The article was written in connection with the emerging discussion regarding the place of psychology and PR technologies in theological schools.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) “Love will indicate the true shepherd; for out of love the Great Shepherd gave Himself up to crucifixion.” This is what St. John Climacus spoke about shepherding. Not psychological techniques and tricks, not philosophical reasoning, not PR technologies, but pure, selfless love, joy for the child and sincere concern for him. And also - complete loyalty to Christ. And each of us will happily run to confession to an open, heartfelt, sacrificial shepherd, and not to one who will perform psychoanalysis on you, examine you using psychological methods like a guinea pig. Shepherding is a gift of the Spirit, and therefore it is unthinkable without spiritual work. It is not enough to take holy orders. Life is important - inside, in the heart. Without life, no method, no technology will help.
From personal memories: first meetings with Father Kirill (Pavlov)
Almost 30 years have passed, but how vivid the memories are! Here I am, a 17-year-old teenager, summoned to the vice-rector. Some two months ago I settled within the walls of the Lavra (the seminary for me is inseparable from the monastery of St. Sergius). I was not accepted into the seminary to study - I did not pass the competition. But they allowed me to remain a candidate for the position - an unspeakable happiness. Daily prayer, obedience, a little time for reading, but it still exists. With the Jesus Prayer and friendly mutual assistance, we worked wherever we were sent. Life inside the Lavra immediately became the only true life, and everything else seemed to be not life at all. Walking along the ancient walls to the sound of bells with a huge cart on which there were pickled cucumbers or tomatoes in tanks for the seminar meal - it filled the soul with indescribable joy. The main obedience for me is duty at the 2nd checkpoint, in a white booth with a green gate. Academic transport enters and exits through them to this day. But now I am summoned to the vice-rector. One of my co-workers managed to whisper to me about the dissatisfaction of the academic management. I enter the office with trepidation. The vice-rector looks sternly. It is clear from his face that he is seriously angry and what he is about to say is not an outburst of momentary emotions. However, what I hear shakes me from head to toe. My spirit freezes. For he says the most terrible thing for me: “We will no longer accept you to study at the seminary.” There, at the second entrance, seminarians are constantly running through the gate. How many times have they already said: the gates are intended for transport, they are for utility purposes, and you let students through them. And that means you are unable to perform obedience responsibly. “Sorry... Sorry...” I timidly try to say, feeling the ground disappearing from under my feet.
Priest Valery Dukhanin But the vice-rector is adamant. His voice becomes even stricter, notes of rejection are felt in it: “No.” The decision has already been made. If you want, stay, if you want, leave, but we won’t take you to the seminary. Everything inside was broken. The following years only confirmed to me the truth that our leadership does not waste words. And if the vice-rector said: “We will never take you” (and in those days the competition for admission was four people per place), then how is it even possible to bypass these words?.. Neither alive nor dead, I left the office and rushed to the telephone room (mobile the connection did not spread until ten years later) to inform my parents, who already did not particularly approve of my life choices, that it was all over. But an acquaintance I met, student A.Sh., now abbot D. at the same academy, said: “Just wait. Go to Father Kirill. His word and blessing are very important.” I already tried to get to our elder – Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov; † 2017). Not yet really knowing him by sight (nowadays anyone’s photograph can be found on the Internet), one day after the service I specially came to the entrance leading to the fraternal territory. Naively asked if it was possible to get to Father Kirill, to which he received the answer that it was impossible, since the priest was on duty. Having remained waiting, after some time I saw a tall, thin monk with a very bright gaze, in whose face joy and love shone, walking from the Assumption Cathedral to the entrance, accompanied by about twenty laymen. Someone was constantly coming and going through the entrance. But I paid attention to him. My heart felt warm, something inside said: “This is him.” But since the priest was walking surrounded by people, I did not dare to approach him. And only when the whole procession was already hiding behind the door, I hastened to ask the duty officer: “Is this Father Kirill?” He nodded his head affirmatively. I rushed like an arrow towards the passage where the last layman from the procession had just disappeared, but the attendant deftly slammed the inner bolt in my face, and the door remained closed for me. I looked at the duty officer in bewilderment. And he calmly explained: “Whoever passed with the priest together, passed.” So, having pulled away by a few meters, I was unable to get to the elder I loved most. But now my fate was being decided. It was imperative to get to the elder. I don’t even remember how it happened (it’s still written down somewhere in my old diaries). I remember that I begged St. Sergius to let me go to the priest. And Saint Sergius allowed it.
At the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh Quiet Lavra evening. We, seminarians and failed students like me, came to the priest for confession. He looks out of the cell, looks kindly and somehow unearthly humbly. I have never seen such humility in anyone else as Father Kirill. Kindly and a little surprised, he asks: “Are you all coming to me?” He rejoices at those who have come. We go inside. The general confession begins. The priest’s voice strikes you with some kind of unearthly silence. In this voice there is modesty, and silence of the heart, and the absence of earthly passions, and the fullness of some amazing life that is still incomprehensible to me. On dismissal, the priest looks at each of us and pronounces the names of our heavenly patrons. “And how does he know that my name is Valery?” - I was surprised when, looking at me, he mentioned the martyr Valery. But then we go out into the corridor and go to the priest one by one. This experience was born every time I found myself in Father Kirill’s cell. It’s as if you are plunging into a sea of warmth and love, indescribable kindness, but at the same time sacred fear and reverence, as if heavenly harmony from the Heavenly abodes spilled like a bright ray to where our father is. Passions freeze in you, and your heart opens, not being afraid to tell your deepest secrets. I'm confessing. I repent from my heart. I repent, in particular, that I suffer from pride. “But you have to be especially careful of pride,” the priest says with compassion and listens further. Then I tell about my misfortune, about the words of the vice-rector. Father Kirill quietly, but somehow very affectionately and at the same time firmly says: “Everything will be fine. Everything will be decided." He says this as if nothing had happened at all, as if the question of my admission to the seminary had already been decided. He blesses me to study at the seminary. And after confession, he leads me to the table and, looking at me again, as if seeing my future life, with the words “Eh, Valera, Valera...”, hands me a small metal icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” I carried this icon throughout my life. He also said: “We should have taken a more decisive approach. We must be decisive." This is how he explains my failed first meeting. I confess that throughout my entire subsequent life I have suffered from this shortcoming, right up to this day. Soon after confession, Father Kirill experienced his first miracle: I was enrolled in the seminary. How did this happen? Why? What prompted management to make this decision? One thing was obvious to me: everything was decided by prayer and the priest’s blessing.
