Biography
Father Evgeniy was born in 1973 in Yekaterinburg into a family of engineers. As a child, he did not receive a church education. At the insistence of his grandmother, the young man was baptized at the age of 16. After graduating from high school, he entered the Sverdlovsk State Engineering and Pedagogical Institute. Continuing the family tradition, he chose the specialty “Robotics”.
Archpriest Evgeniy Popichenko
After some time, by God's providence, the young man met Igor Bachininov. In the early 90s. he gave a course of lectures on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. At one of them, Evgeny heard a speech by a young girl, Lyudmila, who had recently become acquainted with Christianity and spoke with inspiration about her spiritual experience.
She invited listeners to prepare for confession and the sacrament of Communion. During this task, the young man became imbued with Christian ideas. This led him to the Yekaterinburg Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Regularly attending services, the young man strengthened his decision to devote himself to serving the Lord. Gradually he entered the church community and received his first obediences.
Soon he met the priest Dimitry Baibakov. Priest Dimitri was the rector of the Intercession Church in the village of Rudyanskoye, Sukholozhsky district. Communication with him strengthened Evgeniy’s decision. For 2 years he served as an altar boy in a rural church, which was visited by many young people seeking unity with the Lord.
After some time, Father Dimitri appointed the young man as the leader of the church choir. Evgeniy Popichenko accepted the priesthood in the spring of 1995. The priestly ordination was conducted by the head of the Yekaterinburg diocese, Nikon, who left the young priest in the Ioannovsky Monastery.
But Priest Dimitri, who leads an active church and social ministry, asked to return his assistant back to serve at the St. Panteleimon Church in Yekaterinburg. Father Evgeniy was a member of the clergy of the Panteleimon Church for 18 years. In addition to church obedience, his spiritual father instructed him to complete his secular education.
Important! In 2013, he was appointed rector of the Assumption Cathedral, located in Yekaterinburg. Thanks to the efforts of the priest, the ancient church began to be restored, and the parish community developed.
Archpriest Evgeniy Popichenko: We are all in the service of the Most Holy Theotokos
For a priest, a community is a big family, and a church is a common home in which the priest serves, prays and preaches, and also listens to those who come to him and tries to help them. Traditionally in Rus', a priest was chosen from the parishioners, ordained for “his church,” where he served all his life. Now the traditions have changed: the priest is sent to serve not where everyone knows him and where he knows everyone, but where the need for his participation, for his personal qualities, is more acutely felt. That is why so often different churches experience separation from the priest, part of the community leaving “their priest” and the arrival of “new people”. The moment is difficult, but always not accidental, providential. Archpriest Evgeniy Popichenko, rector of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at VISA in Yekaterinburg, shares his experience of transitioning to a new place of service, from an ordinary priest to a rector, and the first experience of forming a community.
Father Eugene, how did you decide to leave the comfortable, rebuilt, painted St. Panteleimon Church and move to a destroyed, unfurnished one, where you need to start all over again?
It was a very difficult decision. It is said in Psalm 114: “I humble myself, and the Lord saves me.” There is heaven everywhere for the humble, because he is always with God, because grace is given to him. And humility is necessarily expressed in obedience to the elder. And I rendered obedience to our dear Vladyka Kirill to be the rector of the temple only the third time. When Vladyka and I first met and talked, he immediately asked me a spiritual task: “You are already an adult, accomplished priest. Let's think about abbotship."
Of course, I began to worry about this, because in the temple of the healer Panteleimon I was spiritually born and grew up for 20 years. At first he served in various church obediences: as a kiosk worker, singer, altar boy, and messenger. After his ordination to the priesthood, he also returned to his native church. Over the course of 20 years, before my eyes, the parish was formed, everything was born and built, and the main treasure was gathered - people. Young people came, became altar servers, and then, having been ordained, with the blessing of the Bishop, they immediately left for other parishes. And I stayed. It is clear that my heart is very attached to this life and, in particular, to people. And it seemed that until the end of my days I would work calmly and peacefully in one parish. Therefore, the Bishop’s proposal was taken very seriously.
