were shot as Black Hundreds, although they were not involved in political activities. But as shepherds, they probably could not help but speak to their flock about their views and beliefs at that tragic time. Only for this - for sincerity and pastoral straightforwardness, for loyalty to the Motherland and Church that raised them - they were sentenced to death. On the second day of the Nativity of Christ, on the feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, January 8, 1919, they were taken outside the city and martyred.

Based on materials from the official website of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.