| Metropolitan Sergius (Gensitsky) |
Sergius (Gensitsky)
(born 1951), Metropolitan of Ternopil and Kremenets, acting deputy chairman of the General Church Court of the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Gensitsky Boris Naumovich, was born on December 4, 1951 in the village of Dolinyany, Khotyn district, Chernivtsi region of Ukraine in the family of a priest. In 1967 he graduated from high school, and in 1970 from Novoselitsk Medical School, becoming a paramedic. In 1970–1971 he worked in the Draghinets hospital, in 1971–1973 he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army.
He took his first steps in the spiritual field at the St. Nicholas Monastery in Chernivtsi. On July 15, 1973, he was ordained a deacon at the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Smolensk. In 1975, he was appointed acting secretary of the Smolensk diocesan administration, and in 1976 he was elevated to the rank of protodeacon and confirmed as secretary of the diocesan administration.
In 1983 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary. In May 1985 he was accepted into the brethren of the Dormition Pochaev Lavra, and on December 6 of the same year he was tonsured a monk [1]. At the Lavra he acted as an accountant.
In 1986 he was elevated to the rank of archdeacon.
In June 1990, he was appointed dean of the Pochaev Lavra.
On August 28, 1990, he was ordained hieromonk by Archbishop Lazar of Ternopil.
In 1991 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy in absentia.
On February 11, 1991, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appointed Father Sergius to be the Bishop of Ternopil and Kremenets.
On February 17, 1991, he was consecrated Bishop of Ternopil and Kremenets. The consecration was performed by Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Philaret (Denisenko), Archbishops of Zhitomir and Ovrutsk Job, Odessa and Izmail Lazarus.
Since then, Bishop Sergius, an uncompromising opponent of autocephaly for the Ukrainian Church, has suffered many attacks, sometimes even direct attacks, from the Uniates and schismatics who committed outrages within his diocese. His ribs and arm were broken [2].
In July-September 1992 he was the temporary manager of the Lviv diocese.
| Archbishop Sergius (Gensitsky) |
On July 28, 1998 [3] he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
On July 9, 2011, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan [4].
On October 23, 2014, he was appointed acting deputy chairman of the General Church Court of the Russian Orthodox Church [5].
Awards
- Church:
- Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh 3rd degree
- Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh 2nd degree
- Order of St. equal to book Vladimir 3rd degree
- Order of St. equal to book Vladimir 2nd degree
- Order of St. blgv. book Daniil of Moscow 3rd degree
- Order of St. Nestor the Chronicler (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)
- Order of St. Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk, 2nd degree (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)
- Secular:
- Order of Friendship (July 11, 2013, Russian Federation, for great contribution to the development of friendly relations between peoples and strengthening of spiritual traditions) [6]
Orthodox Life
Pravoslavie.Ru
“For a true Christian, sorrow is joy and salvation, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13) - these words of consolation were spoken by Metropolitan Sergius to the flock of the church selected by schismatics in the village of Kuty, Shumsky district, Ternopil region in August 2021 in the tent tent where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. – If a person accepts suffering with patience, then nothing can give him such joy as the Lord gives him. This is the joy that nothing in this world can take away from us...” .
Metropolitan of Ternopil and Kremenets Sergius (Gensitsky)
In the late 1980s and early 1990s
For the 27th year now, this Western Ukrainian department has been headed by Metropolitan Sergius (Gensitsky) of Ternopil and Kremenets. He accepted it immediately after his episcopal consecration in 1991, at the age of 40, being a hieromonk of the Pochaev Lavra, when a wave of seizures of churches by Uniates and autocephalists, and then by schismatics of the false patriarch Philaret Denisenko, had already rolled across Western Ukraine. It is surprising that the young hierarch, along with two others - Bishop Onuphry, the current Primate of the UOC, and Bishop Alypiy (now Archbishop of Krasnolimansky) - was not afraid to disavow his signature on Filaret’s demand to grant the UOC the status of autocephaly, which would inevitably lead the Ukrainian Church to a schism. Actually, this happened a year later, when Filaret, who had fallen away from the Church, proclaimed the creation of the so-called “UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate,” giving rise to a bleeding schism, for which he was defrocked and anathematized. But then, at the end of 1991, the still legitimate Metropolitan Philaret was furious and issued a decree to remove Onuphrius, Sergius and Alipius from their sees, but the God-loving flock did not want to let their hierarchs go.
The persecution of Orthodox Christians in the Ternopil region began even before the collapse of the USSR. In 1989, after a meeting with M.S. Gorbachev with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, the Greek Catholic Church was revived in Ukraine and, with the connivance of the authorities, mass seizures of Orthodox churches began. By decision of the regional council, the Ternopil Cathedral was transferred to the Uniates, and the Orthodox moved to the Church of the Nativity of Christ on the street. Russkaya, 22. The newly appointed Bishop Sergius arrived here in February 1991. But the “autocephalous” UAOC, who had also emerged from overseas on the wave of “perestroika,” had already set their sights on the temple. The seizures and robberies of church property were organized by the initiator of the creation of the People's Movement of Ukraine, people's deputy and active national patriot Vasily Chervoniy, whose political program included the idea of “liquidating the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.”