Full text of the program
Father Valery : The most important thing is that the soul is free. Free from what? From some sins, from sinful passions, and this is what you need to work on in order to cleanse your heart. That is, this is our main goal, and people serve in different ways. Everyone who is posted must responsibly and conscientiously carry out their work.
Natalya Smirnova : Finding your own business is not an easy task. For some it takes their whole life. So Father Valery did not immediately understand what his calling was. His path is special, however, like that of every priest who decides to devote his life to God.
Cancer
Nurse : Good afternoon.
Father Valery : Hello.
Nurse : How are you feeling?
Father Valery : Yes, good now. So, yesterday it wasn’t very good, but today it’s better.
Nurse : Better. Now it will be even better. We will give you an IV that will help you recover.
Father Valery : Yes, thank you.
Natalya Smirnova : Today is Father Valery Dukhanin’s 3rd and final day of chemotherapy. The next course is in two weeks. Today I feel better and no longer feel sick.
Nurse : This is a restorative drip so that the patient does not feel sick and feels better.
Father Valery : Yes.
Nurse : Everything as prescribed by the doctor. They tolerate... well, everyone tolerates it differently. Father? Well, what happens with this... this kind of treatment is nausea, which... And so we administer drugs that improve the patient’s condition and eliminate nausea.
Father Valery : Yes. And this is where more chemicals come into the pump.
Natalya Smirnova : In parallel, right?
Nurse : Yes, a drip is given at the same time, and we finish the treatment with a pump.
Father Valery : Yes, thank you.
Natalya Smirnova : Father Valery found out that he had cancer a year ago. This came as a big surprise and shock to him. He did not notice any deterioration in his health, except that in recent months there was weakness.
Father Valery : Of course, I didn’t find out right away. This is the main difficulty. Usually this disease is recognized late. But there was... such weakness began a year before the operation and it was very... just some kind of pathological weakness, fatigue, and it was unclear why. There were no other manifestations, nothing hurt.
Well, before I even noticed, I was just lying at home. And then I started checking with doctors, and little by little they discovered that the tumor was in the sigmoid colon. We thought maybe it was benign, but it turned out not.
Natalya Smirnova: The first course of treatment brought Father Valery to intensive care. The body reacted to chemotherapy very painfully.
Father Valery : Indeed, there I already thought that I was actually dying. Why? Because I completely gave up... And I refused to speak, I couldn’t say anything and couldn’t breathe air through my mouth, and I thought that I was already dying.
The children, of course, prayed. And the doctor, when he arrived in an ambulance... and he - you can see from his face that he didn’t know what to do, yes, and, well, he took him to the hospital. And somehow along the way it became easier. Yes, of course, I also read the Jesus Prayer like this, some short prayers to myself, my wife prayed a lot.
Natalya Smirnova : This borderline state between life and death revealed new things to him about life and people. Now that the acute period of treatment is over, all that remains is gratitude.
Father Valery : And this is how the Lord shows that in some situations we see that we are not saved on our own, not through our prayers - through the prayers of loved ones and through the actions of such responsive, sensitive doctors who are supplied nearby.
There is a huge providence of God in this, because we see that, after all, love has not died on earth among people, mutual assistance has not died, sacrificial support, when someone worries about you so much that...
Well, I’ll even let you in on the secret that my wife even prayed so much that she said, “It’s better that I die than my husband.” Yes, yes. That is, of course, a manifestation of such higher love.
Natalya Smirnova : In this small but cozy room, the priest was left alone. The second bed has been empty since yesterday - the neighbor was discharged.
Father Valery : Here I lay with Alexey, who is from near Kostroma, he has been undergoing treatment for a long time. Such a very interesting, also kind person, a huge greeting to him.
Alexey - he kept asking me: “Why is it that good people are given good things, and bad people are given bad things?” Well, I tell him that illness is given to the bad so that they become good, and it is given to the good so that they become even better. That is, everyone has some benefit.
Well, God’s providence is completely unclear to us at once, and then the Lord somehow reveals in life why and why this is given.
Natalya Smirnova : In general, this is already the 22nd course of treatment and the 3rd hospital. First there was an operation in St. Petersburg, then Israel, now Father Valery is undergoing therapy at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Russian Ministry of Health.
Father Valery : Hello, Alexander Vladimirovich.
Alexander Vladimirovich : Hello. Have a seat. Tell me how you feel.
Father Valery : I feel very good. Of course, when chemistry is administered, by the evening your appetite drops and you feel a little nauseous. On the second day I have no appetite and feel nauseous, but on the third day that’s all - I feel fine in the morning.
Alexander Vladimirovich : Valery Nikolaevich, well, I looked at the results of the control examination that you and I underwent as planned, and I want to congratulate you, because your faith and the possibilities of modern treatment - they led to the fact that your disease is receding, and I hope everything will be OK. We will continue treatment with you.
Father Valery : Yes. I hope that with God’s help and with your enormous support, that we will somehow be able to achieve such results.
Alexander Vladimirovich : That’s it, we continue to receive treatment.
Father Valery : Yes, thank you very much.
Natalya Smirnova : The disease helped me understand familiar things in a new way.
Father Valery : After this experience, of course, you see that the most important thing in life is to always act according to your conscience, that is, to always keep your conscience clear. Because if you either deceive someone, or try to deceive something somewhere, it’s immediately like a stain is imposed that bothers you inside. That is, after this illness, such a heightened perception of conscience appears, so to speak.
Atheist
Natalya Smirnova : But once Father Valery did not believe in God, he was, frankly speaking, an atheist.
Father Valery : Well, I was, well, a real atheist. I remember my teenage years when someone would say, “I believe in God,” and I would say, “But I don’t believe in God. Well, where is God? I don’t see Him, I don’t feel Him, He’s nowhere to be found. How can I believe in Him, yes, if I have no contact with Him? That is, He is not there, and that’s all.”
The family was all atheistic, my parents didn’t believe in God, I didn’t believe in God, my older sister didn’t believe in me, and I didn’t see this anywhere, because the city of Orenburg is such a simple Soviet city.
Natalya Smirnova : True, despite teenage atheism, the temple was already attractive back then, in childhood.
Father Valery : When they came to the village to visit their grandmother, she had icons there. And somehow I saw that she was praying, and sometimes in the evenings, I remember, we walked along the village street and approached the temple. He was in such a neglected state, but always when they approached, he felt something like, you know, like...