The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holiday that is very dear to me, because it is the main day in the life of the Mother of God. In the life of any person, the main day after his birthday is the day of his dormition, the day of his meeting with Christ. After the Resurrection and Ascension of Her Divine Son, the Most Holy Lady lived throughout her subsequent life in anticipation of meeting Him.
On October 1, 2011, on the day of remembrance of the icon of the Mother of God “Healer,” Vladyka Kirill invited me to be the rector of one of the Yekaterinburg churches and gave me a day to think about it. Everyone convinced me to agree - a temple in the center of the city, with a rich history and great potential. The night passed, Sunday began, the Divine Liturgy began. I remember: the clock is being read on the choir, and I am standing in front of the iconostasis, looking at everything so familiar, long-standing, familiar - and tears almost flow, such a serious revolution is taking place in my heart. You have to tear yourself away from everything dear to you, leave everything behind... I just physically felt a tear in my heart. And then I remembered the words: “I humble myself, and the Lord will save me,” “Thy will be done,” and so it became easy after making a decision. I come to the Lord and say: “Vladyka, let your will be an expression of God’s will. I agree". The Bishop says: “But I changed my mind.”
But did you already know that you would have to leave your native temple?
After these events, two more years of service passed in his native Panteleimon Church. Apparently, this time was necessary for the determination to finally mature. And exactly two years later, on October 1, 2013, a diocesan council was held, at which a decision was made: the Department of Social Ministry, which I head, should be transferred to the base of the Holy Dormition Parish on VIZ.
Of course, between these two dates there was a life of prayer, questioning of God’s will, reflection, and pilgrimages that were important to me. For example, to educate our parishioners’ souls, we made three trips to the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersk Monastery. We were able to pray three times in this ancient monastery - at the saints and at the shrines. Now I clearly see that a spiritual relay has turned out - from the Pechersk Assumption to the Assumption on the VIZ.
A year ago, in April, there was an amazing one-day trip - with a kind person we visited the House of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Holy Mount Athos. Since there was little time, we only managed to try to climb Mount Athos and reached the site where the temple in honor of the Queen of Heaven - Panagia the All-Holy - is located. Germans, Romanians, Belarusians gathered here - it turned out to be an international prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos seemed to give us Her blessing.
When you see that God’s will is being fulfilled, your soul no longer resists and accepts important life changes in peace.
How did your wife, Mother Olga, accept these changes?
She accepted it with joy as the will of God. As an opportunity for new growth, as a new obedience to the Church: “No matter how difficult it is, I am always there.” It is very valuable and expensive. What the Lord gives us to do would be impossible to do without the love, support, humility and prayer of our dear mother and the whole family. The service of God as a priest's wife is in some ways more difficult than the service of a shepherd.
“There is feat in battle, and there is feat in struggle. The highest feat lies in patience, love and prayer.”
Husbands generally need the spiritual and prayerful support of their wives. It is important that, in contrast to our lack of faith and cowardice, a loved one says: “Nothing, everything will be fine.”
Your first meeting with the Cathedral of the Assumption - what was it like?
I had never been to the territory of this temple before the day of my appointment. And on October 2, 2013, I made my first acquaintance with the rector of the church, Father Dionysius Rublenov, and some parishioners. There was a parish meeting, to which we came with the dean, Archpriest Nikolai Ladyuk. The decree read out by him was like a bolt from the blue. I understand that it took both Father Dionysius and the parishioners truly Christian courage and humility to accept the will of the Bishop. For all the work I would like to warmly thank Father Dionysius and his assistants. May the Lord help the priest at his new place of service, in the church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kedrovoe.
When you left the Panteleimon Church, did you invite any of the parishioners with you?
I didn’t invite anyone at all, because in a sense it’s dishonest, as if I were trying to lure someone away. Each person, if he does not have obedience in the temple, is free to choose where it is more useful and interesting for him. Unfortunately, some parishioners have experienced and are still experiencing a crisis. Some people would like to move to another church, but there is no opportunity (it’s difficult to get there without a car with three children, because many live very far from VIZ, in the area of the Compressor Plant). Others perform obedience in the Panteleimon Church and also cannot leave until they prepare a replacement for themselves. For such parishioners, the transfer of a confessor to another church is a test of faith, a test of humility and resistance to sadness.