By the way, Chervoniy ended his life tragically and sadly: he died from a lightning strike while fishing in 2009.
Proskomedia in the tent church in the village. Kuty Shumsky district
The selected Church of the Nativity of Christ was handed over to the schismatics of the UAOC, and Bishop Sergius and his flock were forced to go to pray in the diocesan house on the temple territory, which was repeatedly subjected to robberies and attacks.
The Bishop petitioned the regional administration for a long time and to no avail to allocate space for the construction of a new cathedral. The initiative of the believers of the canonical Church was strongly supported by His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan; † 2014), who arrived in Kyiv in June 1992 after the historic Kharkov Bishops’ Council of the UOC, at which he was elected Primate instead of Philaret, who had taken the path of schism.
In connection with the violation of the rights of believers in Ukraine, appeals were sent to the UN, the World Council of Churches and other international organizations. Finally, the Orthodox of Ternopil were allocated a place for the construction of a temple in the Eastern massif of the regional center, and after the transfer of the diocesan house of the UOC to the autocephalous community, Bishop Sergius and his flock moved to pray in the underground part of the cathedral under construction.
With parishioners of the village of Kuty after the service in the tent church. August 2017
It is also surprising that during all periods of political aggravation in the country, during the “Maidans” (in 2004 and 2014), when radical nationalist forces intensified and attacks on the canonical Church multiplied with the seizure of Orthodox churches, Bishop Sergius never called on his flock to retaliate forceful actions, but only to courageous standing in faith, devotion to Orthodoxy, prayer and humility. “The Lord came to heal us all, to unite us.
If we are divided, then we are already opposing ourselves to each other,” said the archpastor. – If we are divided along national lines, then we abolish the commandments of the Lord, the words of the Apostle Paul that there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither free nor slave, but all are in Christ Jesus. Because if we are not peaceful with each other here, how will we love God? How will we serve Him? What will we answer when we stand before Him at Judgment? That we went to the Maidan and hated our brothers in faith?
Faith, hope and love of Bishop Sergius
Cathedral in Ternopil
The beautiful cathedral built in the name of the martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia soared to the sky with its golden domes. The new diocesan house houses a spiritual and educational center, Sunday schools for children and adults, and editorial offices of diocesan media. On Sundays and holidays, the cathedral is crowded, and on Easter and Christmas, on the day of the patronal feast, the entire church courtyard is filled with people: the flock, faithful to the canons and their beloved bishop, listens to his instructions, remains faithful to Orthodoxy, despite the heavy atmosphere of hostility and hostility. “In Ternopil now there is such a ratio of confessions: 70 churches have different religious communities,” Bishop Sergius told reporters. – And at the disposal of the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is our only built cathedral.
We asked for plots for new parishes of the UOC, but there is no room for us. It turns out that we are strangers in our own land, in our homeland. Of course, we thank God for what we have. In Soviet times, there was also one church, but that’s not the point, the main thing is that there should be a living liturgical life. And our Lord constantly shows that He is with us. But it’s a pity for the people as a whole, historically Orthodox, who are in such error...”
How to maintain peace of mind in the face of a new surge of aggression? How can one not become embittered and resort to just vengeance? How to save yourself in these conditions and find strength for prayer? We intended to ask these and other questions to Metropolitan Sergius during a recent meeting in Ternopil - November 13 of this year.
The Bishop came out tired. And yet a short conversation took place.
His every weekday begins at 7:30 with prayer in the altar of the cathedral, where he takes out pieces about his many spiritual children, about the mourning, the sick, those suffering persecution, about the deceased and living servants of the Church of Christ. This is followed by a long reception of clergy and laity in the diocesan administration. You can get to the bishop without any registration, right from the street; he does not have a personal secretary who would first question visitors about the purpose of the parish. People are placed in the waiting room, and the Metropolitan himself comes out to them and only according to his own rule invites certain parishioners and priests.
When the last visitor left, we waited to meet him.
– How to escape, you ask? – the lord spoke in a quiet voice. – Looking at the Chief Shepherd Christ. We prepare in our lives to meet Him in any conditions. We go to Him... Therefore, the sea of life is raging, the enemy is looking for someone to devour, and we, forgetting what is behind, strive for what is above. These circumstances force us to be in spiritual sobriety, force us lazy ones to pray, force us to seek help from the Savior. And thus, turning to God, we become stronger in faith and begin to understand: it turns out that the enemy is fighting against our salvation, but we forget about it, but he reminds us... And we, going through this difficult time, try to save ourselves.