Now I remember: how the evening sun falls on the walls of the temple, and how there are such reflections of heaven, do you understand? There was something that drew us there, inside, and when we entered, it was clear that there was no service or anything there, but it still felt as if you were in contact with some kind of secret. You are on the threshold of something so unknown, unusual, as they would say now, supernatural.
Well, my grandmother offered us to be baptized, but we all refused, all the grandchildren who were there. And then 1989 came, this was already after the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus', and somehow, I don’t know, miraculously, something began to change in consciousness.
Natalya Smirnova : One event remained in my memory for the rest of my life. Father Valery was then still a 5-year-old child.
Father Valery : There are no believers around. In our room at home, they hung a tear-off calendar on the wall, where every day you need to tear off a page, and I really liked doing it, but in order to tear off the leaves, I had to climb onto the table.
As I remember now, the table is at chest level, that is, first you need to sit on a chair, then on the table, you come up and lift it off. And so I somehow... Here I am 5 years old, I climb onto a chair, then onto a table. And I, you know, well, one day I looked back, and I was standing on the edge of the table, and my head immediately began to spin, and I felt like I was falling.
And suddenly this... it was the only time in my life, one time, as if someone were picking me up and very gently placing me on the floor. But not the feeling of hands, but some kind of extraordinary warmth, and inside there is also a state of some kind of special joy.
This feeling was then just at baptism, that is, like such an action of grace. Whether it was a Guardian Angel, I don’t know, but this happened once, and I remembered it for the rest of my life.
Natalya Smirnova : He himself will no longer remember why he decided to be baptized, and whether it was an independent decision. His relatives decided to accept baptism: his older sister, his cousin and her husband, Valery Dukhanin was 13 at the time.
Father Valery : And so the priest begins the ceremony. What’s interesting is that he pronounces it very indistinctly, the words of the prayers are incomprehensible, I can’t understand a single ritual, but at the same time a clear feeling of the presence of God suddenly arises inside. It’s very difficult to put into words, but it’s like some kind of obviousness when the Lord appears to you.
And there was a feeling as if all the dirt was taken from inside you, thrown out, and a light shone inside, and you felt joyful. It was just some kind of amazing joy, so much so that I even stood and smiled, but I smiled in a good way, I was glad that such an unexpected meeting had happened.
And during baptism I already felt like a believer. And for me, if it was not obvious before, yes, then at the moment of baptism it became obvious that God really exists, that God is Love, and He accepts you into His arms.
Natalya Smirnova : Soon after baptism, he told his parents that he wanted to be a priest. Mom and Dad were categorically against it. In the temple they looked askance at his offer of help.
Father Valery : My parents were against it. And they say: “Why do you need this? What do you really want, right? Why do you go to temple? You better sleep there, relax. It’s better to go there, to the dacha.”
My parents reasoned that, well, okay, let him go to the altar, see what’s happening there, and that’s all quickly...
Natalya Smirnova : He will return.
Father Valery : Yes, he’ll come back quickly, he won’t like all this, he’ll want it. And I already had such a desire inside. Then I wanted somehow, well, to be closer to the altar. There, everywhere they told me that “we don’t need it.”
You go somewhere and there are grandmothers looking at you suspiciously. There were only grandmothers gathering there, and then some teenager came. What does he want here?
Natalya Smirnova : But these serious trials did not frighten the young teenager. He had already embarked on this new spiritual path; even then, as a teenager, he realized that he needed to change his life not only externally, but also internally, and this meant that he would have to forget a lot, give up a lot.
Father Valery and the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery
Father Valery : Sometimes they even take it from your hand.
Natalya Smirnova : Yes?
Father Valery : Yes, some.
Natalya Smirnova : Interesting. Will it work?
Father Valery : Try it. Now. Some sit directly on your hand. Afraid.
Natalya Smirnova : In fact, Father Valery Dukhanin decided to become a priest at the age of 14, but there were still many years left before taking holy orders.
Father Valery : The fact is that I avoided taking holy orders for a long time. Somehow he stayed away, well, for various reasons, and devoted himself mainly to writing spiritual books, spiritual and educational activities.
And when I became a teacher at the Nikolo-Ugresh Seminary and then vice-rector for academic affairs, somehow everything began to change, and it became clear that if you teach future clergy, yes, then, in fact, this is also your own path.
Natalya Smirnova : He became a priest 5 years ago. I could have done it much earlier, but I didn’t dare. All the years after completing first theological seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, Valery Dukhanin was actively engaged in educational activities and wrote. Creative and scientific work took a lot of effort and time.
Father Valery : You see, like many priests, they go to parishes and only perform services, and they no longer have enough time...
Natalya Smirnova : For everything else.
Father Valery : For reading, writing some books. But this spiritual and educational orientation, writing books - it is of great importance to me, this is creative.
Natalya Smirnova : He compares studying at the seminary and academy to completing military service, although he did not have the chance to serve - he was not blessed. It was a serious school of life. He still feels the spiritual support of his first teachers.
Father Valery : For me, for... The seminary is already... it was a huge school in terms of discipline, in terms of doing work, in terms of organizing your personal time. Therefore, of course, I think that if you went through a seminary school, such a real one, then, there, the army was no longer necessarily needed, because everyone is preparing for their own service.
Well, there are black swans, they even swim there.
Natalya Smirnova : Oh, I see.
Father Valery : The black swan is such a rarity in our monastery.
Natalya Smirnova : They live here, right?
Father Valery : Yes, they live in the monastery, both white swans and ducks, of different breeds. I’ll also let you in on a secret that ostriches also live here.
Natalya Smirnova : Come on. Where is it?
Father Valery : Ostriches live on... there is a farm area further behind the fence. A place where there are peacocks and deer too.
Natalya Smirnova : The Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery became a new page in his life. Since 2003, he taught here at the seminary, since 2011 he was its vice-rector, and 3 years later he was ordained first as a deacon, and in the same anniversary year in memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh - as a priest.
Father Valery : In general, an Orthodox monastery, any monastery, but Nikolo-Ugreshsky especially, is such an image of heaven on earth. This is how in paradise everything was in complete spiritual harmony, people obeyed God, served God, this is how in the holy monastery people try to serve the Lord.
They try to restore order within themselves, but also outside, so that the monastery itself reflects this spiritual harmony. This is our obedience to God and the glorification of the Lord in the very beauties of nature, behold. And, of course, when you are here, your soul rests here.
Even after the service, we go with the children; there are amazing birds here - ducks, swans, and you can feed them. And the soul rejoices so much when you are here that, well, it’s simply impossible to convey, of course.