What was the first rector's decision you made in your new place?
The first thought that came to my heart was that we need to start worship within the walls of the cathedral itself. Thank God that in the very first days after my appointment, brothers and sisters came with me - employees of the Orthodox Mercy Service, with whom we worked together for many years. There was no doubt that the obedience of the headman should be offered to Oleg Olegovich Savin. He didn’t even think, but answered like a soldier: “Father, bless,” and forward. So the task was set before him: to prepare the temple, which still has no heating or water supply, for winter and to prepare it for worship. At the same time, we began to expand the premises in which the temporary temple was located, because the number of parishioners increased significantly.
Is it difficult to transform from a parish priest into a rector? Are there probably many new areas of work emerging?
When you are a parish priest, your responsibilities tend to be related to what you are good at and love. And the rector must be involved in all processes in the life of the parish. I partially tasted the “delights” of the rector’s service during the last Christmas service. We have a special atmosphere in the cathedral. In the center of the huge building, with the help of wooden supports and old banners, part of the space is fenced off - on the sides and on top to retain heat; an altar without an iconostasis, carpets on the lumpy floor - also for warmth and in order to somehow level the floor, three potbelly stoves heated with wood, services “with smoke.” So, having entered the church at 10 o’clock in the evening, I intended to calmly prepare for confession, stand at the lectern and receive the people.
But when I entered the cathedral, I saw that for some reason the stoves were not lit. And I understand that now many people will come to the church for the night service for the first time in many, many years. And these people will just freeze right away. And then the abbot’s life begins: with a burning desire to rip someone’s head off, you look for the “extreme” stove maker, and then you catch one of the men who came in order to quickly organize the kindling. The peasants begin to heat, but they do so ineptly: smoke from the stove goes into the temple, people stand like hedgehogs in the fog, intensely inhaling carbon dioxide, processing it into another, less smelling one. In the middle of the service, the altar server accidentally breaks the dishes intended for drinking after Communion, the choir sings somehow leisurely, then they begin to worry about the fact that after the service they need to feed the people - is everything ready? And all this heap of thoughts must be swept aside and still tune in to the Liturgy. And here are miracles - all these problems are solved thanks to the helpers and with the help of God. The work of the abbot is a balance of the work of Martha and Mary.
Today the parish faces a monumental task - the restoration of the cathedral. Perhaps this is your main concern?
In order to begin to restore the cathedral, you must first free it from its shackles, that is, destroy the extensions and superstructures of the Soviet period. And the project already needs philanthropists, workers, and a solution to the problem of registering the land and buildings on the territory as property. Each question is a separate topic. Plus, the obligatory and most important task is to work with parishioners, teach them the faith, and educate them in the pursuit of liturgical life. In general, there is enough hassle. And, besides, no one cancels previous obediences.
I hope for the mercy of God and the help of the Most Holy Theotokos. One wise man told me: “Before, father, you served the Great Martyr Panteleimon, now you serve the Most Holy Theotokos.” The great mercy of God and the trust of the Bishop is that we can now work at least to some extent on the restoration of this shrine, one of the oldest cathedrals in Yekaterinburg.
It seems that nothing should distract from the general goal - the restoration of the cathedral. But, if you look at the life of the Assumption Parish, there is a lot of things in it that seem to have nothing to do with the restoration of the cathedral: in winter there is a slide and Christmas trees for children, concerts and holidays for parishioners.
You know, restoring the cathedral is not the general goal. Popular wisdom has long noticed that God is not in logs, but in ribs, and that the Church is not walls, but people. People who with all their soul, with all their heart and with all their strength (that is, will) are directed towards God. If people come to the Church “for the sake of Jesus, and not for the sake of bread,” if first of all we seek the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness, then everything else will be added. The general goal of every Christian is to become a partaker of the Divine nature.
We, for the most part, unfortunately, once unexpectedly fell into church life. Without preparation, without preliminary work on your soul, without seriously cleansing it of the filth that has accumulated over dozens and dozens of years. We came to Church in such a mood, as if we had benefited everyone here with our arrival. When you get to know people, their lives, motives, priorities, you understand that the Lord and Communion to Him are in an unclear place for them. It is not clear how they imagine this Sacrament, how they prepare for it, how they relate to it. Communion is received rarely, once per Lent or once a year.