The Lord reminds us with these trials of the futility of hope in the world, in human princes, in wealth and other worldly values. But the world constantly deceives us, deceives us, wants to drag us into the abyss of hell. Therefore we cry: “Lord, save! Lord, have mercy and forgive us sinners!” And the Lord helps us. After all, the Lord hears us not when we sit quietly and relaxed, but when we really feel trouble, anxiety for our holy things, anxiety about personal salvation. Then our cry is truly from the depths of the soul, from heartfelt repentance. Only with heartfelt repentance and hope for the help and mercy of God is it possible to overcome all difficulties. The Lord hears and helps and comforts. And in this we see the miracle of God’s mercy, and for this we thank the Lord.
Metropolitan of Ternopil and Kremenets Sergius (Gensitsky)
– Vladyka, now people are very politicized; every day they are bombarded with a stream of political information, often biased and aggressive. And people believe what the media says. How to avoid becoming a hostage to such an information blockade?
– Probably, trust should not be in the media. After all, Anthony the Great heard a voice: “Listen to yourself! Otherwise, these are the judgments of God, and there is no benefit for you to examine them.” And we say and justify ourselves: they say, we are trusting and good! Who do we trust? Whose voice are we listening to? Church of Christ, Holy Fathers? Or the voice of weak people who themselves are lost?.. Therefore, we need to take seriously and answer the question: to whom do we give our attention, to whom do we listen, to whom do we rely? Let's open the Holy Scriptures, at least the Psalter - what does it say? “Do not trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation” (Ps. 145:3). What do our church prayers say? “I place all my hope in You, Mother of God... Keep me under Your roof.”
If we turn to the Lord, to the Mother of God, to the Holy Church, we will see that in every line of church prayers and chants there is everything necessary for our salvation. And if we trust in the Lord, we will certainly be convinced that He will not disgrace our trust, but will protect us from this world. This world will help us not to despise, not to hate, but to treat it sympathetically, to sympathize with people who do not know God, realizing that they are lost. And let us thank God that He takes us out of the hell of this world and puts us on the path of salvation. We also wish this for people in the world who are mistaken, who are seeking the Lord, or who are not seeking Him. We wish everyone to find the path of the Lord, the path of salvation and live the fullness of the life of the Holy Church. Then there will be peace in our country.
– That is, in order to somehow correct the world around us and achieve mutual understanding and love, you need to start with yourself, by working on yourself?
- Undoubtedly. After all, if we live a repentant life, pray, have compassion for sinners, repent ourselves, the grace of God strengthens us and helps and acts on those who are lost. And, figuratively speaking, the spiritual climate is changing both around us and within us, both in society and in the state. We know that the grace of God changed the persecutors of the Church and transformed them. Therefore, we are required to have patience, humility, and prayer. One can find examples from the holy fathers when even the most ardent persecutors of the Church, seeing the steadfastness of Christians, respected and revered them in the depths of their souls. And many themselves became martyrs.
Maybe our contemporaries, who are doing evil to the Church, cannot be like that, but a spark of respect for us still remains in them. They see that Orthodox believers do not submit to the spirit of the times, do not repeat political slogans, but with their lives they preach love, firmness and steadfastness in the faith, and in the depths of their souls they respect us. Therefore, may God grant us to be an example both for our neighbors and for those who rebel against us. And so that this example is an example of love for our neighbors and our enemies. And so that with this love, dissolved by the love of Christ, we wish to all be saved.