Natalya Smirnova : Here Father Valery found thoughtful and sensitive confessors, and he always feels the special presence of St. Nicholas here - he is directly related to the founding of the monastery.
Father Valery : And here they camped, the forest was...
Natalya Smirnova : Here?
Father Valery : Yes, here, in these places, there is a pine forest. And he came out and saw on a pine tree the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And when he prayed, the icon fell directly into his hands, and he said in Slavic: “This whole thing has sinned my heart,” that is, “All this has warmed my heart.”
This word “Ugresha” warmed us up, hence the “Nikolo-Ugresha Monastery” came from. And then there was the Battle of Kulikovo, and as a sign of gratitude, Prince Dmitry Donskoy ordered to build a monastery on this site.
Natalya Smirnova : There is also a legend about the Venerable Pimen of Ugreshsky.
Father Valery : Already in the 20th century, one little girl, walking near his burial place, heard angelic singing, angelic singing. She told the adults, but no one really listened to her.
And this girl - she lived a very long life, until the 90s, when the monastery was already revived. And she told about this singing, how she heard angelic singing at the grave of St. Pimen of Ugresh.
And his relics were found, and people received grace-filled help. And then a temple was erected next to the burial place of St. Pimen. Yes, that is, when she told this story, she had already passed away.
Natalya Smirnova : You have some kind of special bell ringing here, father.
Father Valery : Well, Nikolo-Ugreshsky is special.
Natalya Smirnova : Yes, that’s for sure. In another temple they sing somehow differently.
Father Valery : Yes, differently. I don’t know why this is, but here it is.
Natalya Smirnova : Now, during treatment, priest is forced to appear here less often. When his health allows, he takes part in services as a cleric of the Nikolo-Ugresh Seminary.
Vania
Father Valery : Son, hello.
Ivan Dukhanin : Bless.
Father Valery : In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, how are you here without me?
Ivan Dukhanin : Well, okay. Mom just left.
Father Valery : Are you preparing for exams?
Ivan Dukhanin : Yes, the day after tomorrow it will be.
Father Valery : Oh, great. Here Bimka meets us.
Natalya Smirnova : Son Vanya is temporarily in the family as the eldest. The younger sisters and their mother went to the sea for a few days.
Natalya Smirnova : Was it boring without dad? Boring?
Ivan Dukhanin : Well, yes.
Natalya Smirnova : Moreover, my mother left.
Ivan Dukhanin : Mom left, in general, it’s only Bimka and herself here.
Natalya Smirnova : Will mom be with the girls for a long time?
Ivan Dukhanin : Mom for how long? For 12 days.
Father Valery : For 12 days they are somewhere. This is the trip. In Tuapse, right?
Ivan Dukhanin : You know better.
Father Valery : In general, to the Black Sea, somewhere there. They arrived there just in time today and arrived safely. Here. Well, you will already be helping around the apartment.
Ivan Dukhanin : Clean, there, cook.
Natalya Smirnova : I fried some potatoes for myself.
Father Valery : Yes, yes. Yes, that’s how he knows how to do everything that needs to be done. True, he doesn’t always want to, but he already knows how.
Natalya Smirnova : Ninth-grader Vanya has exams coming up, first at school, then at college. He wants to enter the St. Demetrius Medical School and help people, like dad. You want to be a doctor, right?
Ivan Dukhanin : To be more specific, a sports rehabilitation specialist, because I like sports, football, all that.
Father Valery : He likes sports, and likes to rehabilitate those who suffered after sports.
Natalya Smirnova : You are one of them.
Father Valery : Yes. I’m currently being treated at a treatment and rehabilitation center, and I also qualify. He has already given me an injection once.
Natalya Smirnova : The gymnasium pays for the rent of this modest apartment for the priest’s family. Despite frequent moves, Vanya’s very first toy is always with her.
Father Valery : This bear here - we gave it to Vanya when he was still a newborn, and put him in bed with him. So he hugged him, slept with him, and that’s how he was preserved, like a child’s toy.
Natalya Smirnova : It’s practically a relic.
Father Valery : Yes, this is the parting word for him so that he can keep it for his children.
Natalya Smirnova : The acute consciousness of family as something closest and dearest came even more clearly there, in intensive care, on the threshold between life and eternity.
Father Valery : Well, a lot has come. Firstly, it became clear that it was necessary, of course, to pay more attention to children and family. Because before this there was always some kind of rush, bustle, and in this bustle, in work, in constant some kind of income, the family receded into the background, and such spiritual communication was not enough.
Well, if you are always in a hurry to get somewhere, then in the end there is no such opportunity to pray. That is, you push yourself, you push yourself, but for what reason it’s unclear. And somehow it all became clear at once, that it was a completely stupid rush.
Natalya Smirnova : In the illness and infirmity of priest Valery Dukhanin, his beloved saints always support him.
Father Valery : Photo of St. Gabriel Urgebadze, who was a confessor of the faith of Christ in Georgia in the 20th century. Somehow, he is also very close to the soul, like the Monk Paisius the Svyatogorets, like the blessed Matrona of Moscow, Mother Sipporah, who is near Optina.
After all, these are people of our time, in fact, yes, but at the same time they retained such holiness, purity of heart, simplicity in communicating with people. Yes. And when you pray to them, you somehow feel such great spiritual support.
Natalya Smirnova : Each person has his own path to God. Some people wait their whole lives to meet Him, some don’t believe until their last days, and some, being an atheist, like Valery Dukhanin once, become a priest.
Father Valery : In life, a person becomes happy only when he meets God. But still, this is in many ways a personal experience, and it is very difficult for atheists to explain it.
Because you look at some people - their souls are just so unreceptive, for some reason they are not given these signs, these revelations. And at some point, maybe they receive it, or even through suffering they are given the opportunity to convert.
Yes, strangely enough, suffering - it can also lead a person to God.
More about Father Kirill
We had no mobile phones or internet connection. But as soon as Father Kirill appeared in the Lavra, everyone in the chain immediately told each other this good news. People gathered right there - in the altar where the priest appeared, in his cell (for a prayer rule during the day or for general confession in the evening) or in a special designated room behind the entrance. And there was not a single person in the Lavra and Moscow theological schools who would not listen to the word of Father Kirill. I remember, on the eve of the feast of St. Sergius, I went to the priest, as it turned out, along with the bishops who had come for the feast. Metropolitans, very respectable bishops, and here I am, an insignificant seminarian. The rulers valued him so much that they themselves, as if they were lower in rank, folded their palms in a cross shape and, bowing their heads, asked for his blessing. But most of all I was surprised that the priest rejoiced at me with the same sincere joy as he did at the visiting bishops. And he was so loving with pure, sincere love for absolutely everyone. We didn't feel sorry for him. It seemed to us that since he is an old man, it means he will endure everything, endure it, pull it through. They walked and loaded him with endless troubles, worries, worries and sorrows. And he really endured and endured. We left with relief, with a free soul and some kind of indescribable joy. More than once the priest helped out in a critical situation. And his health began to fail. The monastic leadership restricted access to him more and more strictly. This was a natural concern for the life and health of the elder, and we condemned the leadership for “persecuting the elder.”
Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Our world is very limited. Both space and time have boundaries that are very inconvenient for our soul, created for the sake of eternal Heaven. And these boundaries unpleasantly manifest themselves when we have just found an elder, a gracious spiritual father. 150 people cannot squeeze into the priest’s cell, and in one day the priest will not listen to all those who are thirsty, no matter how much he wants. Space and time do not allow us to do this. But when Father Kirill was in the Lavra, everyone knew that the spiritual father, the elder, was with us and, therefore, for the sake of his very presence the Lord would not leave us. While the priest is in the Lavra, none of us is an orphan or a street child. What is the genius of Father Kirill's eldership? He united us all. Because he loved everyone as if he was only waiting for this person. I never heard him condemn anyone. He said something kind about everyone, so that all insults against each other stopped. There was something for everyone, something warm and heartfelt. And therefore, in the presence of Father Kirill, all divisions ceased. There are many kind priests, but this kindness of ours is human. There are many sensible people who can give sober and balanced advice, but this is largely life experience. Father Kirill's kindness, love, and prudence were somehow unearthly, God-given.
More elders and confessors
And yet Father Kirill is not alone. The gift of love, which shone abundantly in him, also shone in other Lavra fathers. Here is Archimandrite Vitaly (Meshkov; † 2014). No one saw him despondent. The spiritual children joyfully said about him: “Where Father Vitaly is, there is Easter.” Both students of theological schools and parishioners of the Lavra were drawn to him. For many years, he delivered daily sermons in Lavra churches, traveled to Malinniki for holy water, which he brought in large containers, and this water was offered in the fraternal Varvarinsky Corps to everyone. There was a case when Father Vitaly was appointed assistant housekeeper, and due to the enormous workload, Father Kirill blessed him to go to fraternal prayer services only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On the very first morning, when the priest was ready to skip the prayer service with his blessing, the Monk Sergius appeared to him and reproached him. Since then, Father Vitaly has not missed a single fraternal prayer service for decades. By the way, he went to the Lord just before the fraternal prayer service. Twelve measured strikes of the bell notified the Lavra brethren about their deceased brother, when everyone gathered for a prayer service to St. Sergius. Here is Abbot Vissarion (Veliky-Ostapenko; † 2015). He was distinguished by such humility that, upon arriving at the monastery, he abandoned the first part of his surname; it was restored only after his death. His life could have become the subject of a work of art, but in the monastery he tried to remain inconspicuous, like the last monk. Sacrifice was inherent in him from his youth. So, in his early years, during the German occupation, he learned that they wanted to take his sister along with many others to Germany, and he convinced the Germans to take him instead of his sister. And so it happened. And when at the end of the war our prisoners were released, then, as someone who worked on German territory, he was greeted coolly by the Soviet authorities; he worked for a year together with others - restoring the destroyed Stalingrad. After this he went to the monastery of St. Sergius. Twice under pressure from the authorities he was expelled from the monastery, but even then he steadily appeared at Lavra services. With quiet, humble words, he consoled thousands of people. And he also wrote amazing spiritual poems.
Archimandrite Elijah (Reizmir) Here is Archimandrite Elijah (Reizmir), who faithfully served the four patriarchs in the patriarchal chambers. He came to the Lavra very young to enter the seminary. He had not yet said anything about himself to anyone, but the Lavra elder Schema-Archimandrite Micah, seeing him, said loudly: “Here comes the disciple of St. Sergius.” Nikolai, that was the name of Father Elijah before becoming a monk, met the dean of that time, the elder Archimandrite Theodoret (Vorobiev). He brought him to the cell of Father Matthew (the famous regent) and predicted: “Father Matthew, this is our future brother, take him to your choir. Help him prepare for seminary.” Father Elijah seemed to be constantly confessing to the brethren and parishioners of the Lavra. I myself, while living in Sergiev Posad, went to him for regular confession. And one very serious problem of mine, which had been gnawing at my soul for a long time, went away after a sincere confession from Father Elijah and after his stern but heartfelt words. Unmercenary, himself in a poor monastic robe, not leaving a penny for himself, he supervised the expensive repairs of the patriarch's chambers and more than once gave donations brought to him for human needs. I am a witness to this. He, to this day respected and valued by the Patriarch, does not show even a shadow of ambition. A humble disciple of the humble Abba Sergius, he is a completely sincere monk and a sincere worker. It is impossible to list all the Lavra elders and spiritual fathers with whom the Lord deigned to meet... Why are we talking about them? But here's why. It would never even occur to anyone that such shepherds live by daily photo shoots, selfies and PR of themselves on social networks, that they track the popularity of their pages, chase likes, promote their YouTube channels using PR technologies and generally strive for popularization your image. It would not occur to anyone that the mentioned pastors would study psychological techniques, conduct psychoanalysis sessions with their children, work with the subconscious of parishioners, and do anything similar. They kept and keep some kind of tradition, incomprehensible to us, of a simple-hearted and sincere renunciation of the world and following Christ. It’s as if they, together with the Apostle Peter, said to the Lord: “Behold, we have left everything and followed You” (Matthew 19:27). They follow Christ without further ado or wishful thinking. And therefore they do not dare to continue Peter’s phrase: for this following You, “what will happen to us?” (Matthew 19:27). They serve the Lord only because they cannot do otherwise.