What to do in this case if they forget about the most important thing?
The Holy Fathers say that knowing yourself and gaining experience of spiritual life is the science of sciences and the art of arts. Dozens, hundreds of books have been written about this. But here’s a paradox: our people actually don’t read spiritual literature, they read spiritual literature, that is, literature about faith, wonderful books of artistic content. A classic example is the book by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) “Unholy Saints,” which awakens many people’s interest in the Church with its stunning story about believers and church life. But a person should begin to develop the interest that has appeared by reading Abba Dorotheus, St. Theophan the Recluse, St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), St. Seraphim of Sarov - that is, practitioners of spiritual life who teach how to live by faith. And these are the books that people are not accustomed to reading.
This creates a serious problem that a person in spiritual life can stagnate for decades. He will master the scattered elements of church life - how to light candles, which akathists to read, when to bow and when not to do so - but will not accumulate experience in dealing with passions and acquiring virtues.
Therefore, one of the main tasks for the rector is to educate parishioners in such a way that for them this is the central task of life. It is necessary to attune and prepare people for conscious church liturgical life. To do this, we organized a series of public conversations for adults, during which a person should become interested in spiritual life, he should awaken a thirst for learning and gaining experience of Orthodox life. It's a whole journey. To consciously approach Communion, firstly, you need to study and test your faith, learn about spiritual laws. Secondly, you need to seriously deal with your previous life - to pull out from your soul all the ugliness of grave mortal sins. Thirdly, it is very important to set up your life today according to the Gospel, because spiritual life is a war for our precious and immortal soul, God’s most precious treasure.
A sincere person always seeks the grace of God by cleansing himself from sin and living according to the Gospel and according to the holy fathers. Therefore, living people who seriously want to save their souls, who are looking for Christ, will definitely gather in the Church.
And if there is a community in the temple that wants to be saved, a community that prays, then the Lord will definitely help in material terms very quickly. This may sound a little strange, but I am not at all worried about the restoration of the cathedral in any time frame. Maybe this is frivolous, and I just don't realize what a monumental task it is. But it seems to me that for the Most Holy Theotokos several hundred million rubles are such a small thing that She can very easily find them. Not we, sinners, but She will win the hearts of people who want to participate in this work of life - the restoration of the temple of God, the temple of the Mother of God.
Can you share your “recipe” for creating normal parish life?
The recipe is both complex and simple at the same time. This is preaching, catechumens and conversations with people - “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This is a good church kiosk that not only sells candles, but also has a decent selection of spiritual literature for children and adults, for educated and ordinary people. An important task is the organization of an accessible, full-fledged library, a church choir capable of not only playing beautiful melodies, but also praying. So that from the church prayer singing the souls of both the parishioner and the priest would ascend to God, so that people could say: “We don’t know where we were, in Heaven or on earth.”
An important element in the education of parishioners is joint trips and pilgrimages, when people find themselves in a holy place for several days and join in monastic prayer. Some time ago we went to the shrines of Siberia, Tobolsk and the Holy Znamensky Abalak Monastery. For many, it was an amazing experience, a strengthening of faith, the next step in spiritual life, and an opportunity to get to know each other better. We had unforgettable evenings filled with warm, lively communication and joint reading, which undoubtedly strengthened us. And, of course, the parish should have a joyful external life, which simply is life: these include joint meals after general large services, and an ice skating rink, and a slide, and a competition for the best Christmas tree, summer hikes and rafting.
The creation of a brotherhood of serious church believers is seen as a very important matter for our parish. A brotherhood united by prayer and common purpose. We already have a sisterhood, since the sisters of mercy came for me along with other employees and volunteers of the Orthodox Mercy Service.
For two decades of serving in the Panteleimon Church, you managed to go through kindergarten and school, then it was as if you had studied at a university. Now the Lord has sent you into an independent life as a priest.
One priest, on the 18th anniversary of my ordination, said: “Well, that’s it, 18 years have passed - it’s time to join the army.” These words turned out to be prophetic: now there is an army. Everything I learned must be applied in combat conditions. Every effort must be made to create a single parish, so that there is no division between new and old, ours and newcomers. All ours.