Excerpt characterizing Sergius (Gensitsky)
Mityenka rushed headlong down six steps and ran into a flowerbed. (This flowerbed was a well-known place for saving criminals in Otradnoye. Mitenka himself, arriving drunk from the city, hid in this flowerbed, and many residents of Otradnoye, hiding from Mitenka, knew the saving power of this flowerbed.) Mitenka’s wife and sisters-in-law leaned out into the hallway with frightened faces from the door of the room where a clean samovar was boiling and the clerk’s tall bed stood under a quilted blanket sewn from short pieces. The young count, panting, not paying attention to them, walked past them with decisive steps and went into the house. The Countess, who immediately learned through the girls about what happened in the outbuilding, on the one hand, calmed down in the sense that now their condition should improve, on the other hand, she was worried about how her son would bear it. She tiptoed to his door several times, listening to him smoke pipe after pipe. The next day, the old count called his son aside and with a timid smile said to him: “Do you know, you, my soul, got excited in vain!” Mitenka told me everything. “I knew, Nikolai thought, that I would never understand anything here, in this stupid world.” – You were angry that he did not enter these 700 rubles. After all, he wrote them in transport, but you didn’t look at the other page. “Dad, he’s a scoundrel and a thief, I know.” And he did what he did. And if you don’t want to, I won’t tell him anything. - No, my soul (the count was embarrassed too. He felt that he was a bad manager of his wife’s estate and was guilty before his children, but did not know how to correct this) - No, I ask you to take care of business, I’m old, I... - No, daddy, you will forgive me if I did something unpleasant to you; I know less than you. “To hell with them, with these men with money and transport all over the page,” he thought. Even from the corner of six jackpots, I once understood, but from the page of transport, I don’t understand anything,” he said to himself and since then he has not intervened in business anymore. Only one day the Countess called her son to her, told him that she had Anna Mikhailovna’s bill of exchange for two thousand and asked Nikolai what he thought to do with it. “That’s how it is,” answered Nikolai. – You told me that it depends on me; I don’t like Anna Mikhailovna and I don’t like Boris, but they were friendly with us and poor. So that's how it is! - and he tore the bill, and with this act he made the old countess cry with tears of joy. After this, young Rostov, no longer intervening in any matters, with passionate enthusiasm took up the still new business of hound hunting, which was started on a large scale by the old count. It was already winter, morning frosts were binding the earth, wetted by autumn rains, the greenery was already flattened and brightly green separated from the stripes of browning, cattle-killed, winter and light yellow spring stubble with red stripes of buckwheat. The peaks and forests, which at the end of August were still green islands between the black fields of winter crops and stubble, became golden and bright red islands among the bright green winter crops. The hare was already half worn out (molted), the fox litters were beginning to disperse, and the young wolves were larger than the dogs. It was the best hunting time. The dogs of the ardent, young hunter of Rostov not only entered the hunting body, but also got beaten up so much that in the general council of hunters it was decided to give the dogs a rest for three days and on September 16 to leave, starting from the oak grove, where there was an untouched wolf brood. This was the situation on September 14th. All this day the hunt was at home; It was frosty and bitter, but in the evening it began to cool down and thaw. On September 15, when young Rostov looked out the window in the morning in his dressing gown, he saw a morning that nothing could be better for hunting: as if the sky was melting and descending to the ground without wind. The only movement that was in the air was the quiet movement from top to bottom of microscopic drops of mg or fog descending. Transparent drops hung on the bare branches of the garden and fell on the newly fallen leaves. The soil in the garden, like a poppy, was glossy and wet black, and at a short distance merged with the dull and damp cover of fog. Nikolai stepped out onto the wet, muddy porch: it smelled of withering forest and dogs. The black-spotted, wide-bottomed bitch Milka with large black protruding eyes, seeing her owner, stood up, stretched back and lay down like a hare, then suddenly jumped up and licked him right on the nose and mustache. Another greyhound dog, seeing its owner from the colored path, arched its back, quickly rushed to the porch and, raising its tail, began to rub against Nikolai’s legs. - Oh goy! - at this time that inimitable hunting call was heard, which combines both the deepest bass and the most subtle tenor; and from around the corner came the arriving and hunting Danilo, a Ukrainian-style, gray-haired, wrinkled hunter with a cropped hair, a bent arapnik in his hand and with that expression of independence and contempt for everything in the world that only hunters have. He took off his Circassian hat in front of the master and looked at him contemptuously. This contempt was not offensive to the master: Nikolai knew that this Danilo, who despised everything and stood above all else, was still his man and hunter. - Danila! - said Nikolai, timidly feeling that at the sight of this hunting weather, these dogs and the hunter, he was already seized by that irresistible hunting feeling in which a person forgets all previous intentions, like a man in love in the presence of his mistress. -What do you order, your excellency? - asked the protodeacon's bass, hoarse from raking, and two black shining eyes glanced from under their brows at the silent master. “What, or won’t you be able to stand it?” as if those two eyes said. - Nice day, huh? And the chase and the gallop, eh? - Nikolai said, scratching Milka’s ears. Danilo did not answer and blinked his eyes. “I sent Uvarka to listen at dawn,” his bass voice said after a moment of silence, “he said, he transferred it to the Otradnensky order, they were howling there.” (Translated meant that the she-wolf, about whom they both knew, moved with the children to the Otradnensky forest, which was two miles from the house and which was a small place.)
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*Translated Anthony (Moskalenko) · Gleb (Savin) · Job (Smakouz) · Job (Tyvonyuk) · Nektary (Frolov) Defrocked Filaret (Denisenko) · Andrey (Gorak) · Jacob (Panchuk) Deceased Anthony (Vakarik) · Vasily (Vasiltsev) · Vladimir (Sabodan) · Evfimy (Shutak) · Kronid (Mishchenko) · Leonty (Gudimov) · Macarius (Svistun) · Methodius (Petrovtsy) · Nikanor (Yukhimyuk) · Nikodim (Rusnak) · Savva (Babinets) · Sevastian (Pilipchuk) · Tikhon (Zhilyakov) · Feodosius (Dikun) - Since the transformation of the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in October 1990.