Hegumen Boris (Khramtsov) Here is Hegumen Boris (Khramtsov; † 2001). He lived only 46 years, but it was he who revived many desperate people to true life. I met Father Boris only once, completely by chance, when at the academy he approached the student dormitory under the palace. He asked me about one of the students, in which room he lived. I was struck by the eyes of Father Boris: quiet, kind, these eyes meekly penetrated you with their pure, unearthly, selfless love; eyes that are ready to sympathize and support, no matter what you are. Just one single glance, and it was imprinted on me for the rest of my life. How I regret that at that time I knew almost nothing about Father Boris, did not meet him, did not communicate. Subsequently, I heard a lot about him from those who took care of him. I will cite the memories of one of his children: “Father Boris had a special gift for conducting confession. How many of his spiritual children subsequently remarked: “He was so guilty of such sins that no one could bear it. I didn’t even expect from myself that I could remember and tell this.” I was convinced of this myself by living in a monastery for a week and going to confession with the priest every day. I think I’ve already filled up a whole notebook, but I go to confession to the priest - and again new sins are revealed. You read everything to him, and he smiles so tenderly and lovingly, confidentially asks: “Have you forgotten anything?” And the heart begins to grieve again. I would like to quickly free myself from internal dirt, so as not to lose the peace of mind acquired after so much suffering. Father Boris knew how to force the penitent to look deep into his heart. And then the joy, after the prayer of permission, was as if I had been born again. I have had occasion to communicate with good psychotherapists in my life. But the consolation that I received from the priest was not human, but divine. Through the priest’s prayers, the Lord Himself gave His all-powerful help to man. Indeed, then with Father Boris I felt that confession is a Sacrament.” I often refer people with particularly difficult life situations, or rather those who are too depressed, limp, or give up, to Father V. Actually, Father V. convinced me to finally become a priest. Why am I sending you to Father V.? Because he is one of those rare confessors who have the strength and time for everyone who comes. Mostly everyone is busy, everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. And Father V., even with all his busyness, has time for those who come. In him, like every elder, there is the same childish joy, simple-heartedness, naturalness and also extraordinary inner activity. He is about himself, for himself - nothing, he is all with you. He used to look at you with his affectionately penetrating gaze and then quietly tell you in your ear everything as it is - what you allowed and what you shouldn’t have allowed. He will say that instead of resentment, freedom suddenly shines in your soul and you make an important decision for your whole life. He rejoices at your successes as if they were his own successes. And the very joyful tone of his voice instills considerable strength in you. Of course, it is not insight or miracles that are important for us in a spiritual leader. Although the Lord gives this too for the sake of our weakness. The most important thing is sober, sound advice. Repeatedly, Father V.’s word, like a double-edged sword, cut through the knot of life’s problems, twisted situations, and confused thoughts. And even when I believed that he was wrong, because the power of my reason convinced me of his wrongness, then time showed the opposite. Mistakes came from disobedience. If we take the external side, then V.’s father can be said to be disabled. Several operations, oncology, etc. I have repeatedly observed an amazing truth: he seems to be sick, but at the same time he is more joyful than the healthy people who come to him. They, healthy, come to him heartbroken, and he, sick, but more joyful than them, inspires them to the same spiritual joy that he himself has. One day my friend Andrei came to see him with his daughter. I arrived in my expensive car. As always, Father V. has a lot of people gathered. He treats everyone. Pays attention to everyone. The conversation took place, but Andrei was internally a little upset that it was nothing special, just some kind of meeting. I was about to go back. The car was on a hand brake, and due to the high cost of the car, this brake is some kind of electronic button. Andrey presses the button, but the handbrake is not removed - it is impossible to drive. This way and that – it doesn’t work. I called the car dealership. Experienced specialists said: “Open it there and pull the wires towards you.” I opened it, pulled as hard as I could, but it didn’t work. I had to call a tow truck from Moscow, and the distance to the monastery is considerable. It started to rain and bad weather developed. After a long wait, Andrey and his daughter went back to the priest. Seeing them, Father V. said: “What, Andryusha, the car won’t start? Wait a little, now.” Immediately, without further ado, he put on the epitrachelion, the shoulder straps and disappeared into his small cell, where there was only his bed, a table and icons with shrines all around. What function did he perform there? How did you pray? Unknown. But as soon as Andrey and his daughter went to the car, it started up, the button worked, as if nothing had happened. All that was left was to cancel the tow truck and go home. Orthodoxy is not a theory, not speculation on philosophical topics. Orthodoxy is the experience of living communion with the living God. And there is a response to sincere prayer. What draws us to such shepherds? Why is the heart itself ready to open up, to accept their word, just as the parched earth accepts the long-awaited dew? I ask myself this question, and the answer appears by itself. Not the glamor of daily photo shoots, not American smiles at the camera with a fashionable spread of expensive cassocks or cassocks, or even gallant social clothes, not self-confident discussions on social networks about everything in the world, not psychological techniques and the condescending gaze of a person superior to you in learning. No, not that. So what? A simple, heartfelt, outwardly unsophisticated life, without unnecessary manners - but all this life is in Christ, all like a living Gospel. And the shepherd himself is a living image of the living Christ. And the quiet breath of the grace of the Holy Spirit. These shepherds amazed and amaze with their way of life, and a book could be written about each of them. They dissolved in service, in their work, in their sacrifice to God and their neighbors. Complete oblivion of oneself, simplicity and authenticity of life. And no narcissism or self-promotion. They, like children, have diminished and therefore they are greater than us in the Kingdom of Heaven. And isn’t our soul also looking for the authentic, the real? This is what she finds in those we are talking about.
Authentic Shepherding
Shepherding is inexplicable, just as He who gave it to us is inexplicable.