•11 •December• 2014•
Social activities
Since the mid-90s. Father Evgeniy carries out active social service. The priest received his first experience of this obedience in a hospital for people with mental illness. This experience taught him to fight passions and sinful thoughts.
Father Evgeniy is the rector of the Assumption Church in Yekaterinburg
Since 2002, Archpriest Evgeny Popichenko was appointed head of all social projects carried out in the Yekaterinburg diocese. He directs the following types of social work:
- organization of the work of the Mercy Service;
- helping people in need;
- holding conferences on social, medical and religious issues;
- organization of pilgrimage trips;
- the formation of volunteer teams to help in emergency situations occurring in different Russian regions.
Father Evgeniy has a large and strong family - a wonderful wife and five children
Father Evgeny, Mother Olga and their children
See also the article Andrey Tkachev: biography, family photo
Father Evgeniy met Mother Olga at the Church of the Ascension, where he went to study singing. Olga then came for vacation from the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary. By luck, she turned out to be a musician.
Then Father Eugene decided to take a couple of lessons from her. When Olga returned back to St. Petersburg, the future husband and wife kept in touch through letters.
As Father Evgeniy himself says, before deciding to take such an important step, he and Olga went to Father Nikolai Guryanov, on Zalit Island.
Despite the fact that their path passed through the thin ice of Lake Pskov, determination and prayer protected them from harm. There, the future husband and wife received a blessing from the elder and instructions to name their son Seraphim, and their daughter Seraphim.
There are five children in the family of Father Evgeniy and Mother Olga - Seraphim, Simeon, Ekaterina, Seraphim and Pelageya. Evgeny himself says that his children are golden and obedient. Girls love in their own way, affectionately. Boys with their stingy male love.
Looking at the photo of Evgeniy and his family, it immediately becomes clear how friendly they are in their family happiness.
Works and sermons
Father Evgeniy’s social activities are not limited to leadership and participation in various social projects. Participating in various social projects, the priest often interacted with the media.
Since 2009, he has headed the Orthodox diocesan magazine “Orthodox Messenger,” which tells about the life of the diocese, priests and parishioners of Yekaterinburg parishes. It also publishes articles covering the main Christian doctrines and history of the Orthodox Church.
Interesting! In addition to printed publications, the priest collaborates with Orthodox television channels. He is a regular presenter of the Church Calendar program broadcast on the Soyuz channel. Father Eugene talks about Orthodox holidays, trying to convey to the audience the significance of this or that holy primate and the holiday.
The archpriest keeps up with the times, using modern means of communication to preach the Word of Christ. He is the creator of the Internet project “The Good Part”. With his help, he attracts the younger generation to the church, clearly explaining the basic Christian dogmas, highlighting issues of mercy, humility and patience.
One of Father Eugene’s obediences is social. He helps the sick, the elderly, children
Evgeniy Popchenko visits hospitals, where he helps the sick, instructs them in the faith and delves into the needs of adult and young patients.
According to Father Evgeniy himself, his social ministry began from the moment he began visiting patients in a psychiatric hospital. On its territory there was a temple where Evgeniy Popichenko was a priest.
Since 2002, Father Eugene has been the head of the diocesan Department of Social Ministry with the blessing of Archbishop Vincent.
Under his leadership there are more than 20 social projects, each of which is aimed at helping those in need: the elderly, children, the sick. Volunteers are also involved in social service.
See also the article Priest Pavel Ostrovsky
Among other types of obediences, Father Evgeniy, together with volunteers, traveled to Krymsk, which suffered from floods in 2012. According to Father Eugene himself, it was a difficult test, because it was necessary to prepare people in a very short time and go to an unknown place.
Comments
- Vyacheslav
:02/18/2019 at 22:25
Father Evgeniy, did you study in Chelyabinsk in 1983?
Answer
- R. Bozh. Larisa
:
05/06/2019 at 17:24
Christ is Risen! Happy Feast of St. George the Victorious! God bless you! Peace, goodness, prosperity, salvation! God bless you for everything!!!
Answer
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