Where it is not so much human as God’s, there the human tongue becomes silent. How to explain the mystery of the resurrection of the soul, overcoming sins, pure love, joy? It is difficult for Orthodox pastors to give a rational interpretation, just as it is difficult to explain the mystery of birth and the mystery of love. Likewise, the mystery of spiritual rebirth and spiritual love, the mystery of the soul’s communion with God, spiritual teaching, priesthood - all this is difficult to describe rationally. Where it is not so much human as God’s, where God’s grace acts, there the human tongue becomes silent. From the outside, everything is clear. As one senior priest told me with a smile, in the pastorate there is a rule of three “a”: altar, pulpit, lectern. Altar - here we mean worship, because it is performed in the altar. But broadly, every sacred rite is included here, every service, even the smallest one, at home, and it invisibly leads the soul to the altar of the Lord. The pulpit is a sermon, of course, from the pulpit. But by extension this also means every public word of the priest. The lectern is a confession, for the sacrament of Repentance is performed at the lectern on which the Cross and the Gospel lie. But the general understanding of the priest’s counseling is his personal conversation with any person who turns to him with mental pain. Outwardly this is so, but internally... Internally this is complete following of Christ, service to the point of self-forgetfulness - this is the essence of shepherding. Archimandrites Tikhon (Agrikov) and Kirill (Pavlov) What is the sacrifice of a shepherd? For example, here she is. The Venerable Elder Barnabas of Gethsemane († 1906), who had confessed to thousands of people from all over Russia, after another confession, tired, followed with the cross and the Gospel to the altar, knelt down before the Throne and thus gave up his soul to God. From the altar of the temple on earth he ascended to the Altar of Heaven. Or Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov, in the schema of Panteleimon; † 2000), at whose sermons thawed hearts cried and who was followed relentlessly by crowds of people (for which, in fact, the godless authorities expelled him from the Lavra): he went to the Lord in the altar after the words “Glory to You, who showed us the light!” With his very life he glorified the True Light and passed over to the True Light. These shepherds turned out to be faithful to the Church to the end and devoted themselves entirely to service. And here is what Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov) himself said about shepherding when he taught pastoral theology at the Moscow Theological Academy: “The shepherd of the Church of Christ must burn with love for people and love for the heavenly world; a shepherd needs to love to breathe the air. And love without distinction, without calculation, without choice. To love and please everyone, namely to PLEASE, is the constant and quiet triumph of true pastoral love, for a shepherd without love is like a flower without color, a morning without dawn, a day without a shining sun, or, as according to the Apostle, an extinct star wandering in the darkness of the night (Jude 1:13)". Sacrificial shepherds – they still exist. They always exist, because the Church is always with us. The worst thing about a shepherd is selflessness. His services turn into either a tedious exercise of time, or a demonstration of his imaginary greatness, emphasizing his high position, constantly reminding others of subordination, their disobedience, etc. In general, this turns into complete hassle. The congregation quickly recognizes whether the shepherd loves to pray. Is prayer for him a formality, fulfilling a requirement for the sake of money, or is the shepherd happy to pray for you, sincerely wants your salvation. When I myself became a priest, I noticed an amazing truth. If you rush to fulfill any requirement in order to fulfill it quickly, just to leave early, just to get rid of it, then a breakdown occurs inside. Any service begins to tire you and weigh you down. If we still allow negligence, then the soul turns into some kind of hell of the most painful feelings. But when you devote yourself completely to prayer, when you perceive each prayer at the request of others as a joyful meeting with the Lord, then this nourishes and internally enriches you. Prayer for others also becomes your personal communication with the Lord. And so the whole day can pass in joyful service to God, Who is all Love. This is Paradise. More than once I came to church mentally exhausted, without any strength. I didn’t even have the strength to talk to anyone, my nervous system was so frayed and exhausted. But at the altar you stand before the Holy Throne, and from your very heart you try to delve into the prayers and chants. And after a short time, fatigue leaves the soul, it becomes joyful, free, easy. Some kind of space appears in your heart, and you want to share this joy with others. Seeing the elders and confessors, I came to the conclusion that true shepherds speak more to God than to people. The word they pronounce is to God in prayer, and therefore the earthly word addressed to people becomes different and carries the reflection of Heaven. I remember my first confessor. He is still alive and serving the Lord in the distant city of Orenburg. Separated by one and a half thousand kilometers, we do not have the opportunity to see each other often. A.’s father is not distinguished by either his scholarship or status; he had never even heard of any kind of psychology due to his low, by the standards of this world, education. But people are drawn to him. There will certainly be a line to see him for confession. When I approached him for confession, my soul revealed itself and there was no secret that I didn’t want to reveal to him. He could have simply said, “Put all your trust in the Lord. The Lord Himself will manage everything.” It would seem that these words are spoken by thousands of other people. But he spoke in a way that no one else would say. With such pure trust in God, with such warmth of the heart that your soul felt warm. What is the spoken word? It is the expression of our heart. The shades of the word carry reflections of the soul - with whom does it dwell in its innermost recesses, to whom has it dedicated itself? A passionate person has passionate speech. Whoever has acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit, his speech bears the stamp of Heaven. It happens that there are a lot of words and they seem to be correct, but they are all filled with such passions that the meaning of what is said disappears. Words become empty because of our passions, because in words one thing, but in life another. Such words become meaningless sounds. And sometimes, one spoken word transforms your whole life, resurrects, gives meaning to your entire existence. And I have seen these resurrected people, sobered up, saved, for example, after one word from Father Kirill, more than once. Even though they themselves never became saints, the priest’s word drew some new line in their lives, separated them from the old way of life. And the word of Father Kirill, and Father V., and other genuine shepherds is different from millions of seemingly the same words spoken by millions of other people. Because in such confessors as Father Kirill, there was no sense of envy, selfishness, vanity, any falsehood or subtle deceit, in general, all that endlessly swarming in our souls. Our passions scream too much in us. And therefore the voice of our word is weak. So, shepherding is not necessarily a lot of words. Shepherding is a word filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit gives life, transforms, makes spiritual those who receive the word. True shepherding is accepting the person who comes as one sent from God, praying for him as for yourself. We pray lukewarmly for ourselves too. True shepherding is an awakened soul and therefore capable of awakening others. The sounds of Paradise, heard by the soul of the shepherd in direct living experience, reach through him and to his flock. Simple words in the confession of a confessor can resurrect even the most despairing person. Of course, every personal experience bears the stamp of subjectivity. But personal experience is also of great importance for each of us. According to my observation, those amazing shepherds, confessors and elders with whom the Lord allowed me to come into contact tried to stay in the shadows, were careful not to presumptuously intrude into someone’s life, their self-forgetfulness was amazing. They served God, the Church, people, forgetting about themselves. It would never even occur to them to reduce the meaning of their lives to constant talk shows, as we have already said, to daily selfies, promoting their image on social networks, counting likes and painful reactions to comments. Those who think about themselves serve themselves: they create an image, an image, and also, pushing themselves forward, try to exert a powerful psychological influence on others.
Writing activity
The priest is known for his publications and books. His articles and works often touch on topics related to the lives of people in the modern world with its temptations.
Publications
Since 2004, a large number of articles by the clergyman have been published. Most of them are about life in the modern world.
Some of his publications:
- In the article “About Yoga and Other Eastern Practices” Fr. Valery warns about the harm to the soul of people who practice meditation and yoga (Pravoslavie.ru website, 2014).
- In the publication “What are the dangers of our sinful passions” (“Pravoslavie.ru”, 2021), he explains the bondage we are in.
- In the article “Why Shouldn’t a Christian Participate in Halloween?” three answers from priests were posted: Priest Valery Dukhanin, Archpriests Theodore Borodin and Andrei Efanov (“Pravoslavie.ru”, 2018). Father Valery writes that Halloween is “flirting with dark power.” He calls on everyone who took part in this “holiday” to confess.
Also, some of the articles are devoted to the inadmissibility of practicing the occult.
Books
In addition to articles, many books by the archpriest have been published, which are recommended by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Most of them are dedicated to the Sacraments of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In the book “The Hidden World of Orthodoxy” (2006) Fr. Valery reflects on the reasons for unbelief, on the meaning of the Lord’s commandments, on life in the modern world.
The works “The Hidden Gift” and “How to Learn Correct Prayer” (2016) were written based on the works of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). Two years earlier, the book “The Life of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)” was published.
In his books, the priest warns against engaging in the occult and reading esoteric books. He gives many examples when, having succumbed to sin, people paid heavily for it.
In the work “Protect us, Lord, from superstitions, occultism, and corruption,” the author classifies hypnosis as an occult method. A person exposed to this method of influence becomes more susceptible to the influence of dark forces. The book talks about the consequences of being interested in the occult and provides examples.
The priest warns against turning to healers who “treat” with prayer and the cross. The priest also touches on the topics of fortune telling, damage, and astrology. The author also thinks about why people are prone to superstitions.
The priest writes that illnesses and sorrows sent to us by God's Providence contribute to the salvation of the soul.
Books about. Valeria help Orthodox Christians not to stray from the right path, and doubting people to find faith.
Loss of pastorate
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zech. 13:7). Distract the shepherd from the main task of life - and you will ruin his ministry. Keep him busy with professional sports, performing at rock venues, involve him in marketing, PR technologies, studying trends and hype - and he simply won’t have time left for shepherding. His spirit itself will change. Having felt the taste of popularity, meeting enthusiastic praise for his image, he will experience a serious temptation - a sweet and contented feeling whispers to him that now he is a “star”. He will not notice that shooting stars always burn brightly, captivate the eyes of the assembled audience, and then only acrid smoke remains. Due to his spiritual immaturity, he will cleverly fit into a number of fashionable “cool guys” - with slang that the world understands, with a way of life according to the rules of this world. The otherworldliness will go away, and the image of this world will be imprinted on it. And now he is all there, in the abyss of fashionable hobbies, his heart is in social networks, in promoting himself, in increasing the popularity of his image, in earning likes. And worship is already a burden to him, he is above someone else’s suffering, heartache rarely visits him. I have had close contact with those who have embarked on this path. I didn’t know someone personally, but I observed their activities. I admired them for a long time because I could not help but recognize, as it seemed to me, the effect of their deeds: they were respected by rockers and bloggers, they were professional in psychology, they were self-confident. The brightness of the image they created shone with the most skillful illumination. The blogs they created attracted people with their independent view of things; they did not shy away from castigating the vices of others and boldly speaking about the imperfections of our church environment. Some of them succeeded in business, and for the sake of the most good cause - the construction of temples and huge church complexes. Next to them, I realized that I was a small midget compared to the giants who had found an understandable language and common deeds with the world, through which, as I thought, they clearly testified to the power of Orthodoxy. Years, even decades, passed, and I was suddenly surprised to discover that they were no longer clergy. In the literal sense of the word. Some were deprived of their holy orders, others were banned. Someone, being a successful blogger, left the priesthood and became interested in professional psychology. Unfortunately, this is not fiction. First, the priest becomes a “cyberpop”, actively performs in the media space, conquers the Internet public and causes everyone’s surprise. Then comes the inevitable temptations. Then the incredible happens: the priest renounces his priesthood and goes to study as a psychologist. The story is real, but it brings nothing but grief. Of course, in each individual case everything is very personal. And we will not dare to condemn anyone. But did it not happen that the world, to which they decided to become their own, swallowed them up, imbued them with its content and, unnoticed by them, made them strangers to the Church? The merciless jaws of worldly life, grabbing them with its fangs, thoroughly chewed them up, and then spat them out as unnecessary to this world itself. It seemed that talented missionaries, apologists and preachers, gifted in the most positive sense, are now neither in the altar, nor on the pulpit, nor near the lectern. Why did it happen this way? Was this a temptation inherent in bright activity, or did their activity itself become a temptation for them? Don't know.
What about psychology?
For about 20 years I taught various disciplines in spiritual and theological educational institutions.
For eight years he served as vice-rector for academic affairs at the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Theological Seminary. The experience gained suggests that the seminary was created to train shepherds, servants of God, and not PR technologists or psychoanalysts. A psychology course in seminaries can only be of a popular educational nature. And the students themselves react much more vividly to the real direct experience of shepherding, when famous confessors and clergy share their life experiences, combining the theory and practice of Orthodox theology. At the master's level, scientific specialization is possible, but starting only from the base of the bachelor's degree, from its theological and pastoral direction. You cannot make a person an archaeologist, geologist, biologist, psychiatrist or anyone else in two years if the student spent four years previously studying completely different disciplines. The same applies to psychology. If you open a separate psychology profile in a master's program, then only by implying Orthodox psychology - patristic asceticism and anthropology, pastoral counseling, strictly built on an Orthodox church basis. To bring to the world the patristic teaching about the soul and its salvation in a clear and accessible language, and not to adapt to worldly psychology - this is our task. Not Freud or Jung, not Fromm or anyone like them, but the Venerable John Climacus and Abba Dorotheos, Isaac the Syrian and Maxim the Confessor, Paisius the Svyatogorets and Silouan of Athos, Saints Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Theophan the Recluse and many, many other Fathers of the Church, who not only talked about the soul, but by the grace of God found the salvation of the soul. Their souls were transformed by the Light of Christ, and they show us this path. There are still genuine shepherds today, genuine successors to the patristic tradition of knowledge about the soul and the salvation of the soul. To convey the patristic teaching about the soul and its salvation to the modern world in a clear and accessible language, and not adapt to worldly psychology - this is our task. Priest Valery Dukhanin
Valery's childhood
As a child, Valery often went to an abandoned old church in the village. And although the boy was not a believer then, he felt the mystery of this place.
Origin and birth
Dukhanin Valery Nikolaevich, whose biography contains an amazing moment of gaining faith, grew up in an ordinary Soviet family. He was born on May 28, 1976 in the city of Orenburg.
Family
Valery's parents belonged to the category of employees. They were unbelieving people. There was no talk about God in the family.
The boy and his sister spent every summer in the village with their grandmother. In her house there were icons hanging on the wall. One night Valery saw his grandmother praying on her knees in front of them. Shortly before this, she almost died from a lightning strike - it passed into the ground very close.
When the grandmother invited her grandchildren to be baptized, they refused. Then Valery had no faith, he was indifferent to conversations about God.
